Sept. 26, 2006
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. - Junior defender Erin O'Brien registered a hat trick Tuesday evening, as the Siena Saints (0-6) fell to the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (3-7), 4-0 at Garber Field in Amherst, Mass. The Saints were out shot 36-7 and attempted just three penalty corners, compared to the Minutemen's mark of 14.
The Minutemen jumped out to an early 1-0 lead nearly nine minutes into the contest when O'Brien fired the ball past Saints goalkeeper Renee Clavette (Danville, N.H./Timberland) on a penalty corner. The assist was credited to both Kristina DeRosario and junior Rachael Mervine.
Junior midfielder Nicole Phelan put the Minutemen up 2-0 when she received the ball off of a rebound and found the back of the cage. By game's end, Phelan would attempt four shots on goal.
With the Saints down 2-0 at halftime, the Minutemen continued their offensive attack when O'Brien scored her second goal of the game off of a Mervine assist three minutes into the second session of play, increasing the lead to 3-0. O'Brien completed her hat trick with five seconds left to play off of a penalty corner, securing a four-goal victory for the Minutemen.
For the Saints, junior midfielder Hanna LeStrange (Worcester, Mass. /Notre Dame Academy) attempted a team-high three shots. In the cage for Siena, Clavette amassed a career-high 19 saves, while her counterpart, Sarah Williams only registered just two saves on behalf of the Minutemen.
The Saints have just two days to prepare before squaring off against Saint Francis (Pa.) at Union College's Frank Bailey Field. Game-time is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
