NE10 40th Anniversary Home Page
After reaching the national championship game but coming up short the two previous years, the Bentley Falcons not only reached the pinnacle of NCAA Division II field hockey in 2001 but got to celebrate the first national championship in the college’s history on their own field. It was also the first field hockey national title in NE10 History and just the second overall national title for the conference at large.
The 2001 season also marked the Falcons sixth straight NE10 Tournament Championship and they won seven consecutive titles overall from 1996-2002. In 2001 the team’s lone loss came by a 1-0 decision against Assumption and Bentley finished the regular season with a 9-1 NE10 record. They led the NE10 in both scoring offense (70 goals) and scoring defense (13 goals) on their way to the title. In 2014, the 2001 squad was inducted into the NE10 Hall of Fame.
2001 Championship Recap
Bentley’s 4-2 victory over East Stroudsburg University put the finishing touches on a sensational 22-1 season that had included a hard-fought 1-0 semifinal win over conference rival St. Michael’s College two days earlier.
Four different Falcons put the ball past ESU netminder Kelly Wagner, beginning with junior forward Kristyn Bates, who opened the scoring with 26:11 to play in the first half. Bates, who was selected for the All-Tournament team for an unprecedented third straight time, was assisted by classmate Carolyn Bolster.
“That’s why we’re tough to beat, because they can’t just mark up one or two kids,” head coach Kelly McGowan told the News Tribune after the contest. “We have so many kids on this team that are just great, skilled players. They definitely make things happen. We’re not a team that sits back and waits for things to happen, we make things happen. All-around, everyone played a great game today. Everyone was on today. We were ready.”
It was 2-0 at the half after sophomore reserve Liz McKenna netted her first goal in ten games. A little more than six minutes into the second half, sophomore Lauren Galenski, off a feed from Bates, made it a 3-0 contest.
The Warriors got on the scoreboard 74 seconds later and it remained 3-1 until senior Alicia Cabrera, a co-captain along with Allyson Bunce, scored Bentley’s fourth goal of the afternoon with 13:49 remaining, East Stroudsburg made it 4-2 with just under three minutes to play but Bentley, before a large and enthusiastic crowd, wasn’t about to fold.
“Just having it here, hosting it, helped us a lot and motivated us to win the whole thing,” said sophomore goaltender Liz Novis, who made four saves.
“It's almost like I'm glad we waited to win at home, it's more sweet," said McGowan, who had a 222-64-1 record during 13 Bentley seasons (1995-2007). "We had all the fans that have supported us throughout all the years. The alumni were here, parents of alumni that have played for me, it was just amazing. The whole Bentley community came out today - the President, professors, everyone."
Bates was joined on the all-tournament team by Cabrera, Bunce and junior Diana DeMain.
2001 Bentley Field Hockey Links of Note
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, 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.
