Hood Breaks Program Record in Loss at Maine

Wednesday, September 7

Orono, Maine

3:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Maine

9/7/2011 6:15:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Dartmouth

ORONO, Maine - Senior Kelly Hood's (Berlin, N.H.) goal midway through the first half of Wednesday's game at Maine broke the Dartmouth field hockey record for career goals. Hood's 47th career marker broke a tie atop the program's all-time list with Lauren Welsh '02, but was not enough to overcome the Black Bears' potent offense on this day as the Big Green (2-1) were dealt their first loss of the season, 7-3.

"I am thrilled for Kelly (Hood)," head coach Amy Fowler said. "As a player, I don't think it was on her mind too much, but I know that other people were reminding her of it. So I am happy that the pressure of that moment has been lifted off her back.

"It is still very early in the season and with so many games left, she is going to smash the previous mark and put some distance between herself and others," Fowler continued.

Despite the constant rain in the area, the teams combined to score seven first-half goals. Maine (4-1) jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, scoring all three in a span of 1:50 barely a third of the way into the opening frame.

Dartmouth answered back with two goals of its own in just over two and a half minutes of play. Senior Meghan Everett (Flemington, N.J.) tallied her second of the season 14:30 in on a loose ball that found its way through the left side and passed several defenders.

Hood's record-setting goal followed 2:23 after Everett got the Big Green on the board. The senior captain took the ball off a Black Bears' turnover at the top of the circle and slid the shot into the right corner to make it a 3-2 game. The goal was the fourth of the season for Hood, who began 2011 with three goals in the 2011 Big Green Classic last weekend.

After Maine's Zoe Adkins gave her team another two-goal cushion, freshman Ali Savage (Orange, New South Wales, Australia) brought Dartmouth back within one, 4-3; scoring her first-career goal with just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening half.

Stationed near the left post, Savage was able to redirect a low shot from Hood for the third Dartmouth score of the game. Hood picked up an assist on the play, her second of 2011.

That would be the only offense the Big Green would muster Wednesday as the Black Bears scored three more times in the second half, while holding the visitors to just two shots in the period.

Senior goalkeeper Meagan Vakiener (Port Murray, N.J.) stopped five shots in the game, one off her season high of six set against Sacred Heart in the opener. All five saves came in the first half as she faced a barrage of shots from the home team in the early going. Her counterpart, Maine's Brittany Fleck, turned aside three Big Green shots on goal, while surrendering the three tallies.

"Vakiener played well today for us, and I can't fault her for some of the goals that were scored because they came on a second or third opportunity," Fowler said. "She made a big stop on a penalty stroke and really kept us in the game."

The Big Green held a slight advantage, 4-3, in penalty corners.

"There were times in the first half when I thought this was the best this team had looked in a long time. Unfortunately, we were already down at that point," Fowler commented. "We were pressing well and disrupting Maine's game, but a few letdowns cost us and by the time we picked up our own game, the hole was just too much to come back from."

Dartmouth looks to rebound against in-state rival New Hampshire on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. when the teams meet at Chase AstroTurf Field in Hanover.