By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University field hockey team has reached the 12-win mark for the first time in more than a decade.

The Bears improved to 12-2 on Saturday afternoon with a 12-1 victory over shorthanded Anna Maria College at Mazzaferro Field for their fifth straight win.

That is the most wins by BSU since it was 16-6 in 2013. The Bears will have their first winning season since going 11-7 in 2016.

BSU improved to 8-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, one-half game behind idle Westfield State University (8-0). The teams meet next Saturday night in Westfield, Mass.

Sophomores Samantha Souza (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored four goals for the second straight game and the fourth time in her career to lead BSU.

Souza now has 28 goals, leaving her four shy of the BSU single-season record set in 2012 by Shelby Farland. Karen Croteau is second on the list with 29 goals in 1982.

Souza, the MASCAC's leading scorer, has at least three goals in four games this season.

Sophomore Kallie Rose (Dartmouth, Mass.) had three goals for BSU while junior Abbie Zuber (Westport, Mass.) and freshman Ellie Moberg (North Reading, Mass.) added two goals apiece.

The Bears jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first period against the AMCATS (1-12, 0-8 MASCAC), scoring the first four goals in the span of 6:21.

Rose put BSU up, 1-0, just 2:03 into the game. Rose, who has 10 goals this season, connected on a rebound.

Moberg made it 2-0 just 1:24 later by also scoring on a rebound.

Zuber, who has 18 goals, scored her first of the day at 8:07. Zuber, who had two assists, stickhandled in from the left to the right and slipped a shot in between the pads of the goalkeeper.

Moberg scored her second goal of the period and seventh of the season at 8:24 for a 4-0 lead.

She intercepted a pass between defensemen, stickhandled past a defender and put a backhanded shot inside the right post.

Sophomore Eve O'Rourke (Norwood, Mass.) scored her first collegiate goal at 11:26 to close out the scoring in the period, assisted by sophomore Taylor Carter (Walpole, Mass.).

O'Rourke one-timed a pass from Carter into the net for the 5-0 lead.

BSU added one more goal before halftime with Souza getting her first of the day.

The score came off a penalty corner with Souza's initial shot blocked. She then grabbed the rebound and scored.

Anna Maria, playing with just nine players, got on the scoreboard in the first minute of the second half with sophomore Lily Celata (Baldwinville, Mass.) scoring from junior Morgan Beane (Blackstone, Mass.).

Celata redirected a crossing pass from Beane to score her seventh goal of the season at 30:44.

BSU made it 7-1 just 19 seconds later when Souza scored on a diving backhander off her own rebound at 31:03.

Rose scored at 41:30 when she converted a rebound off a Souza shot and Souza scored from Zuba at 42:26 to make it 9-1 after three periods, taking a feed and scoring on a backhander.

In the fourth period, Zuber scored from Souza as she took a short pass and shot from just inside the top of the circle at 47:23.

Rose redirected a shot off a penalty corner from Zuber to complete her hat trick and Souza scored her fourth goal from Carter with 24 seconds remaining.

The 12 goals sets a BSU record, breaking the mark of 11 that was established in 1983 against Southern Connecticut State.

Senior goalkeeper Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.) played the first half for the Bears and did not face a shot.

Senior Catherine Daoulas (Marshfield, Mass.) made one save in the third period while freshman Aubrey Finn (Marshfield, Mass.) did not face a shot in the fourth period.

Anna Maria sophomore goalkeeper Julianna Stanger (New Braintree, Mass.) stopped 18 shots.

BSU is on the road for a non-conference game against Nichols on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Bears play four of the final five regular-season games on the road.

Anna Maria will host Westfield State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Notes: Souza now has 40 goals and nine assists in her career for 89 points. She is now fifth all-time at BSU in both goals and scoring...Zuber now has 27 goals and 22 assists for 76 career points...She is tied for fourth all-time in assists and ninth in scoring.