FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Courtesy of Anna Maria, JWU Athletics Communications
Fourth-seeded Anna Maria College topped fifth-seeded Lasell College, 3-0, on Saturday as the 2014 GNAC Field Hockey Tournament got underway with first-round action. In Saturday's other contest, third-seeded Johnson & Wales held off sixth-seeded Rivier University, 2-1, as both the AMCATS and Wildcats move on to Wednesday's semifinals.
On Wednesday, Anna Maria will travel to top-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 2:00 p.m., while second-seeded Simmons College will welcome Johnson & Wales at 7:00 p.m.
#4 ANNA MARIA 3, #5 LASELL 0
PAXTON, Mass. — Battling cold, wind, and rain, The AMCATS improved to 12-8 on the season, while the Lasers see their season come to a close at 6-12.
In the 18th minute, the AMCATS capitalized on a defensive miscue as Lasell goaltender Taylor Sheehan (Brewster, Mass.) kicked the ball right to the stick of Kaitlyn Moran (Leicester, Mass.). Moran quickly dribbled around Sheehan and passed to Kayla Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.), who was left undefended in front of the right goal post.
The goal marked the seventh on the season for Kayla Lapierre. Nearly 14 minutes later, Lapierre's younger sister, Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.), netted her second goal of the season, as she collected the ball from the 30-yard line and deked a defender for a one-on-one opportunity with Sheehan.
Trailing by two goals at halftime, Lasell opted to pull Sheehan in favor of freshman goaltender Denise Landry (New Milford, Conn). Landry was tested early, as Moran challenged her in a one-on-one opportunity just 3:23 into the half. Moran shot low and past Landry for her fourth goal of 2014.
Landry was not challenged again, as the AMCATS did not record another shot on goal for the remainder of the half, despite many offensive opportunities.
Sheehan and Landry combined for three saves in net for the Lasers, while Breen tallied two saves for the AMCATS. The AMCATS outshot the Lasers 14-6 on the day, including a 7-0 advantage in the first half. Both teams were awarded an even four penalty corners.
Saturday's game was a rematch of last week's conference finale, in which the Lasers scored two goals with under two minutes to play to force overtime. The AMCATS ultimately won with a sudden-victory goal by Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine) to seal the fourth-place slot in the GNAC tournament and set up Lasell for a return trip to AMCAT Field.
#3 JOHNSON & WALES 2, RIVIER 1
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saturday's win marked the first-ever postseason victory for Johnson & Wales in just the program's second season. With the victory, the Wildcats are now 13-6 on the season while Rivier falls to 6-12.
The Wildcats controlled the action for the entire first half, outshooting the Raiders, 14-0. Senior Courtney McTague (Saugus, Mass.) connected on the first shot of the second half to give JWU a 1-0 lead at the 36:27 mark. Nearly seven minutes later, Rivier tied the game when Meredith Garcia (Newton, N.H.) scored on a crossing pass from Amber Bennett (New Boston, N.H.). Freshman Giovanna Ciavardoni (Latham, N.Y.) broke the tie at the 48:02 mark when she slid the game-winning goal to secure the 2-1 win.
Freshman Shannon Yoder (Boyertown, Pa.) earned the win in net for JWU, making two saves on three shots while Makenzie Flagg (Shirley, Mass.) stopped 13 shots for the Raiders.
First Round - Saturday, November 1
Game 1: #4 Anna Maria 3, #5 Lasell 0 | BOX
Game 2: #3 Johnson & Wales 2, #6 Rivier 1 | BOX
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 5
Game 3: #4 Anna Maria at #1 Saint Joseph's (ME) - 2:00 p.m.
Game 4: #3 Johnson & Wales at #2 Simmons
Championship - Saturday, November 8
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (at highest remaining seed)
– #theGNAC –