Staten Island, NY - The Wagner College field hockey program opened its 2024 season against the La Salle Explorers by a score of 2-1 on Friday afternoon.

The Seahawks and Explorers both remained scoreless after the first half of play. In her first career start, freshman Saar van Dalen saved five shots and played the entirety of the game in net.

In the second quarter, the Seahawks outshot the Explorers 4-3 and earned one more corner opportunity than the Explorers. 

La Salle found the back of the net halfway through the third quarter to take a 1-0 lead. 

With one minute remaining in the quarter, sophomore Floortje Leunisse, graduate student Cami Valor, and sophomore Charlotte Muller applied heavy pressure with three consecutive shots towards La Salle's Abby Boggs.

Leunisse and Valor combined to take eight shots, with six on goal. Freshman Romy Matthies and junior Hailey Bianchino both took one shot during the contest.

In the final quarter, Leunisse scored the equalizer just 30 seconds into the frame, after being set up by Valor to represent the Seahawks' first goal of the season. 

With less than five minutes remaining in the contest, La Salle forward Zhao Rodrigo scored a rebound goal after van Dalen was caught out of position from a prior save. 

Overall, the Seahawks took 11 shots, with seven on net, and earned seven corner opportunities to the Explorer's eight.

Next up, the Seahawks will travel to Lehigh for their first road game of the season. That game is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Sunday, September 1.