Hoxie's Four Goals Leads Mitchell Past Newbury

Box Score

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Mitchell College sophomore Nikki Hoxie scored four goals and added one assist to lead the Mariners to a 6-4 victory over Newbury College on Monday afternoon.

The six goals were a season high for the Mariners (3-7-0 overall, 3-1-0 NECC), who have won three of their last four games. Newbury (2-5-2 overall, 1-2-0 NECC) hung in the contest until the very end and got three goals from freshman Ashleigh Guy in the defeat.

Mitchell wasted no time jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Hoxie scored both goals, the first coming in the fifth minute on a pass from sophomore Leslie Briggs from the right end line. The pass found its way through traffic and to the foot of Hoxie, who drilled it into the back of the net. She then scored on a penalty kick in the 11th minute for her second goal of the contest.

Nearly seven minutes later, Briggs made it 3-0 with her third goal of the season. Hoxie slotted a ball through the middle of the defense that found Briggs open in front of the goal, and she buried a shot into the left corner.

Guy put the Nighthawks on the scoreboard with an unassisted effort in the 22nd minute. The Mariners held the 3-1 lead until late in the half, when freshman Kaitlyn McGinn scored her first career goal in the 42nd minute on a shot that came from the left side of the goal. The blast snuck under the crossbar and through the hands of Tianna Dimaria, who was making her first start of the season in goal.

The Mariners looked to take the 4-1 margin into the halftime intermission, but Guy struck again with seven seconds remaining in the first half. She headed home a corner kick from Ashley Greene-Allen to give the Nighthawks some momentum going into the break.

Guy completed the hat trick in the 58th minute, finishing off a pass from Jessica Graus in front of the net. The goal, Guy's third of the season, pulled the Nighthawks to within 4-3.

Hoxie's third goal came in the 72nd minute on a shot from a tough angle on the left side. Newbury battled right back, however, as Greene-Allen stole the ball away from a defender in the 79th minute and dribbled in for an open look. Sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Cunningham came out to take away the angle, but Greene-Allen slipped a shot past her and into the right corner of the goal.

Trailing by one goal, Newbury pushed for the equalizer in the final 10 minutes. Mitchell did a solid job of defending and put away all doubt with 26 seconds remaining. The Mariners earned a corner kick, and sophomore Angela Smith delivered a ball into the box where Hoxie fought through traffic and headed home her fourth goal of the contest. The tally was her team-leading 10th of the season.

Mitchell outshot Newbury by a 27-17 margin. Sophomore Brittany O'Neil got the starting nod in goal for the Mariners and finished with four saves in 45 minutes of work. Cunningham played the entire second half and made five stops while Dimaria recorded five saves for the Nighthawks.

Mitchell will next play at Pine Manor College on Wednesday, October 14 at 4 p.m.