No. 1 Saint Anselm & No. 3 Southern New Hampshire Advance to NE10 Championship on Sunday
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Top seed Saint Anselm advanced to its second consecutive Northeast-10 Field Hockey Championship with a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Assumption while third seed Southern New Hampshire took care of No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas 4-0 on Friday evening.
The two teams will square off on the campus of Saint Anselm on Sunday at 1 p.m. as each program looks to claim its first-ever NE10 Title. The Hawks earned a 2-0 victory over the Penmen earlier this season.
No. 1 Saint Anselm 1, No. 5 Assumption 0 – Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Saint Anselm, the top seed in the NE10 Tournament and ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, won its program-record 18th game on Friday, improving to 18-2 with a 1-0 victory over the Greyhounds. Each of the Hawks' 18 victories in 2019 have come via shutout. Assumption, the ninth-ranked program in NCAA Division II and the fifth seed in this year's NE10 postseason, fell to 16-4 overall on the year.
Senior Mary Nee posted her fourth game-winning goal of the 2019 season, propelling the Hawks to victory with her strike at 45:43. On a penalty corner injected by senior Michelle Lemelin, classmate Kaeleigh Lord settled the ball and sent a pass to her right. Nee was able to drive the ball right up the middle and past the Assumption defense for the go-ahead tally. Julia Hand made four saves, matching a season-high total, to earn the victory in goal for the Hawks.
Mary Nee gives @STAHawksFH the 1-0 lead early in the fouth quarter of the #NE10Embrace Semifinal against Assumption! pic.twitter.com/10OzL7SS96
— Saint Anselm Hawks (@STAHawks) November 8, 2019
No. 3 Southern New Hampshire 4, St. Thomas Aquinas 0 – Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Southern New Hampshire advanced to the program's first-ever NE10 Championship Game with a 4-0 victory over No. 7 seed Saint Thomas Aquinas on Friday evening behind an impressive performance from junior Hélène Servais. Servais finished with two goals and one assist to lead the Penmen attack.
Southern New Hampshire put the game out of reach during a 3:50 span of the second quarter in which sophomore Meaghan Wile, senior Laura van der Doorn and Servais each found the back of the cage. The three-goal burst ballooned a 1-0 advantage to a 4-0 cushion with 3:18 left in the half. Graduate student Melanie Rennie steered aside each of the seven shots she faced to register her fifth shutout of the season.
Tuesday, Nov. 5 - First Round
Game 1: #1 Saint Anselm 2, #8 Franklin Pierce 0
Game 2: #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 2, #2 Adelphi 1 - 2OT
Game 3: #3 Southern New Hampshire 2, #6 Bentley 1 - 2OT
Game 4: #5 Assumption 1, #4 Stonehill 0
Friday, November 8 - Semifinals
Game 5: #1 Saint Anselm 1, #5 Assumption 0
Game 6: #3 Southern N.H. 4, #7 St. Thomas Aquinas 0
Sunday, November 10 - Championship
Game 7: #3 Southern N.H. at #1 Saint Anselm - 1 PM
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.