NEW LONDON, N.H. – Senior Abby Olden scored twice—including the game-winning marker early in the fourth quarter—as the top-seeded Colby-Sawyer College field hockey team held off fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 3-2, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals on Wednesday evening at Sally Shaw Veitch Track & Field.
Rapid Recap:
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Colby-Sawyer took the early advantage in the ninth minute of action. At the 9:01 mark, Olden broke through the Monks' defensive circle and tucked home an unassisted finish to put the Chargers ahead 1-0.
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The Chargers doubled their lead midway through the second frame. Sophomore Jillian Fredette collected possession in the attacking third and linked up with junior Brooke Farquhar, who buried her 29th goal of the campaign at 18:54 to give Colby-Sawyer a 2-0 cushion heading into halftime.
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Saint Joseph's mounted a furious rally out of the intermission, equalizing with two third-quarter strikes. Ava Markham converted a feed from Chloe Masse at 31:56 to cut the deficit in half before Zoey Lailer capitalized off a penalty corner set up by Markham at 36:40 to tie the contest at 2-2. Sophomore goalkeeper Sophie Krauss kept the game level late in the third by turning away back-to-back Monks attempts.
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The Chargers answered with authority early in the final quarter. Following a penalty corner in the 49th minute, a loose ball rebounded to Fredette, who dished to Olden for the decisive strike at 48:28.
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Colby-Sawyer's defense clamped down over the final 11 minutes, keeping the Monks without a single shot in the fourth period while generating eight attempts on the counter to lock down the 3-2 victory.
Inside the Numbers:
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Olden notched her second multi-goal performance of the fall, elevating her season totals to 10 goals and 28 points.
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Fredette orchestrated the offense with two assists, giving her three multi-assist games in her last four outings and extending her team lead to 17 assists (41 points).
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Farquhar added to her new single season record, 29th goal, lifting her point total to 70.
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Krauss recorded two saves across 60 minutes between the pipes, claiming her 18th victory of the 2026 season.
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Colby-Sawyer held a decisive 20-7 advantage in total shots, putting 14 on target compared to four for the Monks.
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The Chargers also held a 6-5 edge in penalty corners.
Up Next:
Top-seeded Colby-Sawyer (17-2, 9-0 GNAC) will host the 2026 GNAC Field Hockey Championship on Saturday, November 7 at Sally Shaw Veitch Track & Field against six seeded Simmons University at 12pm.
