NE-10 SEMIFINAL: #5 LIU Posts Advances Past #6 Field Hockey, 3-0


Freedman made four of her five saves in the opening half (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

Miller leads Pioneers back to championship game with two goals and assist

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (November 4, 2016) – Second-seeded LIU Post, ranked No. 5 in this week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, eliminated third-seeded and No. 6-ranked Stonehill College, the two-time defending champions, from the Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Tournament with a 3-0 victory in semifinal round action at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium this afternoon.

LIU Post (14-3, 9-3 NE-10) advances to Sunday's NE-10 Championship match at top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Saint Anselm College (16-3, 10-2 NE-10) at 1 p.m. The Hawks advanced with a 1-0 triumph over fifth-seeded Merrimack College (9-8, 8-4 NE-10) in today's other semifinal. Stonehill (14-5, 9-3 NE-10) will await word on whether it will earn the eighth NCAA Tournament bid in program history when the two, three team regional fields are announced on Monday at 3 p.m.

As she did during LIU Post's 3-0 win over Stonehill in the regular season meeting back on September 24, sophomore Emily Miller (Bridgewater, New Jersey/Bridgewater-Raritan) had a hand in all three Pioneers goals with two goals and an assist. Sophomore Tarryn Morris (New Cumberland, Pennsylvania/Cedar Cliff) also netted a goal for LIU Post, while classmate Molly Cunha (North Easton, Massachusetts/Oliver Ames) chipped in with an assist.

Senior goalkeeper Ericka Parks (Nesconset, New York/Smithtown East) recorded her second straight shutout against Stonehill as she posted two of her three saves in the second half. LIU Post finished with an 11-8 edge in shots, while posting a 10-5 advantage for penalty corners. Sophomore Sara Freedman (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) registered five saves in the Stonehill goal, including four in the first half.

After a back and forth first half in which neither team could get on the scoreboard, LIU Post broke through with all three of its goals within a four-minute span midway through the second. Miller opened the scoring at 52:04 when she worked her way around two Stonehill defenders and deposited a shot inside the right post. She doubled the Pioneers lead just three minutes later, when a counter attack produced a two on one attack and she tapped in a cross from Cunha for her 18th goal of the season at 55:03. Miller was in on another odd-man rush and connected with Morris for her second goal of the year just 57-seconds later into an open net with Freedman committing to Miller at 56:00.

Stonehill's best scoring chance came just before halftime when junior Alexandria Sylvia (Brockton, Massachusetts/Brockton) had a pair of quick shots saved first by Parks and then cleared by junior Grace Ilias (Oakville, Ontario/Saltfleet District) in the final minute of the half.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market. Stonehill will serve as host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship at W.B. Mason Stadium, November 18-20.