STONEHILL FIELD HOCKEY
2006 Northeast-10 Conference Semi-Finals
Saturday, November 4, 2006
W.B. Mason Stadium, Easton, Mass.
GAME #1 FINAL: STONEHILL 2, SAINT MICHAEL'S 1
1 2 Total
Saint Michael's (12-8) 1 0 - 1
Stonehill (17-3) 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY
STM: Lindsay Brancaleone (Andrea Slaven) 5:04 1st
STO: Courtney Campbell (Aly Boulis, Caitlin Gleason) 18:56 1st
STO: Boulis (Gleason, Campbell) 51:47 2nd
GOALIE SAVES
STM: Tina Nardi-3
STO: Dani Ryder-0
GAME #2 FINAL: UMASS LOWELL 1, BENTLEY 0 (OVERTIME)
1 2 OT Total
UMass Lowell (17-4) 0 0 1 - 1
Bentley (15-5) 0 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY
UML: Sara Hohenberger (Jaci Moulton, Kim Villare) 72:02 OT
GOALIE SAVES
UML: Nicole Staiti-6
BEN: Alyssa Sliney-2
EASTON, Mass.-- Junior Aly Boulis (Lincoln, R.I.) netted the game-winning goal off a penalty corner in the 52nd minute of play to lift top-seeded and fourth-ranked Stonehill to a berth in the title game of the 2006 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Championships with a 2-1 semi-final round victory over fourth-seeded and eighth-ranked Saint Michael's Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium.
The host Skyhawks, who improve to 17-3 overall with their 10th straight victory (the second winning skein in school history), will take on third-seeded and sixth-ranked UMass Lowell in Sunday's championship match at W.B. Mason Stadium beginning at Noon in a re-match of last year's title contest. The River Hawks advanced with a 1-0 overtime victory over second-seeded and fifth-ranked Bentley in Saturday's second semi-final on the strength of a goal by senior Sara Hohenberger (Windham, N.H.) off a penalty corner 2:02 into the extra session.
Saint Michael's, which finishes its season at 12-8 overall, grabbed a 1-0 lead just 5:04 into the match when senior Lindsay Brancaleone (Gloucester, Mass.) converted a feed from sophomore Andrea Slaven (Danvers, Mass.) for her eighth goal of the season, but Stonehill evened matters in the 19th minute when senior Courtney Campbell (Reading, Mass.) knocked home a rebound on passes from Boulis and junior Caitlin Gleason (New Boston, N.H.) off a penalty corner to forge a 1-1 tie at the break with her second goal of the year. Boulis then rapped home a rebound off a Gleason shot on the deciding tally for the Skyhawks for her 13th marker of the season that was also set-up on Campbell's fourth assist of the fall.
Junior Dani Ryder (Gloucester, Mass.) picked up her 17th win of the season in goal for Stonehill without making a save, while senior Tina Nardi (Rupert, Vt.) made three stops in net for Saint Michael's as the Skyhawks outshot the Purple Knights by an 8-2 margin while holding a commanding 18-2 advantage in penalty corners for the match.
The second semi-final was decided when Hohenberger converted passes from freshman Jaci Moulton (Baldwinville, Mass.) and senior Kim Villare (Chelmsford, Mass.) off a penalty corner for her 22nd goal of the season to lift the River Hawks, now 17-4 overall, into Sunday's championship round. Hohenberger nearly gave UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead in the late stages of the first half of action, as her penalty stroke opportunity in the 24th minute was denied by Bentley freshman netminder Alyssa Sliney (Brewster, Mass.), who stopped the shot with her left glove hand. Both teams had chances in the final 35 minutes of play, as River Hawk senior Lauren Jones (West Brookfield, Mass.) kept the game scoreless with a defensive save just five minutes after intermission.
Senior Nicole Staiti (Barre, Mass.) made six saves to pick up her 15th win and fifth shutout of the year in goal for UMass Lowell, while Sliney made a pair of stops in net for Bentley as the River Hawks outshot the Falcons by a 7-6 margin while holding an 8-7 edge in penalty corners to avenge a 1-0 overtime regular season setback to Bentley back on September 12th. The Falcons, who fall to 15-5 overall with the setback, are all but assured of a berth in the NCAA Division II Championship field that will be announced on Monday evening, as Bentley was ranked second in this week's Northeast Regional poll prior to the Northeast-10 tournament.
Stonehill and UMass Lowell meet for the second straight season in the Northeast-10 championship match, as the two schools were declared conference tournament co-champions a year ago. Sunday's match will be the third post-season contest between the two teams in the last calendar year.