Worcester, Mass. – September 7, 2023 – A goal by graduate student forward Kaitlin Bardellini (Northfield, N.H.) late in the opening quarter was enough offense for the Springfield College field hockey team to pick up its first victory of the 2023 season as the Pride blanked Worcester State University, 1-0, on Thursday evening at John Coughlin Memorial Field.

Junior netminder Neilee Hess (Franklin, Mass.) made her debut for Springfield and made six saves to earn the first complete game shutout win of her collegiate career. In fact, this was the first time between her two seasons at Wheaton College and this year at Springfield that Hess has played all 60 minutes in a single game.

As a team, Worcester State held a 12-6 edge in shots over the Pride, while Springfield posted a 7-5 advantage in penalty corners.

On just Springfield's second shot of the night, Bardellini finished a pass from junior Camryn Morano (Middleboro, Mass.) for a 1-0 lead. The assist for Morano was her first of the season and the second of her career, while Bardellini posted her first goal as a member of the Springfield field hockey program and 40th of her collegiate career.

From that point on, Worcester State fired ten shots – three on target – but it was Hess, who maintained the clean sheet for Springfield to secure the first win of the season for the Pride.

Springfield (1-2) will return home on Saturday, September 9 for an out of league contest with Western Connecticut State University on Stagg Field beginning at 4:00 pm.

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