COLCHESTER, Vt. – Junior forward Cassaundra Davis (Newburyport, Mass.) recorded a hat trick as St. Michael's College topped Bentley University, 3-2, in non-conference field hockey action Tuesday afternoon at Duffy Field.

The St. Michael's victory ended Bentley's string of shutout victories at three, dropping the Falcons to 3-2 overall.  It also gave the Purple Knights their first win of 2013 after three losses.

All three Davis goals gave her team the lead, including the game-winner with 9:17 remaining in the second half when she knocked in the rebound of her own shot.

Davis put SMC up 1-0 at 7:37, with Bentley sophomore Sally James (Mequon, Wisc./Univ. School of Milwaukee) answering three minutes later, the goal her second of the season.

It remained a 1-1 game into the second half, until Davis scored on a backhanded shot with a little more than 20 minutes left in regulation. That lead held for less than six minutes, until Falcon junior Gina Lirange (Auburn, Mass./Auburn HS), the reigning Northeast-10 Player of the Week, scored her sixth goal with 14:31 left on the clock.

Bentley staged a late flurry, with two penalty corners in the final minute, but SMC junior Sarah Healey (Canton, Mass.) made a game-clinching save with the clock showing 0:00.

Healey finished with seven saves and she was helped out by a defensive save late in the first half by junior Shannon Rice (West River, Md.). Lirange was awarded a penalty stroke, but her attempt went wide.

Sophomore Katie Kelley (Walpole, Mass./Walpole HS) made three saves for Bentley, which finished with a 16-12 edge in shots.

Bentley will be back in action Thursday night with a 7 pm home encounter with Assumption College.