ST. DAVIDS, P.A. – Despite an excellent performance by senior goalkeeper Kaitlin Halloran (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East), the Manhattanville College field hockey team fell by an 8-3 score to Eastern University on Saturday afternoon in their penultimate game of the 2017 season.

Halloran finished the match with 26 saves, the third time this season she's established a new career-high. Her tally marked the most saves by any Manhattanville goalie since September 25, 1999, when Nicole Hunt stopped 30 shots against Salve Regina.

Manhattanville (4-12, 1-5 MAC Freedom) was unable to recover from the quick start of Eastern (5-11, 2-4 MAC Freedom) quick start, as the Eagles raced out to a 4-0 halftime lead, courtesy of two goals in the first 15 minutes.

Gina Miller, Ali Balmer, and Maya Wales (twice) all scored in the opening 35 for the Eagles, spaced around 13 saves from Halloran and an outstanding mid-air defensive save from classmate Devon Butler (Northport, N.Y./Northport). The Valiants ended the half with eight shots, forcing six saves from Eastern goaltender Nicole Berger.

Junior Emily Antinozzi (Rye, N.Y./Rye) got the Valiants on the board just over a minute into the second half, re-directing a shot from sophomore Robin Boot (Bedum, Netherlands/H.N. Werkman College). Balmer's second goal of the match off a penalty stroke a few minute later pushed Eastern's lead back to four. From there, freshman Lexi Crites (Middleboro, Mass./Kents Hill School) scored the first goal of her collegiate career and sophomore Ameerah Thomas (Norfolk, Va./Granby) scored her fifth of the year five minutes apart, halving the deficit to two at 5-3, but that was as close as the Valiants got as Balmer added two more, her third and fourth of the match, and Shannon Jugler added the final goal of the match in the final 90 seconds.

The team will wrap up the 2017 season on Thursday night, as the Valiants recognize their seniors on Senior Night before a conference match-up with FDU-Florham at 7:00 p.m.