Cassie Mullen	Alyssa Fania	Jessica Pankey	Alyssa Whitman
Krista Mundy	Krista Osborne	Bryn Frankhouser

Senior midfielder Cassie Mullen (Chester Springs, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) scored her first career hat trick as The University of Scranton field hockey team celebrated Senior Day with a 6-0 victory over Moravian at Fitzpatrick Field.

The Royals (11-4, 3-2 Landmark) also received goals from seniors Alyssa Fania (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon) and Jessica Pankey (Pompton Lakes, N.J./Pompton Lakes), and junior Alyssa Whitman (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley).

The victory keeps Scranton in a tie for third place in the Landmark Conference with Elizabethtown, a game ahead of Drew. The Royals' final two conference games are against Drew (Monday, Oct. 27) and Elizabethtown (Saturday, Nov. 1). The Royals can clinch a playoff berth with a win at Drew on Monday.

Mullen gave the Royals a 1-0 lead just 3:34 into the game when she deflected a ball played into the circle by Fania on a penalty corner. She added two goals in the final minute of the game, scoring an unassisted goal with just under a minute to play, then scoring off a pass by junior forward Bryn Frankhouser (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) on a penalty corner that was played out after time expired.

Fania scored an unassisted goal in the 51st minute to put Scranton ahead, 2-0, when she picked up a loose ball outside the circle, dribbled in on the right wing and ripped a shot home from 15 yards out.

Pankey scored in the 56th minute when her shot from the top of the circle on a penalty corner found the mark. Junior forward Krista Osborne (Blue Bell, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) picked up the assist. And Whitman tallied in the 59th minute when she tipped in a pass from Osborne.

Mullen's three goals give her six for the season and 22 for her career, which rank tied for 15th in school history. Her 54 career points are 16th in Royals history.

With a goal and an assist, Fania now has 15 goals and eight assists for the season. Her 15 goals are tied for eighth-most in a single season and her eight assists are tied for second, one shy of matching the school's single-season record, set by Karolyn Holody in 2006. Fania now has 38 career goals, tied for fifth in Scranton history, and her 22 assists extend her own school record. Her 98 career points are fifth in school history.

Pankey's goal was her second of the season and fifth of her career. Whitman recorded her seventh goal of the season and 21st of her career, tied for 17th in Scranton history.

Osborne's two assists give her four on the season and seven for her career. She now has 36 points this season, two behind Fania for the team lead. The assist by Frankhouser was her first of the season and second of her career.

Senior goalkeeper Krista Mundy (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) made two saves, both in the second half, en route to her fifth shutout of the season and 14th of her career. Those 14 shutouts are ranked fourth in Scranton history.

The Royals held a commanding 17-3 advantage in shots and had a 10-9 edge in penalty corners.

Prior to the start of the game, the Royals honored their nine seniors during a Senior Day ceremony – Mullen, Fania, Pankey, Mundy, midfielder Kathleen Keale (Wall, N.J./Wall), defender Maureen Taylor (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), defender Michelle Lennon (South Walpole, Mass./Walpole), defender Bridget Brady (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Mt. St. Joseph Academy) and midfielder Adrianna Napoletano (Scarsdale, N.Y./Edgemont).

Scranton returns to action on Monday when it travels to Madison, N.J. to take on Drew University at 7 p.m.

--ROYALS--