Quarterfinal Games - Wednesday, November 9

Game #1 - No. 1 Wellesley 4,  No. 8 Framingham State 1
Game #2 - No. 2 Mount Holyoke 4,  No. 7 Endicott 3 OT
Game #3 - No. 3 Plymouth State 2, No. 6 Anna Maria 1
Game #4 - No. 4 Fitchburg State 0, No. 5 Simmons 3

Semifinals - Saturday, November 12 (hosted by highest remaining seeds)

Simmons 2, Wellesley, 3
Plymouth St. 2, Mount Holyoke, 3

Championship - Sunday, November 13 (hosted by highest remaining seed)
 Wellesley 1 , Mt. Holyoke 0

WELLESLEY WINS IN FINAL MINUTE OF PLAY

Wellesley, Mass. - Wellesley Field Hockey defeated Mount Holyoke in the ECAC Championships 1-0.  Scoring in the final minute of play became a trademark for the Blue throughout the ECAC Tournament.  In the semifinal round Wellesley trailed Simmons College until fresh-year Becca Lecrec (Middletown, MD) forced the game into overtime, in the final minute of play, scoring on a corner.  Today's game against Mount Holyoke was no different, a 0-0 game entering the final minute of play the junior duo of center mid Jennifer Shrull (Windham, NH) and forward Julia Parzych (Auburn, Mass.) were able to clinch the ECAC Championship for Wellesley.

Wellesley entered the game the #1 seed and Mount Holyoke #2.  In the last meeting between these two teams Wellesley won in overtime 3-2.  Both teams came out today in the ECAC championships ready to play.  In the first half Lindsey Holiday (Wellesley, Mass.) scored on a corner, which was later called back because she was outside of the circle.  In the second half Mount Holyoke came out dominating the first ten minutes of play with forward Susan West leading the force for Holyoke with 4 shots.  Senior Captain Jen Wing had 11 saves for Holyoke, controlling her team with her voice from the backfield.  While first-year goalie for the Blue Emily Hewitt (Alexandria, VA) had a stellar game in net with 7 saves. 

Wellesley recognizing there was only one minute left on the clock took
their offensive force up a notch and continued to pressure the Holyoke
circle.  Julia Hunter (Amherst, Mass.) passed a hard ball to Shrull at the
top of the circle who then took a hard slap shot on goal were Parzych was to redirect the ball away from the goalie and into the back of the net.

Mount Holyoke Defeats Plymouth State to Advance to Championship Game

South Hadley, Mass. - Second-seeded Mount Holyoke (14-7) defeated No. 3 seed Plymouth State University (13-6), 3-2, to advance to the final game of the ECAC Division III New England Championship. The Lyons will travel to Wellesley College to take on the Blue at 1:00 on Sunday, November 13. This is Mount Holyoke's fourth appearance in the ECAC Championship. The Lyons last qualified for and won the championship title in 2002.

The two evenly matched teams battled throughout the first half. The
Lyons struck first, netting a goal off the stick of first-year Jaimie
Macari (Fiskdale, MA), assisted by classmate Annie Doton (Woodstock,
VT), to give MHC a 1-0 edge at halftime. The Lyons increased their lead in the second half as Doton found the cage with 19:35 remaining on the clock. Plymouth State rallied when senior Lilly Silva (Lowell, MA)
notched the Panthers' first goal, keeping them in striking distance with
less than 14 minutes to go. MHC was awarded a penalty stroke at the 8:17 mark and Doton capitalized on the effort for her second goal of the game. Four minutes later, the Panthers fought back to a one-goal deficit with another score from Silva, her 19th of the season. The Panthers were unable to knot the score in the final minutes of play, sealing the victory for Mount Holyoke.

In goal for the Lyons, senior Jenny Wing (Yarmouth, ME) posted five
saves on seven direct shots. For the Panthers, sophomore Leah Curtin
(Londonderry, NH) also tallied five saves and allowed all three goals in
the losing effort.

Wellesley Advances

Wellesley, Mass. - Wellesley hosted Plymouth State for the Semi-Finals of the ECAC Tournament today.  The Blue came out victorious in an overtime bout 3-2. 

