THE BASICS:

- Score: Assumption 17, American International 7

- Records: Assumption (1-0, 1-0 NE10), American International (0-1, 0-1 NE10)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Multi-Sport Stadium)

- The Lead: The Hounds battled to jump ahead 9-2 at the half and fought off a tough offensive push from American International in the second half to earn their first conference win 17-7 in their home opener.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

-  American International scored the first goal of the game just 53 seconds in by Liz Day. Assumption gained some momentum and scored at the 22:44 mark when Jenna Joseph (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) snuck a ball past the goalie. Under two minutes later the Hounds struck again with Olivia Angelo (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) rifling a shot past the goalkeeper for Assumption to take a 2-1 lead at the 20:23 mark. Allison Foley (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) scored the third goal for Assumption at the 10:59 minute mark and less than a minute later Jenny Bush (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) scored on a pass from Emily Spath (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) to extend Assumption's lead to 4-1.

- Foley received a pass from Angelo and sent the ball to the back of the net for the Hounds' fifth goal with six-minutes on the clock. At the 4:58 mark, Helen Tautkus (Laconia, N.H./Laconia) and Kailyn Hart (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker) teamed up for another goal. Spath scored just 58 seconds later off a pass from Joseph for Assumption to extend their lead to six (7-1). The Yellow Jackets responded quickly with a goal at 3:15 to get within five (7-2). Foley and Joseph closed out the half for the Hounds with a goal apiece to give Assumption an 9-2 advantage headed into the second half.

- Hart started the scoring for the second half for the Hounds with a goal just under three minutes into play off a pass from Foley. The Yellow Jackets stole some momentum from Assumption at the 24:57 mark when Reagan Nichols scored by herself to get American International within seven (10-3) of Assumption. American International scored again at the 19:21 mark to start chipping away at the Assumption lead. Foley answered for the Hounds with an assist from Spath to put Assumption up 11-4 with 17:51 left to play.

- American International rallied back for a goal at the 16:11 mark by Molly Leavitt before the Hounds stopped the momentum under two minutes later by a breakaway goal from Foley to keep the Hounds' seven-point lead intact. At the 13:02 mark, Foley assisted Spath for the thirteenth goal for Assumption. On a free position, Spath scored again at 10:56 to give the Hounds a 14-5 lead. Joseph scored on a free position to give Assumption their largest lead of the game (15-5) with 8:27 left in the game.

- The Yellow Jackets went on a fast break to the other end and slipped a shot into to the top left corner of the net to get back within nine of the Hounds (15-6). American International gained some momentum and scored again at 3:23 to get within eight (15-7). Hart answered for the Hounds with the assist from Spath on a three verse one fast break. The final goal of the game was scored with 13 seconds on the clock by Spath from Foley to earn the Hounds their first conference win of the season 17-7.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-  Foley led the Hounds with five goals and three assists while Spath recorded four goals and three assists in the win. Joseph earned three goals and one assist in her career debut.

- Allie Collins (Natick, Mass./Natick) earned the win with nine saves to start her sophomore year with a 1-0 record. Chelsea Davis of American International took the loss with 11 saves.

- As a team, the Hounds tallied 25 ground balls, 14 draw controls and 42 shots while American International recorded 14 ground balls, 11 draw controls and 22 shots. The Hounds were 16-for-17 on clears and 4-for-11 on free position shots while the Yellow Jackets were 13-for-19 on clears and 0-for-3 on free positions.

UP NEXT:

- The Hounds are back home on Wednesday, March 4, against Southern Connecticut at 3 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

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