WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University field hockey team received first-half goals from a trio of juniors and held on for a 3-2 non-conference win over St. Thomas Aquinas College Tuesday evening at home.

Scoring for the Falcons were Sam Pavano (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand HD), Tess Anderson (Stow/Nashoba Reg. HS) and Abby Adams (Longmeadow/Longmeadow HS).

Pavano struck first, driving the ball into the cage from just inside the circle with 17:20 left in the first. Senior Niki Neidhart (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) put the ball in play off a penalty corner and sophomore Sam Simione (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire HS) sent it over to Pavano.

Anderson scored her ninth of the year with 12:41 remaining until intermission and Adams, who spends most of her time on the defensive side of the field, tallied her first career goal with 82 seconds left in the opening half.

St. Thomas Aquinas (3-9) got on the scoreboard with about 15 minutes to play and made it a one-goal game when freshman Lotte Strijbos (Tilburg, Netherlands) scored from just in front of the net with 59.7 seconds remaining.

The Spartans kept pressure on the Falcon D during the final minute but couldn't get a shot off.

The only save recorded by a Falcon was a first-half defensive stop made by senior Frankie Tossona (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn HS).

Shots favored the home team, 13-4, and Bentley was awarded nine of the game's ten penalty corners.

Bentley, 6-3, will be back at home Saturday for a 12 noon Senior Day game against Merrimack College.