Wellesley College struck first when Julia Parzych (Auburn, Mass.) was able to take the Simmons goalkeeper one vs. one and score.  Simmons answered back two minutes later, when Tanya Rego blasted a hard shot to the far post and Katie Bonney was waiting to finish the ball on right post. 

The second half of play continued to be a neck and neck fight.  Simmons however was able to edge ahead of Wellesley when Natasha Cote flicked in a ball from teammate Tanya Rego.  Wellesley was able to stay composed while being down a goal and the time ticked down to under a minute.  Lindsey Holiday (Wellesley, Mass.) was able to keep control of the ball long enough in the circle to cause Simmons to foul and give Wellesley the corner they needed to tie things up.  With regulation time over The Blue had one opportunity to continue the game on.  Jennifer Shrull (Windham, NH) took a direct shot on goal which the Simmons goalie deflected up into the air causing another corner.  The second corner Wellesley took advantage of.  Julia Hunter (Amherest, Mass.) inserted the ball to Holiday who took a shot that First Year Becca Lecrec (Middletown, MD) was able to pick up and take a reverse sweep into the right corner of the goal. 

Wellesley found the spurt of energy they need in the final 5 minutes of their play, putting two goals in on Simmons, including the winning overtime goal.  The Blues overtime team of Holiday, Parzych, Lydia Parzych (Auburn, Mass.), Karyn Benson (Auburn, Mass.), Shrull, Hunter and Emily Hewitt (Alexandria, VA) worked to earn a corner 3 minutes into overtime.  Shrull took a direct shot from the top of the circle, which Lydia Parzych was able to tip in on the right post to push Wellesley into tomorrows Finals of the ECAC Tournament vs. fellow NEWMAC opponent Mount Holyoke.  

Simmons Defeats Fitchburg, 3-0

Fitchburg, MA --- Kim Lindsey (Franklin, MA) scored two goals as fifth seeded Simmons College defeated fourth seeded Fitchburg State, 3-0 in a first round ECAC Division III New England Field Hockey contest. The Sharks (13-6) will travel to  top-seeded Wellesley, a 4-1 winner over Framingham State, in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Lindsey registered unassisted tallies in each half and Natasha Cote (Orchard, ME) added an insurance goal in the 57th minutes as the Sharks improved to 13-6 on the season.  Meredith Susi (Pittsfield, ME) was credited with a shutout as the Simmons defense did not allow a
Falcon shot on the evening.

Fitchburg State goalie Christina Charron (Grafton, MA) notched 17 saves in her final collegiate contest.  The Falcons, who end their season with a 13-6 record, were playing in their first-ever ECAC contest and first invited postseason tournament game since a MAIAW Tournament appearance in 1995.

Plymouth State Edges Anna Maria, 2-1

Plymouth, N.H. - Junior Christina Farias (East Dennis, Mass.) scored two first-half goals Wednesday afternoon and third-seeded and defending champion Plymouth State University went on to defeat Anna Maria College, 2-1, in the first round of the ECAC Division III New England Field Hockey Championship.

The Panthers, 13-5 overall, move into the semifinal round and will play this Saturday at second-seeded Mount Holyoke College (1:00 p.m.)  The Lyons also advanced Wednesday with a 4-3 overtime victory over seventh-seeded Endicott.  The tournament championship game is slated for this Sunday, Nov. 13 at the site of the highest remaining seed.  Anna Maria ends its season at 11-6.

Farias put the Panthers on the board 13 minutes into the game, picking up a loose ball inside the circle and firing a low liner into the goal for a 1-0 Panther lead.  She added her second of the game and fourth of the season six minutes later with a shot from the slot, with junior Heather Corrigan (West Hartford, Conn.) assisting on the play.  PSU took the 2-0 lead into halftime after outshooting the Amcats 8-3 in the opening half.

