HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College field hockey team lost 1-0 in a double-overtime shootout against visiting Simmons University in the quarterfinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship tournament on Wednesday evening at Don Melander Field in Henniker, New Hampshire.
THE BASICS
Score: #3 Simmons 1, #2 New England College 0 SO 2OT
Records: Sharks 18-3, 10-2 GNAC | Pilgrims 16-4, 10-2 GNAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Pilgrims, with a 10-2 GNAC conference record, had claimed the two-seed in the tournament over the Sharks by virtue of their 1-0 win over Simmons at home on October 19th. They had advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 double-overtime win over seventh-seeded Lasell University in the quarterfinals round last Saturday. Simmons, meanwhile, advanced to the semis with a 2-0 win over the University of Saint Joseph in Saturday's quarterfinals. The winner of the game would face top-seeded Johnson & Wales University on Saturday in Providence, as the Wildcats picked up the 1-0 win over the fourth-seeded Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine earlier in the day.
- Simmons – the highest scoring team in the conference and boasting the two top scorers in the GNAC with senior forwards Sydney Gonyea (Lebanon, N.H.) and Anna Tedeschi (Hanover, Mass.) – faced a blistering defense that led the league in team goals against average. Regulation was a dogfight between the two GNAC powers as a combined 21 shots were taken with twelve penalty corners. It would all decide nothing as the game went into overtime, still tied 0-0.
- With just over two minutes left in the first overtime, a critical penalty went against the Pilgrims, giving the Sharks one of their best opportunities of the evening. Then a Simmons penalty corner with five seconds left led to a second untimed P.C. with no time left, but NEC junior goalkeeper Makenzie Anderson (Antrim, N.H.) answered the call, picking up the save off a shot from Simmons senior Alison Michalik (Rutland, Mass.) and sending the game into double-overtime.
- In the second overtime, the Sharks were again the aggressors but Anderson continued to dazzle with a pair of brilliant stops. Time expired and the game would be decided via shootout.
- In the shootout, the Pilgrims, who had played with such stoicism on both ends of the field, found fate turning against them, as they came up short on their first three attempts while the Sharks converted their first two. Facing a must-win situation, Anderson stopped Simmons sophomore midfielder Katy Paveglio (Groton, Mass.) to keep NEC's season alive. On the next shot, NEC senior midfielder Taylor Bailey (Boscawen, N.H.) converted to get the 'Grims on the board. But on the Sharks fourth attempt, sophomore midfielder Lilly Taglieri (Westfield, Mass.) beat Anderson to clinch it for the visitors as NEC's brilliant season came to an end.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Anderson, concluding one of the best seasons by a goalie in the history of the Pilgrim field hockey program, tallied four saves in regulation and another four in the overtime periods.
- Simmons sophomore goalkeeper Haley Bright (Norfolk, Mass.) finished with eight stops in 80 minutes on the evening. Bright had entered the evening with the highest save percentage and goals-against average in the GNAC, narrowly edging Anderson in both categories.
- NEC graduate midfielder Drea Chin (Laconia, N.H.), October's Pilgrim of the Month and one of the most storied players in the history of the program, concluded the final game of her collegiate career with five shots including four on goal.
UP NEXT
- With the loss, NEC concludes their winningest season since 2008, reaching the GNAC semifinals in just their second year in the conference. Congratulations to the entire team on an outstanding year.
