(Courtesy West Chester Athletics)

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Seniors Nicole Fiorilla and Brynn Adams each scored in the first half to lift West Chester to a 2-1 victory over UMass-Lowell in the 2011 NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship Game at the Sports Stadium in Bloomsburg, Pa., Sunday afternoon.

“We are thrilled to win the national championship,” WCU first-year head coach Amy Cohen said.  “I’m kinda at a loss for words. The team knew how unique an opportunity this was.”

Fiorilla got the Golden Rams on the board first when she finished off a cross from teammate Kayla Gluchowski seven minutes into the contest. It was her 13th goal of the season, but her first since Oct. 11.

Read More: WCUPAGoldenRams.com

(Courtesy MerrimackAthletics.com)

NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The #4 Merrimack field hockey team has been selected to participate in its first-ever NCAA Tournament, in an announcement made by the NCAA Monday night. The Warriors received the top-seed in the North Region and will take on the winner of the quarterfinal matchup of UMass Lowell and American International in the semifinals hosted by Bloomsburg University November 11.

The Warriors own a 17-2 overall record this fall. Merrimack strung together 17-consecutive victories from September 4 to October 28.

Merrimack fell 3-2 to #5 UMass Lowell in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament championship Monday evening at Martone-Mejail Field. The Warriors claimed their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season crown with a perfect 10-0 record in league play.

Read More: MerrimackAthletics.com

(Courtesy GoRiverHawks.com)

LOUISVILLE – It is only fitting that the UMass Lowell field hockey team completed its own triple crown while in Louisville, the home of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. In addition to their two previous championships this season – Northeast-10 Regular Season and Tournament – the River Hawks can now add NCAA National Champions to their list of accomplishments.

No. 1 UMass Lowell completed a perfect 24-0 season, the first undefeated National Champions in school history, with a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Shippensburg (21-2) in the NCAA Final played in Trager Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville as part of the NCAA DII Fall Championships Festival on Saturday afternoon.

One shot was all UMass Lowell needed to take home the second National Title in program history, as senior midfielder Liz Day (North Andover, Mass.) recorded the only shot on goal for the River Hawks and lone goal of the game. The River Hawk defense and goalkeeper Melanie Hopkins (Harwich, Mass.) held down the fort for the rest of the tilt, keeping Shippensburg scoreless to preserve the win.

(Courtesy GoRiverHawks.com)

(Courtesy Bloomsburg Athletics)

Six NCAA Division II team national titles will be decided next weekend in Louisville, KY at the 2010 NCAA Division II Fall Festival. Fostering a sense of community, D2 has established this unique way of bringing most of its’ fall championships together in one location.  This year’s event is being hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission and Bellarmine University.

Action begins Thursday with the semi-finals in Field Hockey.  The first match pits second-ranked Massachusetts-Lowell against fellow NE-10 foe #6 Stonehill before #3 and defending national champion Bloomsburg takes on top-ranked and PSAC rival Shippensburg.

Also on Thursday, women’s soccer semi-finals will feature Grand Valley State vs. Florida Tech followed by UC-San Diego taking on top-ranked and undefeated St. Rose. The men’s soccer semi-finals take place in the evening with Rollins facing Midwestern State and wrapping up with Dowling battling Northern Kentucky.

A full slate of volleyball is included in the packed first day of action as the D2 Elite Eight will determine Friday’s semi-finalists. Cal. State – San Bernardino faces top-ranked and defending champs Concordia – St. Paul, before Clarion battles with Dowling. Then, second-ranked Tampa will take on Grand Valley State and the night concludes with Wingate facing Central Missouri.

Finals will take place on Saturday in all events including the championship runs for men’s and women’s cross country.

(Courtesy UML Athletics)

The UMass Lowell River Hawks (22-0) have earned a bye through the NCAA DII Field Hockey Tournament Quarterfinals, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday. As the top seed in the North Region, the River Hawks will await the result of the first round contest between #2 seed Stonehill (14-7) and #3 seed American International (14-7) to see who they will take on in the NCAA Semifinals.

The River Hawks’ first game will be played at 1:00 p.m. on Dec. 2 at Trager Stadium at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky. as part of the NCAA Division II Championship Festival.

From the South Region, Shippensburg (20-1) earned the top seed, followed by #2 Bloomsburg (18-2) and #3 East Stroudsburg (17-5).

Read More: UML Athletics

(Courtesy Shippensburg Athletics)

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 1-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey program has organized a breast cancer awareness event to be held Saturday in conjunction with the team’s scheduled home PSAC crossover match with No. 3 East Stroudsburg.

All fans will receive a “Love Versus Cancer” wristband and learn more about the positive influence that hope and heart can have on patients during the fight against breast cancer. Other free giveaways will be provided to fans.

Donations will be accepted before, during and after the game – with all proceeds to benefit the world-renowned breast cancer research department at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

A “Warriors Wall” will be on display where people can write messages of hope and encouragement to current breast cancer patients in the area. Information will also be available about cutting-edge treatment and research.

