UNION, N.J. (9/1/15) – The Kean University field hockey team opened the 2015 season on Tuesday with an impressive win over the three-time defending Empire 8 Champions of Utica College in a 5-0 rout. The Cougars outshot Utica 31-9 in both teams' season opener.
Click here to see video highlights of tonight's win!
The LaMaina sisters combined for the first Kean goal of 2015. Krista took the corner, and the ball found its way to Shauna (pictured left). Shauna sent it toward the goal crease, where Krista pounced on it and shoved it past the goaltender for the season-opening score at 12:22 of the first half.
Less than five minutes later on another Cougar penalty corner, Teresa Carr's initial shot was corralled by Marissa Robinson, who wound up and fired the ball into the cage to double the Kean lead.
The Cougars enjoyed an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners in the first half and a 12-4 count in the game overall.
There was only one true defensive hiccup all night for Kean, and goaltender Katie DiCarlo was there with a save on a penalty stroke to maintain the Cougar shutout during what was still a close game in the first half.
Other than that sequence, play tilted heavily toward the Utica goal most of the night.
In the second half the Cougars poured it on; Raykena Brown scored twice. Once she was setup by Robinson as she tipped Robinson's shot past the 'keeper, but the second goal was a pure individual effort as she dribbled up the left side, gained the circle and unleased a sniper blast into the corner for an unassisted goal.
Robinson capped the scoring with a goal on a penalty stroke with four minutes to go in the game. She ended up with five points on the night for the Cougars.
DiCarlo and the Kean back line - Katie-Lynne Lussier, Samantha Coppola, Shauna LaMaina and Courtney Richard – earned the shutout and did not allow any good scoring chances from the field.
The Cougars will hit the road to defend their Connie Harnum Classic championship this weekend at Susquehanna University. Kean, which has won the event the past two years, will take on Albright College in the opening round on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