Both teams had opportunities in the second half, but the score remained the same until AMC senior Suzie Yanovitch (Hopedale, Mass.) converted a pass from classmate Jen Hurley (Spencer, Mass.) to put the Amcats on the board with 6:59 remaining.  The visitors kept the pressure on but time ran out and PSU held on for the win.
Plymouth State finished with a 15-7 advantage in shots, and a 10-4 margin in penalty corners.  Panther sophomore goalie Leah Curtin (Londonderry, N.H.) finished with four saves to earn the win, while junior goalie Rachel Braier (Saugus, Mass.) stopped 11 shots for the Amcats.

PSU is making its make its sixth straight post-season appearance, and is playing in its 11th ECAC Tournament. The Panthers' previous ECAC selections came in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, and 2004, with their only championships coming in 1987 and 2004.

Wellesley Defeats Framingham State

Wellesley Mass. - Wellesley College defeated Framingham State in the quarterfinals of the ECAC Championship 4-1 today.  Wellesley Senior Co-Captain Lindsey Holiday (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) had her second hat trick of the season.  Framingham State fired first going up 1-0 on a penalty corner.  Laura Hamburg (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) inserted the ball to the top of the circle to Meghan Staffiere (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) who fired a hard shot into the back of the net.

Wellesley was able to tie up the game with 15 minutes left in the half when Holiday scored her first of three goals on the day in a scramble in front of the net. 

The second half began with neither team taking much control over the game until with 15 minutes left in the game Wellesley took the lead.  Julia Parzych (Auburn Mass./Auburn) scored off of a fast break created by Jen Shrull (Windham, NH/ Pinkerton).  Shrull carried the ball passed two defenders and put a hard shot on goal were Parzych was able to pick it up and put it passed the goalie.  Holiday continued Wellesley's push when she
turned it on in the final ten minutes of play scoring two goals.   Parzych
carried the ball passed three defenders in the circle and was able to get off a reverse stick shot, which Holiday finished passed the goalie.
Holiday capped off her hat trick in the last 40 seconds of play when she tipped a hard pass from Shrull into the net.

Wellesley will advance to host the semi-finals of the ECACs on Saturday November 12th.

Mount Holyoke Defeats Endicott to Advance to Semifinals

South Hadley, Mass. - Second-seeded Mount Holyoke defeated #7 seed Endicott in overtime, 4-3, to advance to the semifinals of the ECAC Division III New England Championship. The Lyons will host #3 seed Plymouth State on Saturday, November 12th in the semifinal round.

Endicott overpowered MHC in the first half, holding a 9-3 advantage in shots. However, MHC managed to score first when first-year Anne Doton (Woodstock, VT) lifted the ball to the top-right corner of the cage off a penalty corner half-way through the first stanza. The Gulls' Jennifer Rheaume (Blackstone, MA) then tallied two quick goals, her 14th and 15th of the season, in the last five minutes of the half to give Endicott a
2-1 edge at the break.

The Gulls carried their momentum into the second half, dominating play for the first ten minutes and gaining another goal when first-year Samantha Bourgeois (Garnder, MA) connected on a pass up the middle from Rheaume on a breakaway opportunity.  The Lyons quickly retaliated with back-to-back goals three minutes later. Doton scored her second goal of the game off a penalty corner, sinking a hard drive from the top of the circle. First-year Jaimie Macari (Fiskdale, MA) earned the equalizer just 46 seconds later when she deflected the ball past Endicott's keeper off a free hit from outside the circle. Senior Elizabeth Colby (Belgrade, ME), the Division III leader in assists this season, earned her 16th helper with the free hit.

In the first sudden victory overtime period, Endicott regained their momentum with three penalty corners and two breakaway chances in the first five minutes. The Lyons kept the Gulls at bay thanks to solid goaltending and two defensive saves from Colby and junior Ariana Baudouin (Norwalk, CT). The Lyons then earned three corners of their own, but it was a last-second effort from Macari that prevented another overtime period. On a rush up the middle of the field, Macari smacked the ball from the top of the circle just past Endicott's keeper with
10.6 seconds on the clock to clinch the win for MHC.

Mount Holyoke senior Jenny Wing (Yarmouth, ME) posted nine saves for her 13th win of the season. For Endicott, junior Erin Curry (Hampstead, NH) denied four shots by MHC.