The match on the turf will be an outstanding contest between the two top teams in the PSAC.

No. 1 Shippensburg begins the week with an 11-0 record and will travel to Slippery Rock on Wednesday before its weekend match. SU has limited its opponents to one goal or less in 10 of its 11 matches this season, including five shutouts. Offensively, nine different players have scored multiple goals.

No. 3 East Stroudsburg was ranked No. 1 before dropping a road decision this past weekend to No. 8 Millersville. The Warriors are the highest-scoring team in Division II, averaging 4.2 goals per game and having totaled 55 goals through 13 contests. Jess Frantz leads the nation with 24 goals.

Courtesy Shippensburg Athletics

2010 Kookaburra / NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll
(October 19, 2010)

1. Shippensburg (11-0)
2. Massachusetts Lowell (13-0)
3. East Stroudsburg (12-1)
4. Bloomsburg (8-2)
5. Kutztown (6-4)
6. Stonehill (9-4)
7. C W Post (8-5)
8. Millersville (7-7)
9. Bellarmine (13-3)
10. Indiana (Pa.) (5-5)

(Courtesy Bloomsburg Athletics)

BLOOMSBURG- The #1 Bloomsburg University field hockey team made a winner of new head coach Nikki Rhoads in their 2010 season opener against #4 Stonehill College, with a 4-2 win on Saturday afternoon in Easton, MA.

The Huskies (1-0), four time defending national champions, opened up the scoring 15:20 into the first half when sophomore Lauren McGinley (Wilkes-Barre, Coughlin) knocked in a rebound from sophomore Amber Aulenbach (Fleetwood, Oley Valley). A little over four minutes of play, Bloomsburg made it 2-0 when senior Aime Sgarlat (Dallas, Lake Lehman)tapped in her own rebound after an initial shot from the right side. Stonehill fired back within four minutes of the Huskies second goal when sophomore Teresa McGinley blasted a shot from the upper left arc.

Read More: Bloomsburg Athletics

Bloomsburg 7, Franklin Pierce 1

EASTON, MA—Amanda Riley (Tannersville, Pocono Mountain East) scored one goal and added two assisted to lead the Bloomsburg University field hockey team to a 7-1 win over Franklin Pierce College in a game played at Stonehill University in Easton, MA on Sunday afternoon.

Riley, who led all of Division II in scoring last season, got the Huskies off to an early 1-0 lead with a goal 9:12 into the game with Aimi Sgarlat getting the assist. Bloomsburg would add to its lead with a four with just under four minutes to play before halftime when Brieann Wolfe (Perkasie, Pennridge) scored unassisted.

Franklin Pierce then cut the lead in half about two minutes later when Tia Levin banged home off a shot after an initial save from BU goalie Meghan Hollenbach (Blandon, Fleetwood) to make it 2-1 at the break.

The Huskies wasted little time in stretching their lead to 3-1 needing just 25 seconds of the second half to have Amber Aulenbach(Fleetwood, Oley Valley) score unassisted. Bloomsburg continued to add to its lead getting a goal from Jenna DiSabatino(Mountain Top, Crestwood) at the 51 minute mark, while Lauren McGinley (Wilkes-Barre, Coughlin)scored off an assist from Riley at the 53 minute mark for a 5-1 lead.

With less than 10 minutes to play Alexis Weber (Bear, DE, William Penn) scored off Riley’s second assist, while Brittany Mathews(Reedsville, Indian Valley) scored in the 63rd minute with Wolfe getting the assist.

In all the Huskies out shot Franklin Pierce, 25-5, and held the edge in penalty corners 10-3.

Bloomsburg, 2-0, will open its home season on Saturday at noon against #10 Adelphi University.

Courtesy BU Athletics

The Huskies (22-1) were able to get on the board first at the 4:38 mark of the first half when Riley, the nation’s leading scorer, knocked in a shot from five yards out. The shot came off of a deflected pass right in front of the net and was her 26th goal of the season.

“Coming out, the players seemed really loose but intense,” head coach Jan Hutchinson said of her team. “After that quick opening goal, we kind of breathed a sigh of relief but knew we had to stay focused and keep up the intensity.”

UML would get a chance to tie the score at one less than two minutes later. Off of a penalty corner, a shot by the River Hawks Liz Day was deflected by senior Aubrey Carman but Jaci Moulton was able to get the rebound and tip in a goal to knot the score at 1-1 6:01 into the first half.

Shots were difficult to come by, as both teams turned up the heat on defense and didn’t allow any good looks at the net throughout most of the contest.

UML would get a chance to go up by a score when Sammy Macy would try a shot at the 13:12 mark but was turned away with a nice save by senior Caitlin Koczynski. The Huskies would work their way down the field and take a one-goal lead when junior Ashley Miller (Shermans Dale/West Perry) dumped a pass down to freshman Alexis Weber from the top of the arc where she would tip it in past the River Hawks goalkeeper Amy Carbon at the 17:16 mark in the first half. It was Weber’s seventh goal of the season and Miller’s fourth assist.

