Courtesy of: Skidmore Sports Information

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – The 10th-ranked Skidmore College field hockey team opened its 2010 campaign with an impressive 8-1 victory over Castleton St. on Wednesday night at Thoroughbred Field.

It was the season opener for both the Thoroughbreds and the Spartans.

Sophomore Ceilidh MacNeill (Framingham, Mass.) put Skidmore on the board first when senior Christine Kemp (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) found her in front of the net at the 16:06 mark of the first half.  Less than two minutes later, junior Annie Rosencrans (Riverside, Conn.) took a pass from Carolyne McManama (Medfield, Mass.) and beat Castleton goalie Siobhan Whittemore to make it 2-0.

The Thoroughbreds would add two more goals in the half as Lauren Tobias (New City, N.Y.) scored on a pass from Katie Potter (Rumson, N.J.) at the 29:03 mark and Rosencrans added her second goal of the game just two minutes later on an assist from Kemp.

Senior Brittany O'Brien (Ridgefield, Conn.) made it 5-0 just 25 second into the second half, scoring on a crossing pass from Rosencrans.  Skidmore would tack on two more goals as Kemp put home a rebound at the 27:14 mark of the second half and just a few minutes later, Anna Wahl (Harvard, Mass.) scored off a pass from Rosencrans to make it 7-0.

The Spartans got on the board as Stephanie Paproski hammered home a goal from the top of the circle with less than eight minutes remaining.  The Thoroughbreds answered right back as Wahl found Caylyn Sullivan (Dedham, Mass.) for the final goal of the contest.  

Liz Catinella (Sudbury, Mass.) picked up the win for Skidmore, making two stops and allowing no goals in 48:03 of play.  Senior Margaux Hoagland (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Allie Sosinsky (Medfield, Mass.) also saw time in goal for the Thoroughbreds.  Whittemore took the loss, making nine saves on 13 shots in the first half.  Bridget Dusha (Greenwich, N.Y.) played the entire second half, allowing four goals on 10 shots.

"The Thoroughbreds started slowly but turned up the heat in the season opener. The depth of the Skidmore team was key in the extremely hot and humid conditions" said Skidmore coach Beth Hallenbeck. "Excellent midfield play by Carolyne McManama and Caylyn Sullivan started many scoring opportunities.  Hustle, speed and skill from Lauren Tobias and Ceilidh MacNeill  helped to ignite the offense. Veteran play from Christine Kemp (1g, 2 a) and Annie Rosencrans (2g,2a) set the stage for the Thoroughbred win."

Skidmore outshot Castleton 30-6 and held a 9-5 advantage in penalty corners.

The Thoroughbreds are at #5 Cortland, this Friday at 4 p.m.