(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 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

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

UMass-Lowell Takes Down Falcons in First Round of NCAA Tournament, Advances to Semifinal for Seventh Consecutive Season

Junior forward Katie Enaire tallied a pair of goals and added an assist as the #3 seed UMass Lowell River Hawks defeated the #2 seed Bentley Falcons in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon in Waltham.

The tilt was a rematch of last weekend’s Northeast-10 Tournament Semifinal, which Bentley won 1-0. The teams had previously split the season series but today’s victory gives the River Hawks the 2-1 advantage on the year. The River Hawks enter the NCAA Semifinal with a 17-5 record, while Bentley finishes its season at 16-5.

The River Hawks went up 1-0 with just over 20 minutes left in the first half, as UMass Lowell steadily pushed the ball up the field and junior midfielder Liz Day weaved her way through the Bentley defenders and crossed the cage for her seventh goal of the year in the 14th minute of play (13:50).

The Falcons retaliated, though, as freshman forward Nicole Dion 21st minute of play (21:10) to even the score at one apiece.

UMass Lowell bounced back quickly, as Lizzy Ales netted her eighth goal of the year in the 28th minute of play (27:27). Senior defender Ashley Smith carried the ball into the circle and Ales got behind Bentley goalkeeper Alyssa Sliney to put the River Hawks up 2-1.

Bentley came back strong at the start of the second, tying it at two in the 39th minute of play (38:17) on a goal by freshman Cori Geiger.

After the Falcons were unable to convert a penalty corner, UMass Lowell sent the ball upfield and Enaire brought the ball into the circle, creating her own shot, to put the River Hawks up 3-2 in the 43rd minute of play (42:29).

Enaire struck again, just three minutes later, scoring her 22nd goal in the 46th minute of play (45:57). She shot the ball through a crowded circle and was assisted by senior forward Jaci Moulton. The rapid fire offense gave the River Hawks the 4-2 advantage in the second half.

Junior midfielder Jaime Hadley made a crucial defensive save – her team-best fourth of the year – with just over 20 minutes left in the game to maintain the River Hawk lead. Off that save, UMass Lowell brought the ball out of its defensive zone and the scoring tandem of Moulton and Enaire struck again. This time, Moulton netted the goal and Enaire added the assist, giving the River Hawks a 5-2 lead in the 51st minute of play (50:17).

The River Hawks owned the 7-5 advantage in penalty corners on the afternoon and Bentley held the slight, 10-9 advantage in shots on the day.

With the victory, the River Hawks advance to the NCAA Tournament Semifinal for the seventh consecutive year and will play Stonehill College at the Skyhawks’ W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, MA on Friday at 5:00 p.m.

–Courtesy of UML Athletics

Bloomsburg (20-1) and Stonehill (17-4) will receive first-round byes in the six-team field.  In the North region, Massachusetts-Lowell (16-5) will travel to Bentley (16-4) for a first-round contest at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday, November 7.  The winner will meet Stonehill in a semifinal matchup.  Shippensburg (19-2) will host East Stroudsburg (14-6) in the South region first-round contest at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday, November 7.  The winner will meet Bloomsburg in a semifinal matchup.

Semifinals will be played at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., Friday, November 13, with the championship final at 1 p.m., Sunday, November 15.  These games will be played at WB Mason Stadium on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts.

The final rankings, with results through November 1, are listed below:

North Region Overall record    In-region record
1.    Stonehill                      17-4                 17-2
2.    Bentley                        16-4                 15-3
3.    Mass-Lowell             16-5                 14-5
4.    Merrimack                 13-8                 13-6
5.    Adelphi                       12-8                 12-8
6.    Franklin Pierce           9-9                   9-8

South Region Overall record    In-region record
1.    Bloomsburg                  20-1                18-1
2.    Shippensburg               19-2                17-2
3.    East Stroudsburg         14-6                12-6
4.    Kutztown                       12-8                11-8
5.    Mercyhurst                    10-8                9-8

The Lakers totaled 382 points, 141 more than second-place University of Massachusetts Lowell. GVSU finished in the top 10 of the five championships they qualified for — women’s cross country (second), women’s volleyball (third), men’s cross country (fifth), football (fifth) and women’s soccer (ninth).

The second place River Hawks placed second in women’s field hockey, fifth in men’s soccer, 13th in men’s cross country and 22nd in women’s cross country. Tampa is in a close third position after finishing third in men’s soccer, 14th in women’s cross country and 17th in both women’s volleyball and women’s soccer.

Minnesota-Duluth sits in fourth place after winning the national title in football and earning points in women’s cross country and volleyball. Rounding out the top five was Metropolitan State (CO) after the Roadrunners finished third in women’s soccer, 14th in men’s cross country, 17th in men’s soccer, 19th in women’s cross country and 33rd in women’s volleyball.

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup is a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 14 sports — seven women’s and seven men’s.

–Courtesy NACDA

Named to the All-Tourney team were Vanartsdalen, Samantha Kropa, Chelsea Due and Whitney Miller from Bloomsburg; Missy Seeley, Ashley Smith and Michelle Harrington from UML; Alyssa Sliney and Courtney Bartlett from Bentley and Kim Davies and Amanda Howser from Shippensburg.

FULL STORY

–Courtesy Bloomsburg Athletics

Bentley University (17-5) and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (21-1) will receive first-round byes in the six-team field. In the North region, Southern Connecticut State University (13-9) will travel to the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (18-4) for a first-round contest at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday, November 8. The winner will meet Bentley in a semifinal match-up. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (14-2) will host Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (17-4) in the South region first-round contest at 7 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday, November 8. The winner will advance to play Bloomsburg.

FULL STORY & FINAL RANKINGS

–Courtesy of NCAA.com

Tampa is a close second, trailing GVSU by only five points. The Spartans have accumulated 316 points by finishing first in women’s soccer, fifth in volleyball and ninth in men’s soccer.

Massachusetts-Lowell, who ranked second after the first Director’s Cup standings, is currently third. The Riverhawks now have 251 points after placing ninth in men’s soccer and 33rd in women’s soccer.

Rounding out the top five are Cal State-Chico and Dowling (NY), who are forth and fifth, respectively. The Wildcats added 50 points to their previous total of 152, after placing 33rd in both women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

Nine points behind Cal State-Chico are the Golden Lions, who placed fifth in men’s soccer and women’s volleyball and 33rd in women’s soccer.

Six of the seven fall NCAA championships have been completed with the following institutions capturing titles: women’s cross country (Adams State), men’s cross country (Abilene Christian), women’s field hockey (Bloomsburg, Pa.), women’s soccer (Tampa, Fla.), men’s soccer (Franklin Pierce, N.H.) and women’s volleyball (Concordia, Minn.).

–Courtesy NACDA