Box Score

Troy, N.Y.-- Kelly Blackhurst scored three goals and Christine Kemp added two goals and a record 52nd career assist to lead the Skidmore College field hockey team to a convincing 7-2 Liberty League win at Rensselaer.

The Thoroughbreds have won nine straight to improve to 10-1 and a perfect 5-0 in league play, The win clinches at Liberty playoff spot and home field for the first round with two league games to play. RPI falls to 3-9 and 1-4.

Skidmore struck first as Blackhurst (North River, NY/Johnsburg), a freshman, scored just 2:30 into the game. Junior Annie Rosencrans (Riverside, CT/Greenwich) earned the assist after she took at shot that banked off the right corner of the cage. Blackhurst buried the rebound past Engineers goalkeeper Briana Earle (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker).

Rensselaer wasted little time in making it a 1-1 game as Sally Turnbull (Upperville, VA/Chatham Hall) took a pass from sophomore Alissa Peterson (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) while standing near the goal line to the goaltender's left and shot the ball past senior keeper Liz Catinella (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln Sudbury). The goal came off a penalty corner.

Turnbull put the Engineers ahead with her team-leading seventh goal of the year when she carried the ball into the circle and fired a long shot to the far side at the 11:54 mark. Sage Foley (Sturbridge, MA/Tantasqua Regional), who chipped the ball to Turnbull, was credited with the assist. Skidmore needed just 28 seconds to tie the game as senior Brittany O'Brien (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) carried the ball down the right side and crossed it to the middle, where Kemp (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) was waiting to jam it over the goal line.

Kemp added her second of the game – her 13th of the season – off a turnover in the circle at 25:24 and Blackhurst made it 4-2 when she scored with just 14 seconds left in the first half.

In the second half, Blackhurst tallied on a rebound of a pair of O'Brien shots at 41:58 for a three-goal margin. Senior Katie Potter (Rumson, NJ/Rumson Fair-Haven) then scored on a penalty stroke at 54:39 and junior Lauren Tobias (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) tapped in a goal-mouth pass from Kemp just over five minutes later (59:50).

"The Thoroughbreds fought through some adversity early on, but scored six unanswered goals to win," said Skidmore head coach Beth Hallenbeck.   "Kelly Blackhurst was persistent in the offensive end, scoring the hat trick for Skidmore and Christine Kemp became Skidmore's all time assist leader with her 52^nd career assist with just over ten minutes remaining in the game.  Claire Superak was inspirational in the back, coming up with steals and block tackles, and sending the ball into the offensive end.  Everyone contributed to another solid team win." 

Catinella stopped three shots in 57:32 for Skidmore, which held a 38-11 edge in shots, including 26-5 on goal. Earle made 18 saves for the Engineers.

Skidmore is back in action on Friday, hosting Babson in Saratoga Springs at 3:30pm.