Lasell Field Hockey doubles up Colby-Sawyer in GNAC opener

NEWTON, Mass. – Senior Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.) scored two goals Saturday afternoon as Lasell College doubled up Colby-Sawyer College, 4-2, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) field hockey opener for both schools at Grellier Field.

The Lasers even their overall record at 2-2 (1-0 GNAC), while Colby-Sawyer, a newcomer to the GNAC this season, is now 3-1 overall (0-1 GNAC).

Senior Jordan Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) put the Chargers on the board 15 minutes into the first half, driving the ball into the goal after gaining a fast break in the midfield. Lasell junior Sam Taylor (Hanover, Mass.) answered with a high-flying shot over Colby Sawyer's goalie sophomore Abby Ladd (Colchester, Vt.), assisted by senior Julia Franzik (Wallingford, Conn.), to even the score at 1-1 at halftime.

The Lasers turned it on in the second half, out-shooting the Chargers 15-7. Flannery tallied her first goal to put Lasell ahead eight minutes into the half, but Charger junior Alie Jones (Cape Neddick, Maine) raced into the arch for a one-on-one against freshman keeper Makena Leazer (Nashua, N.H.) and was able to knock in the rebound after Leazer's initial save to deadlock the score at 2-2 with 21 minutes remaining.

Flannery tacked on her second goal with 12:20 to play as the game-winner, and sophomore Megan Horrigan (Wakefield, Mass.) added an insurance goal a minute later.

Lasell finished with a 22-14 advantage in shots, and an 8-6 margin in penalty corners. Leazer made 10 saves in the victory for the home team, while Ladd made 13 saves for the visitors. Charger junior Kailyn Lapham (Medway, Mass.) also made two defensive saves, preventing a goal for the Lasers in each half.

Lasell will return to Grellier Field on Thursday, September 13 at 5 p.m. to play the Engineers of Massachusetts Institute of Technology while Colby Sawyer moves on to tackle Keene State College on September 12 at 6:30 p.m.

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