WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Fueled by three players scoring their first collegiate goal, Saint Francis defeated Mercyhurst 4-0 in non-conference field hockey action on Friday.
>> Freshmen
Cruz Cánepa,
Josefina Sayal Aguirre, and sophomore
T Ciaccia notched the first three scores for the Red Flash to cage each of their first career scores on the afternoon.
>>
Consu de Castro also scored and added an assist on the afternoon.
>> The two teams will travel to Erie for another match on Sunday.
TURNING POINTS OF THE MATCH
If you could get credit for a goal and an assist on the same play, Canepa would have turned the trick for the match's first goal. The freshman was the inserter and then got the ball in the cage after
Chloe Butz had the ball go off her stick at 16:22 into the game.
Aguirre then followed suit with her first career score when she deflected a shot into the cage after de Castro had a shot from outside the circle at 24:36 for a 2-0 lead going into the locker room.
FLASH QUOTES
"It's a feeling that I'll probably never forget again. Scoring your first collegiate goal, it's something special. I am so glad I had my team to do it with me. Anna passed me the ball, and celebrating with them really is something I'll never forget."
– T Ciaccia on scoring her first career goal
"I think we keep growing every single game, and we're all starting to connect a lot. We're just all striving to get better every day."
– Ciaccia on the team
FLASH MOMENTS
In the second half, the sophomore Ciaccia joined the club of firsts when she rattled the cage off
Anna Commero's first collegiate helper at 41:55 for a 3-0 lead.
Grace Reed became the fifth Red Flash player to notch a first on the afternoon when she collected her first career assist on de Castro's fourth goal at 44:56.
Mia DiGenova played the first three quarters, and then
Amber Bryan wrapped up the final 15 minutes, and Saint Francis posted its second-straight shutout.
FLASH NUGGETS
De Castro now has four team-best goals, one assist for nine points in the year, and seven tallies and two assists for 16 points in her career. All but one of her goals came on the week's first game. It is the first time de Castro recorded a goal and an assist in the same contest.
Butz registered her fifth career assist with two goals for nine points.
It was the first time Saint Francis and Mercyhurst had played since 2005 and the third time in program history. Friday marked the Red Flash's first win in the series.
Saint Francis is playing an opponent twice in one season for the sixth time in program history, notwithstanding the first two years of Northeast Conference play. The last time the Red Flash played an opponent twice in the regular season and the first since 2016 when the squad played Missouri State. Saint Francis also played Albany (2002) and Lock Haven (2010, 2011, 2013) twice in one season.
UP NEXT
Saint Francis returns to action at Mercyhurst on Sunday during the Red Flash's NEC opener. Match time is 10 a.m.
