WORCESTER, Mass. – The Clark University field hockey team (6-12, 0-9 NEWMAC) and Springfield (11-7, 4-5 NEWMAC) closed out their regular seasons with a final matchup at Granger Field on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars struck first with an early goal, but Springfield responded with three consecutive goals before adding a late insurance marker following a Clark answer to secure a 4-2 win.
How it Happened
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Sophomore Katelyn Towne opened the scoring five minutes into the match, sending a backhand shot toward the cage that trickled into the bottom corner.
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Senior Rachel Reiter made her first save later in the period, which proved to be the final shot on goal of the quarter as Clark carried a 1-0 lead into the second.
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Reiter added another save early in the second, but Rachel Simkewicz tracked down the rebound and buried the follow-up attempt to even the score.
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Five minutes later, Ava Coppola scored off a deflected ball following a penalty corner to give the Pride their first lead of the afternoon.
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Reiter added a pair of saves, while first-year Mackenzie Kleefisch fired a late shot that went wide as Springfield carried a 2-1 advantage into halftime.
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Three minutes into the third quarter, Maddie O'Brien set up a pass off a penalty corner to Clare Moore, who scored just inside the circle to extend the Pride's lead to two.
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Reiter added another save, while sophomore Sedona Lee fired a late shot that went wide in the final minute of the quarter, sending the teams into the fourth with Springfield ahead 3-1.
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Shortly after a penalty corner, Towne won a 50-50 ball and buried a tough shot for her second goal of the game, cutting the deficit to one.
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Thirty seconds later, O'Brien recorded her second assist of the afternoon off another penalty corner, finding Amber Wolkner to restore Springfield's two-goal lead.
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Reiter made one final save, but Springfield held on for the 4-2 victory.
Inside the Box Score
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The Cougars recorded six shots, with two on goal, and earned three penalty corners.
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Reiter made eight saves in her final collegiate game, finishing the season with 196 saves, the seventh-most in a single season in program history. She concludes her career with 444 saves, the sixth-most in program history.
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Senior Cassidy Cloutier concludes her career with 55 games played and 35 starts. She logged more than 2,000 minutes on the back line for the Cougars and recorded two goals this season for her first career points.
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Towne scored both goals for Clark, bringing her season total to seven and her career total to eight. It marked the first multi-goal game of her career.
