LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Lock Haven field hockey team opened the 2026 season with a 5-2 non-conference victory over Mercyhurst on Friday afternoon at Charlotte Smith Field, giving first-year head coach Valerie Clarke her first career win at the helm of the Bald Eagles.
 
Lock Haven (1-0) used a dominant offensive performance and a late scoring surge to pull away from Mercyhurst (0-1). The Bald Eagles held a 26-5 advantage in shots, put 17 attempts on goal and earned 19 penalty corners.
 
Maddie Friend led the way with a hat trick and two assists, while Melanie Beall added two goals in the season-opening victory.
 
Friend put Lock Haven on the board late in the first quarter when she scored off an assist from Max Russell at the 12:52 mark.
 
Mercyhurst answered with two second-quarter goals to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
 
The Bald Eagles controlled much of the third quarter, generating eight shots and nine penalty corners, before Friend evened the score at 2-2 with 1:45 remaining in the period. Haley Kvacky assisted on the goal.
 
Lock Haven took control early in the fourth quarter. Beall scored the eventual game-winner at 48:13 off a feed from Friend, giving the Bald Eagles a 3-2 lead.
 
Friend converted a penalty stroke at 52:45 to complete her hat trick and extend the Lock Haven lead to 4-2. Beall capped the scoring just over two minutes later, finding the back of the cage for her second goal of the afternoon off Friend's second assist.
 
Lock Haven goalkeeper Quinty van Luijk recorded three saves in the victory.
 
Beall finished with a game-high nine shots and six shots on goal. Friend added six shots, including five on target, while Rylee Wassmer recorded three shots and played all 60 minutes for Lock Haven.
 
Next up for The Haven:
The Bald Eagles hit the road for the first time on Sunday, Aug. 30 at noon for a non-conference game at Penn State.