FRANKLIN, Mass. – September 8, 2023 – The Dean College field hockey team was defeated by Colby-Sawyer, 5-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener for both teams on Friday afternoon at Grant Field.

Dean (0-4, 0-1 GNAC) will conclude a three game homestand on Tuesday with a 3:30 p.m. game against Saint Joseph's (Maine). Colby-Sawyer (3-0, 1-0 GNAC) returns home on Tuesday for a 4:30 p.m. GNAC contest against Simmons.

After a scoreless first quarter, Colby-Sawyer put two on the board late in the second. Senior Aleah Murph (Portland, Maine) notched her second tally of the season in the 25th minute to give the visitors the lead. First-year Ryleigh LaPorte (Leicester, Vt.) doubled the Colby-Sawyer lead, with 1:03 left in the half, when she finished a pass from senior Sarah Babb (South Yarmouth, Mass.) for her team leading third score of the season.

The Bulldogs hung tough and kept the Chargers off the scoreboard in the third thanks to great goalkeeping. Dean senior goalie Mackenzie Fillion (New Bedford, Mass.) made 12 saves in the quarter to keep the Bulldogs close.

Early in the fourth, junior Sabrina Lippold (Windham, N.H.) took a couple of shots in traffic with her second attempt finding the back of the cage for the 3-0 lead.

The Chargers tacked on a pair with less than two minutes to play for the 5-0 victory. Babb scored her first of the season, while first-year Lexi Shute (Gilford, N.H.) registered her first collegiate goal.

Fillion finished 22 stops for the game, while junior Madison Gilbert (Sanbornton, N.H.) chipped in with a defensive save. Junior Carly Bernard (Swanzey, N.H.) earned the shutout win for the Chargers.