PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The No. 8-ranked Bloomsburg field hockey team downed No. 9-ranked Pace on the road, 7-2, in its' season-opener on Thursday afternoon.
 
Bloomsburg (1-0) and Pace (0-1) put on a defensive display in the first quarter as the two teams battled in a tightly contested opening frame. The Huskies managed all three of the quarters' shots but were unable to put one on target.
 
Senior forward Aydan McFarland (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) netted the first goal of the season for the maroon and gold. The goal came just over three minutes into the second quarter with an assist from senior midfielder Kara Koch (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area).
 
With just over a minute to play in the first half, freshman forward Kendall Iasiello (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) picked up her first career goal with help from junior forward Morgan Magditch (Kintersville, Pa./Palisades).
 
Sophomore forward Jordan Bond (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) found the back of the net with eight seconds remaining in the half, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead going into the break.
 
Raegan Iasiello (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) extended the Bloomsburg lead four minutes into the third quarter with her first career goal before McFarland scored her second two minutes later to make it 5-0 in favor of the maroon and gold.
 
Pace broke the shutout late in the third with goals from Anne Kopec and Krista Dietz, making it 5-2 going into the fourth quarter.
 
McFarland notched her third of the game two minutes into the final frame, recording her second-career hat trick. Alyxandra Flick (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) scored the final goal of the game to help secure the Huskies' 7-2 victory.
 
Senior goalkeeper Jackie Nevel (Nescopeck, Pa./Berwick Area) racked up six saves en route to her 12th career win.
 
Bloomsburg outpaced the Setters, finishing with a 31-15 advantage in shots and a 21-8 advantage in shots on goal.
 
The Huskies are back in action on Saturday, September 7 with an 11 a.m. match against St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, New York.