EWING, N.J. – Rayhanah Ahmed's four-goal explosion headlined a dominant all-around effort for the No. 19 TCNJ field hockey team in a 6-1 rout of DeSales on Friday.
Ahmed had a hat-trick in the first half and tacked on one more for good measure, becoming the first TCNJ player since DeSales head coach Cayla Andrews '20 to score four in a single game.
Prisha Dhruve registered a goal and an assist for her first collegiate points for the Lions, who have outscored their first two opponents by an 11-1 count.
Ahmed opened the scoring less than four minutes in, taking a cross from
Rachael Tetzlaff and firing into the lower left corner of the cage for her first goal of the season and the first career point for Tetzlaff. Ahmed doubled the spread three minutes later on a feed from
Bella DiNardo.
After the Bulldogs scored on a corner, Ahmed completed her hat trick on a highlight-reel effort in which
Claire Engebreth sent a pass across the front of the cage. Ahmed dove and scored on a lunging shot, giving the Lions a 3-1 lead late in the second quarter.
Dhruve opened her collegiate account midway through the third, collecting a long pass and sending a back-handed shot across the goal and into the bottom corner. She added her first assist later in the period, getting a stick on a cross from Engebreth and directing it to a waiting
Mackenzie Hart for an opportunistic goal.
Ahmed polished off her career day early in the fourth, tapping in a hard pass from
Kara Wilson at the post.
TCNJ did well to hold the Bulldogs to one goal.
Brigitte Racey saved a penalty strike with just over a minute left, and rookie
Madeleine Cowan notched a defensive save in the waning seconds as DeSales tried to punch in a loose ball in front.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- TCNJ was highly efficient, scoring on more than half of its 11 shots on goal; the Lions held a 17-14 edge in shots for the day
- DeSales had a 9-5 edge in corners
- Ahmed tied for the game high with six shots (five on goal)
- Racey finished with five saves
NOTES
- DeSales' staff is made up entirely of TCNJ alums: Andrews and assistants Maddie Beaumont and Sophie Popp
- The Lions have a hat-trick in consecutive games after Jadyn Huff scored three goals in the opener against Catholic
- Wilson's assist was the first of her career
- Ahmed now has 27 goals and 28 assists for her career
- Nearly every TCNJ player got on the field, with the home side sending in 16 subs
UP NEXT
- TCNJ heads to Juniata on Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. contest