Bloomsburg would try to add to their lead 10 minutes later, but a shot by senior Breanne Tobin would sail wide left of the net. UML would get their last good look at the net in the first half when a shot by Moulton off of a penalty corner was saved again by Koczynski.

Defense would continue to dominate the game in the second half, as neither team was able to get a good look at the net until over 15 minutes in. The Huskies would look to extend their lead when junior Amanda Deloy took a shot off of a penalty corner but was turned away when the ball was blocked by the tight River Hawks defense. UML would get its own good look at the cage less than two minutes later with a penalty corner. This time it was the Bloomsburg defense that would step up as Day’s shot was deflected away from the net, preserving the 2-1 lead.

The Huskies would work the ball down inside the arc seven minutes later but saw good shot by Miller saved by Carbon. Continuing their strong work on defense, the Huskies would regain control of the ball with junior Julia Rush breaking away from the pack from the top of the arc. She would drop it off to Riley, who found the back of the net for the second time in the game, putting the Huskies up 3-1 with just over five minutes to play in the game. It was Riley’s 27th goal and Rush’s third assist of the season.

The River Hawks would fight back, however, scoring off of a penalty corner from Moulton to Macy to bring UML back within one goal with 4:36 left to play. They continued to turn on the heat, attempting to even the score by pulling their goalie with two minutes remaining. The extra attacker would prove to be futile as the Huskies defense would turn away all attempts at a good look at the net.

“We took a timeout right after they scored and the players were really fired up and determined not to let this slip away,” said Hutchinson. “They pulled their goalie and added an extra attacker and that’s when we really turned it up a notch. These players were not going to lose this game.”

The championship also brings a successful era to an end as this was Hutchinson’s last game on the Bloomsburg sideline, announcing her retirement a few weeks ago. She goes out on top, however, with 16 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles and 16 national championships.

“I’m excited and very happy that it ended this way,” said Hutchinson. “But I’m mostly happy for the seniors, because they’ll leave here with four championships. This season was a story book ending, and for these kids to come back and win it all…it’s incredible.”

–Courtesy Bloomsburg Athletics

UMass-Lowell Advances

Maggey Bloskey scored once and had one assist to lead the Bloomsburg University field hockey to a 4-2 win over Shippensburg in the semi-final game of the NCAA Division II field hockey championships in Easton, MA on the campus of Stonehill College.

The Huskies, 21-1, will play for the 16th national championship in school history on Sunday at 1 p.m. against last year’s title game opponent, UMass-Lowell. Bloomsburg will be attempting to win its fourth straight NCAA title for the second time in school history and for the seventh time in the last eight years.

Bloskey has been a Shippensburg killer in the last several meetings between the teams. In last year’s national semi-final game she scored three times in a 3-2, overtime win to send Bloomsburg to the national title game. Then two weeks ago she scored the game-winning goal against the Lady Raiders in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title game.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Bloomsburg Sports Information

Junior forward and Northeast-10 Player of the Year Sammy Macy shot a rocket from the middle of the circle to break a 1-1 tie with 1:46 remaining in regulation to lift the #3 seed UMass Lowell River Hawks to victory in the North Region Semifinal of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament, in front of a crowd of 1,143.

With the victory, the River Hawks will advance to the National Title game for the third consecutive year, fifth overall, and are looking for their first National Championship since 2005.

UMass Lowell takes on top overall seed, back-to-back, defending National Champion, Bloomsburg University out of the South Region, on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The title game will be played at Stonehill’s W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy UML Athletics

The Shippensburg University field hockey team recorded its second NCAA postseason victory in franchise history on Saturday afternoon from Robb Sports Complex and tied a program record for victories in a season with a convincing 3-0 win over No. 4 East Stroudsburg.

Shippensburg (20-2) matched the win total of the 2005 team that finished the year as national semifinalists. On Saturday, both teams traded early shots on goal before sophomore forward Kristina Taylor sunk a shot past Warrior goalie Maureen Ordnung for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Taylor’s goal was her 24th of the season and her sixth game-winner this year.

In the second half, Shippensburg solidified its lead with a pair of goals from freshman defender Ashley Taylor, the PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year. The first tally was unassisted, while the second came off an assist from senior midfielder Kim Tully.

Senior goalkeeper Amanda Houser continued her illustrious season by recording nine saves, increasing her season total to 108 saves. She continues to lead the nation in save percentage and goals-against average.

The victory marks Shippensburg’s second NCAA postseason win in as many years, as the Lady Raiders earned their first NCAA postseason victory in program history last season after a 2-1 overtime win at Indiana (Pa.) in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Lady Raiders advance to next weekend’s NCAA Division II Final Four in Easton, Mass. The remaining postseason games will be played at W.B. Mason Stadium on the campus of Stonehill College.

Shippensburg is scheduled to play at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 13 against PSAC rival No. 1 Bloomsburg. The winner of that game advances to play either UMass-Lowell or host Stonehill in Sunday’s national championship game.