By Jim Fenton

PAXTON, Mass. -- Freshman Samantha Souza (Dartmouth, Mass.) had four goals in the first half to lead the Bridgewater State University field hockey team to the .500 mark.

The Bears improved to 3-3 with an 8-2 non-conference victory over Anna Maria College on Wednesday, the second straight win for BSU.

Sophomore Abbie Zuber (Westport, Mass.) had a program-record five assists for the Bears. She entered the day with three career assists.

The goal total was the highest by BSU since an 8-2 win over Western Connecticut State on Oct. 8, 2016.

Souza scored all of her goals in the opening 26:26. Sophomore Madison Ellis (Attleboro, Mass.) added two goals and a helper while junior Lexi James (Ipswich, Mass.) had a goal and two assists.

Souza's four goals marked the most by a Bear since Brittany Cullinane potted five goals in a 7-0 win over Framingham State on Sept. 20, 2016.

BSU has an 8-5 advantage over Anna Maria over the past 13 seasons.

The Bears held a 29-7 edge in shots on goal and a 37-9 advantage in shots while holding a 23-4 edge in penalty corners.

BSU opened a 3-0 lead in the first period and extended the margin to 5-0 before the AMCATS got on the scoreboard late in the first half.

Souza put the Bears on top, 1-0, 3:05 into the game with James getting the assist. Souza batted the ball out of the air and into the back of the net.

Souza made it 2-0 9:44 into the game when she took a pass from James in front of the net and slipped a shot over the goal line.

Ellis converted a penalty corner from Zuber 14:52 into the game as she blasted a shot inside the left post from the top of the circle for the three-goal margin.

Souza made it 4-0 with Zuber assisting 20:52 into the game. Off a penalty corner, Zuber slipped a pass to the front of the net where Souza converted.

Souza scored again at 26:26 from Zuber, redirecting a shot that just eluded the AMCATS goalie.

Anna Maria scored its first goal with 53 seconds remaining before halftime. August Otto (Jackson, N.Y.) scored from Angelina Fritze () to make it 5-1 at the break.

Ellis made it 6-1 at 39:02 with Zuber assisting. The goal came after a penalty corner with the blast from the top of the circle going inside the right post.

Anna Maria scored its final goal at 43:37 with Lily Celata (Baldwinville, Mass.) scoring from Otto.

BSU scored twice in the fourth period with Zuber assisting on the first collegiate goal by freshman Kallie Rose (Dartmouth, Mass.) at 46:15, and James closing out the scoring from junior Sarah Clark (Taunton, Mass.) at 52:45. Clark's assist marked the first of her career as well as her first collegiate point.

Bears' junior goalkeeper Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.) earned her second career win, making three saves over the first 30 minutes of action. Junior Catherine Daoulas (Marshfield, Mass.) played the final 30 minutes and turned aside a pair of shots.

Carly Dedrick (Manchester, N.H.) stopped 17 shots for the AMCATS, who fell to 0-6.

BSU is back in central Massachusetts on Friday night to play Worcester State University at 7 p.m. in a MASCAC game. Anna Maria plays Saint Joseph's of Maine on Friday at 6 p.m.