Standish, ME – Fifth-seeded Husson University (11-8, 4-5 NAC) continued its unlikely ascent through the
North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Field Hockey Tournament with a 2-1 penalty-strokes victory over #2 Saint Joseph's (13-6, 8-1 NAC) in the NAC Championship at Lakeside Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the match tied 1-1 after regulation a pair of 15-minute overtime periods ensued and, after neither extra frame yielded a winning goal, the contest headed for penalty strokes. With the stroke-off tied at 2-2 and the Monks having missed their fifth shot, Eagles sophomore
Mariah Arno (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine) lifted a shot into the top left corner of the cage to lift her team to a thrilling victory.
With the triumph, the Eagles – winners of three consecutive NAC Championships – earn an automatic berth into the NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament. Husson recorded one of the most thrilling conference tourney runs in recent memory as the Eagles defeated #4 Maine-Farmington, 3-2 in a stroke-off, in the quarterfinals, and tipped top-seeded Castleton State by a 1-0 margin in the semis before knocking off the Monks in the title bout.
For St. Joe's, the loss signals an abrupt end to the 2011 campaign. Saint Joseph's has advanced to the NAC Championship in three of the past four seasons but has suffered one-goal setbacks in all three matches, including a pair of 2-1 losses at the hands of Husson.
Both of the regulation goals were netted in the first 23 minutes, as
Sabrina Vaillancourt '14 (Newport, Maine) provided Husson with an early lead when she collected a loose ball in traffic and scored from close range on a penalty corner play at the 7:19 mark.
Freshman forward Peyton Dostie (Standish, Maine) answered with the game-tying tally 15 minutes later with a tremendous individual effort. The first-year standout collected the ball at midfield, dangled her way through several Husson defenders to break free with a 1 v 1 with Eagles keeper
Kristen Capen '13 (Leeds, Maine). With no one to beat but Capen, Dostie deked left and slipped the ball into the lower right corner to knot the match at one apiece.
After one frenzied half, the Monks headed into intermission with advantages in shots (9-6) and penalty corners (10-7). SJC netminder Meaghan Johnson '12 (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) posted four saves in the opening stanza while Capen made three stops over the first 35 minutes of play.
After the usual halftime adjustments were made by the respective coaching staffs, the second half become more of a defensive battle as the in-state rivals accounted for just six total shots in the latter stanza.
Tied 1-1 after 70 minutes, the Monks and Eagles headed for overtime. Per NCAA rules, each team fields seven players during sudden-victory overtime periods, which span 15 minutes apiece.
Saint Joseph's appeared net the game-winner just 48 seconds into the first OT frame when TJ Cowin '14 (Newry, Maine) blasted a shot off a penalty corner to the top right section of the cage. The SJC bench and the majority of the fans in attendance began to rush the field in celebration, but the goal was called off due to an illegal shot. Unbeknownst to many of the spectators, the first shot taken off a corner must enter the cage at a trajectory of 18 inches (or 460 mm) or lower. Section 13-3K in the USA Field Hockey Rule Book states:
"If the first shot at goal is a hit (as opposed to a push, flick or scoop), the ball must cross the goal-line, or be on a path which would have resulted in it crossing the goal-line, at a height of not more than 460 mm (the height of the backboard) before any deflection, for a goal to be scored."
Despite the initial letdown, the Monks continued to dominate for the remainder of extra play by the tune of a 15-6 shots advantage in the closing 30 minutes. Dostie logged a handful of excellent opportunities, including several breakaways, but Capen bailed out her team each time with saves as each stop seemed to be more impressive than the last as time elapsed.
One of the better SJC scoring chances occurred in the 81st minute of play. Dostie, who showcased her speed and athleticism quite well during the 7 v 7 frames, streaked up the right side of the field with Sarah Bartell '12 (Exeter, N.H.) running the middle lane. With one defender to beat, Dostie tapped a right-to-left pass to her senior teammate, who slightly missed on a one-timer but got enough on the ball to force Capen to make a save. Still loose, the rebound landed back on Bartell's stick, but her attempt was gobbled up by the Eagles' keeper.
Johnson, the 2011 NAC Defensive Player of the Year, countered with several game-saving stops of her own about two minutes later. With the SJC defense becoming increasingly gassed,
Kara Poirier '13 (Berlin, N.H.) managed to rattle off a pair of shots in quick succession, but Johnson utilized a butterfly goalkeeping style to make the stops and keep her squad in the game.
The SJC keeper was tested again early in the second overtime period when Vaillancourt and Christine Larabee '15 (Brooks, Maine) registered scoring chances from close range in the 89th minute. Again, Johnson kept her team alive with a pair of impressive stops.
In a bout of déjà vu (Husson topped the Monks, 2-1 in strokes in a 2009 semifinal match), a tourney tilt between the Monks and Eagles would be decided by a stroke-off.
Renee Leach '12 (Springvale, Maine) and Rachelle Messuri '14 (Atkinson, N.H.) both converted their attempts for the Monks, but it was not quite enough as
Lorri Hiltz '12 (Norridgewock, Maine),
Melissa Souza '15 (East Bridgewater, Mass.), and Arno proceeded to score on their bids.
Both goaltenders were outstanding, but Capen's play singlehandedly prevented the Monks from filling the cage. The junior keeper was particularly tough in extra play with 12 saves in overtime and tallied 17 stops overall. Johnson, the owner of essentially every SJC goalkeeping single-season and career record, made 12 saves in a losing effort.
St. Joe's doubled up Husson in shots (28-14) and held an 18-14 advantage in penalty corners on the afternoon.
The 2011 NAC Field Hockey All-Tournament Team was announced following the contest. To no surprise, Capen collected Most Valuable Player honors after posting a miniscule 0.88 goals against average and a stout .949 save percentage in three tourney triumphs. The junior allowed just three goals and made 56 saves in 240 minutes between the pipes during the tournament.
Hiltz, Vaillancourt, Larrabee and Souza also collected All-Tournament honors for the Eagles. Johnson, Bartell and Dostie garnered mention for the Monks.
2011 NAC Field Hockey All-Tournament Team:
