(Fredericksburg, Va.) – The Dickinson field hockey team had a tough start in its season opener, falling at the #12-ranked University of Mary Washington, 3-0, on Friday afternoon.

The Red Devils played a strong first half, trading possession with the Eagles for the better part of the opening 35 minutes. Mary Washington was strong in the circle, holding a 7-2 advantage in penalty corners. The Devils held with solid defense before the Eagles finally capitalized on their seventh penalty opportunity.

Gillian Ross was able to find the cage, finishing an assist from Noor Varjabedian to put the hosts on the board with 4:28 remaining in the half.

Mary Washington kept the pressure on the start the second half, forcing an early shot and back-to-back penalty corners. Junior goaltender Freddie Bancroft (Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) came up big, turning away two shots with a pair of outstanding saves.

The Eagles would tally twice in the second half as Morgan LaRowe scored off an assist from Christine Loehr at the 16:32 mark and Alaina Shivers closed out the scoring with an assist by Allegra Massey-Elim with just over eight minutes remaining.

Mary Washington held a 16-5 advantage in shots and finished with a 9-5 edge in corners, but the Red Devils allowed just two in the second half. Bancroft finished with seven saves while Jessica Cavolt made a pair of saves for the Eagles.

The Red Devils will be in action again tomorrow afternoon, facing St. Mary's College of Maryland at the University of Mary Washington. Game time is set for 12:00 pm.