BRUNSWICK, Maine — Sophomore Ella Duchette recorded 10 saves as the Husson University field hockey team fell to Bowdoin College 6-0 in non-conference action Wednesday evening at Ryan Field.
Bowdoin (7-2) opened the scoring at 2:18 when Hannah Balmelli scored off an assist from Melissa Shunk. Duchette responded with stops on two attempts from Emily Ferguson before Balmelli added her second goal at 6:21 to give the Polar Bears a 2-0 advantage.
Husson (3-7) kept Bowdoin off the scoreboard for the remainder of the quarter, with Duchette denying Ferguson and Katie Athanasoulas just eight seconds apart in the ninth minute. She added a stop on Allie Straub in the 15th minute to finish the opening quarter with five saves.
Duchette turned away Charlotte Crawford early in the second quarter before Grayson Dolins scored off an assist from Maddie Mrva at 17:19. Fei Yang-Sady followed at 18:44, finishing off a feed from Crawford to extend Bowdoin's lead to 4-0.
The Eagles held the Polar Bears scoreless over the final 11:16 of the half, with Duchette adding another save on Crawford in the 24th minute. Duchette entered halftime with seven stops as Bowdoin held a 15-0 advantage in shots.
In the third quarter, Duchette denied consecutive attempts from Yang-Sady four seconds apart before Balmelli completed her hat trick at 36:09.
Duchette recorded her 10th save in the 42nd minute, stopping another attempt from Yang-Sady before Elizabeth Kent scored at 41:03 for the final goal of the contest.
Husson earned consecutive penalty corners in the 43rd minute, with senior Elisa Picariello handling both insertions, but the Eagles were unable to generate a shot.
The Eagles held Bowdoin without a shot in the fourth quarter despite two penalty corners as the score remained unchanged through the final whistle.
Duchette played all 60 minutes in goal for Husson. Bowdoin finished with 22 shots, including 16 on target, while holding a 10-2 advantage in penalty corners.
Husson will return to conference play Saturday when it hosts Thomas College at 1 p.m. at the Winkin Sports Complex.
