Megan Methven

Senior Soap Toun's (Cranston, R.I.) three-pointer with 9.8 seconds remaining capped a game-ending 9-2 run and lifted Stonehill to a 72-71 Northeast-10 Conference victory over Merrimack on Sunday afternoon at the Volpe Center in North Andover, Mass.  Sophomore Nick Smith (Colonia, N.J.) netted 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the triumph for Head Coach David McLaughlin's Skyhawks, who also received a career-high 22 points and five caroms from freshman AJ Rudowitz (Monroe Township, N.J.).  Senior Lance Clarke (Cambridge, Mass.) added 12 points, six assists and five boards on the day for Stonehill, which also received nine points and nine assists from freshman Randall Stallworth (Toms River, N.J.) in overcoming a late six-point deficit and forcing a late turnover that led to Toun's game-winning trey.  Smith, who has posted five straight 20-plus point performances for the Skyhawks, netted a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine boards in a 77-59 Northeast-10 triumph over Bryant last Wednesday evening at Merkert Gymnasium, as Clarke, Rudowitz and Toun each chipped in with 12 points in the victory for the hosts.  Stonehill, which stands at 7-3 overall and 5-3 in Northeast-10 play, will host Dominican in a non-league outing on Tuesday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium that begins at 4:00 p.m.

Junior John Durkin's (Scituate, Mass.) goal 52 seconds into overtime lifted Stonehill to a key 4-3 Northeast-10 Conference victory over Franklin Pierce last Monday evening at Broadhurst Arena in Winchendon, Mass., as the triumph gave Head Coach Scott Harlow's Skyhawks sole possession of first place in the league standings heading into the semester break.  Durkin added a pair of assists to finish with a three-point performance in the win for the visitors, who also received a pair of goals off the stick of junior Matt Curran (Scarborough, Maine) and a single marker from junior Anthony Zanetti (Ludlow, Mass.).  Sophomore Brendan O'Brien (Braintree, Mass.) assisted on three of Stonehill's four goals on the evening, while senior Matt Gorman (Southboro, Mass.) made 32 saves to pick up the win between the pipes for the Skyhawks, who finish first semester play at 3-8 overall and 2-0 in Northeast-10 play.  Stonehill will be idle until Friday, January 19th when the Skyhawks head to Worcester, Mass. to take on Worcester State in an ECAC Northeast match-up that faces off at 5:30 p.m.

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Joseph Sousa

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Stonehill junior women's soccer standouts Lauren Boyd (Sandwich, Mass.) and Alex Eckhardt (Marshfield, Mass.) each earned spots on the 2006 New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Division II all-star team released last week.  Boyd, who also earned a spot on the NSCAA Division II Northeast Regional squad, led Head Coach Rolando Lopes's Skyhawks in scoring for a second straight season with 11 goals and two assists for 24 points in earning first team all-New England honors, while Eckhardt posted a 1.21 goals against average with three wins, four ties and four shutouts to earn second team all-New England accolades.  Stonehill posted a 6-6-4 overall mark and earned its first Northeast-10 Conference playoff berth in five seasons in Lopes's second season at the helm this fall while placing three individuals on the 2006 all-conference squad.

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Ace

This will be the final edition of Skyhawk Talk for the 2006 calendar year, as the next edition of the newsletter will be e-mailed on Sunday, January 21st when all five Stonehill winter sports teams will be in action during their respective second semester slates.  On behalf of the entire Stonehill Athletics Department, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday season and best wishes for a very safe and prosperous New Year!  And remember, you can follow all of the action of your favorite Skyhawk team by visiting our official Athletics web site at www.stonehillskyhawks.com!