Nov 13, 2005
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Courtesy: ncaasports.com
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- It took two overtime periods and more than ninety minutes to decide a national champion in the NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship game, as the River Hawks from the University of Massachusetts Lowell earned a 2-1 victory over the Huskies of Bloomsburg University on Sunday afternoon at Shippensburg University.
It is the first NCAA Division II Field Hockey championship for the River Hawks, who lost to the Huskies in the 2003 championship game by a score of 4-1.
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Massachusetts Lowell (20-3) opened the scoring at 8:08 in the first half, capitalizing on a strong offensive rush. After maneuvering through two defenders, senior Courtney Hill sent a crossing pass that was sent into the net by junior Sara Hohenberger for her team-leading 24th goal of the season.
Bloomsburg (19-5) peppered River Hawk goaltender Nicole Staiti with several close-range shots and sent additional opportunities just wide of the goal. The Huskies totaled six shots on goal and eight penalty corners in the first half, but were unable to record a goal.
The Huskies continued the momentum and almost tied the game just four minutes into the second half, but Staiti made a diving stop to prevent freshman Samantha Kropa from tying the score. The pressure finally paid off for Bloomsburg with just over six minutes remaining, when junior Maribeth Brozena sent a shot through the circle that traveled through traffic into and the net off a penalty corner sent in by sophomore Ashley Heckard.
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The offensive pressure applied by the Huskies prevented Massachusetts Lowell from recording any shots on goal in the second half, while Bloomsburg recorded five. For the game, the Huskies out-shot the River Hawks by a 26-11 margin, forcing Staiti to make 14 saves in the contest.
Feverish offensive activity was applied by both teams in the first of two sudden-victory overtime periods, as Massachusetts Lowell fired three shots that were stopped by Bloomsburg junior Tracey Hudak while Staiti made a crucial save for the River Hawks.
Staiti made a diving save on a breakaway from Kropa two minutes into the second overtime and blocked two more shots with nine minutes remaining to continue the scoreless tie.
It was this defensive determination that allowed the River Hawks to capitalize for the deciding victory. After a frenzied rush by the Huskies, Massachusetts Lowell stormed back down the field, with senior Joanna DaLuze taking control of the ball and maneuvering into the middle of the circle to rifle a shot past Hudak that delivered the victory to the River Hawks.
"It's just unbelievable," River Hawk head coach Shannon Hlebichuk commented after the game. "You think back to August and before the season, and something like this is never in your wildest dreams. The senior leadership provided by this team was the biggest difference for us today."
Meanwhile, with the loss, Bloomsburg's streak of three consecutive national championships ends. "We're disappointed, but mostly we're disappointed with the fact that we didn't have the same fire and intensity as we had on Friday," Bloomsburg coach Jan Hutchinson stated in reference to her team's 1-0 victory over Shippensburg in the semifinals. "We weren't thinking about a run. We were thinking about this year's players and this year's team."
There were a total of 32 penalty corners recorded between the two teams, which set an NCAA record for the most in tournament history. The previous mark was recorded on Nov. 7, 1993, when Bloomsburg and Lock Haven University combined for 26.
The All-Tournament Team is as follows: Kelly Latendresse (Stonehill), Julie Michalos (Stonehill), Ashley Watt (Shippensburg), Natalie Grazan (Shippensburg), Maribeth Brozena (Bloomsburg), Kristi Ney (Bloomsburg), Jamie Vanartsdalen (Bloomsburg), Tracey Hudak (Bloomsburg, Courtney Hill (Massachusetts Lowell), Joanna Daluze (Massachusetts Lowell) and Sara Hohenberger (Massachusetts Lowell).
