GNAC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – The top three seeds in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Championship Tournament earned home victories on Saturday (Oct. 28), while No. 5 seed New England College was the only road team to prevail. Those four teams will meet in the GNAC Field Hockey Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Top-seed Johnson & Wales came away with a decisive 8-1 win over No. 8 seed Regis, while No. 2 seed Lasell shutout No. 7 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine), 4-0. No. 3 seed Colby-Sawyer was the third home team to come out victorious, needing overtime to take down No. 6 seed Rivier, 3-2. No. 5 seed New England College was able to pull out a 2-1 road win over No. 4 seed Simmons.

The semifinal round on Wednesday will feature JWU hosting NEC at 4 p.m. and the Lasers hosting the Chargers at 6 p.m.

After the semifinals, the tournament will conclude with the 2023 GNAC Field Hockey Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 4 with the winner being crowned conference champion. The conference champion earns the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.

#1 Johnson & Wales 8, #8 Regis 1

Recap courtesy of the Johnson & Wales Athletic Communications Department.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Graduate student Margaret Johnson picked up a hat trick in JWU-Providence's 8-1 win over Regis Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) quarterfinal action at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.

With the win, the Wildcats advance to face No. 5 seed New England College on Wednesday in Providence. Earlier this season, the Pilgrims handed JWU its only conference loss of the season in overtime.

Freshman Ava Pontes collected a goal and two assists while junior Izzy Ward, along with sophomore Emma Ferrara and Kameron Marando, also scored for the Wildcats, who moved to 15-2 on the season and outshot the Pride 36-5.

Johnson's first two goals came 2:40 apart and extended the JWU lead to 4-1. The Bear, Delaware native capped off the hat trick with her 10th of the season 4:03 into a fourth quarter which saw the Wildcats score four times.

#2 Lasell 4, # 7 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 0

Recap courtesy of the Lasell Athletic Communications Department.

NEWTON, Mass. - The Lasell Field Hockey team took on the Monks of Saint Joseph's (Maine), and wound up victorious with a 4-0 win. The Lasers advance to the GNAC semifinals with the win and are now 15-1 on the season while the Monks end their season 6-12

The Lasers struck early, just three minutes into the game, and it was the usual suspect, as Sheridan Blaha scored a goal for the 16th straight game, her 24th of the season. With the goal, she passed Lily Stark's total of 23 from last year to set the new single season record. She remains the only player in the country to score a goal in every game of the season.

Then just two minutes into the second quarter, Jacquelyn Scopa doubled the lead off of a pass from Stark. Scopa would strike again just three minutes later, this time from Blaha. Stark would add another goal with just two minutes left in the game to make it 4-0. It was her 18th of the season and 48th of her career.

Courtney Tello picked up her 32nd career win, making two saves. Paige Jette had one defensive save, giving her six on the season. That ties her for the second most in a season in program history.

The Lasers outshot the Monks 21-5.

#3 Colby-Sawyer 3, #6 Rivier 2 – OT

Recap courtesy of the Colby-Sawyer Athletic Communications Department.

NEW LONDON, N.H.  – The Colby-Sawyer field hockey team is headed to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals after defeating Rivier by a 3-2 final in overtime. Sophomore Cecilia Ponzini notched the game-winner on an assist by first year Aubrey Fischer in the 68th minute on a deflected shot into the cage. 

Rapid Recap: 

• The Chargers came firing out of the gates getting a quick penalty corner that turned into a first year Abby Olden goal at the 33 second mark. The Raiders tried to even the score with two shots on target, but junior Carly Bernard stopped both. Senior Aleah Murph tried to double the score but a defensive save by Makenna Balderrama kept the Raiders trailing 1-0. Bernard would make four more stops in the first quarter to keep Colby-Sawyer up 1-0. In the second quarter the lead doubled as junior Courtney Larson tapped home a score from first year Ryleigh LaPorte in the 18th minute. Two more Rivier shots were denied by Bernard as we went into the break 2-0. 
• Murph kicked off the third quarter with a good opportunity but Kylie Coupal made the stop. The Raiders jumped back into the game with back-to-back scores by Kayla Miles four minutes a part to tie the game at 2-2. Both teams had chances in the early going in the fourth quarter, but both keepers kept the ball out of the net. In the 58th minute the Raiders almost shocked the Chargers, but Murph picked up her 10th defensive save to keep the game even headed into overtime. 
• In the extra period Bernard made a big save denying Chloe Sicard which led to the goal off the corner for Ponzini. 
  
  Inside The Numbers: 

• Head Coach Emily Dewdney picked up collegiate win number 50 for the field hockey program. Dewdney reaches the feat in 73 games total with a current win percentage of 68.5 percent. 
• Ponzini tallies her third goal of the season and her first collegiate game-winner. Larson and Olden added the other goals, while A. Fischer and LaPorte contributed assists. 
• Bernard stopped a career-high 13 shots to pick up her 13th win of the season. 
• Murph adds her program record 10th defensive save in the win.

#5 New England College 2, #4 Simmons 1

Recap courtesy of the New England College Athletic Communications Department.

BOSTON - After a 2-1 overtime loss to Simmons during the regular season, the New England College field hockey team was able to flip the script on the Sharks with a 2-1 win on Saturday, sending the Pilgrims to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The first half featured few shots on-goal for both sides, with each team dominating defensively and limiting opportunities.  
• Coming out of the half, the 'Grims looked to make the most of a penalty corner opportunity early in the third quarter. Junior midfielder Meaghan McCamish received the initial pass before sending it out wide to graduate forward Drea Chin. Chin would take a shot on goal that would be kicked away by the Simmons goalkeeper, but Chin would collect the rebound and send it in front of the net to sophomore forward Martina Hill. Hill would quickly relay a pass to graduate forward Mikayla Vincent who would send a one-timer into the left side of the net for the game's first goal.  
• 6:12 into the third, NEC would look to strike again as they drew a foul right in front of the net – granting the team a penalty stroke. The 'Grims would turn to midfielder Tatum Golis to take the shot. The sophomore would not disappoint, sending the ball up and over the goalie's left shoulder – giving the Pilgrims the 2-0 advantage. 
• The Sharks would not go down without a fight, however, as 6:59 into the third quarter, the hosts would cut the 'Grims lead to one, as Anna Tedeschi would get her team on the board, with an assist coming from junior Aria Badra.
• In the final 23 minutes, NEC would hold Simmons to only two shots and just one shot on goal. With the strong defensive showing, the Pilgrims would hold on for the 2-1 victory. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• NEC sophomore goalkeeper Makenzie Anderson made two saves as part of the team's strong defensive efforts in the win. 
• Simmons first-year goalkeeper Haley Bright collected four saves in the loss. 
• The game-deciding goal, scored by Golis, was the sophomore's first goal of the season - instantly becoming the team's biggest goal this year.
• The Sharks had the advantage in penalty corners, 5-2, yet were outshot by the 'Grims, 10-8.
• The 'Grims now ride a six-game winning streak into the semifinals, while also winning nine of their last ten games.
• With the win, head coach Carly Sweeney earned her 100th career win at NEC. 

2023 GNAC Field Hockey Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals – Saturday, Oct. 28
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Johnson & Wales def. #8 Regis, 8-1 | BOX
#2 Lasell def. #7 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 4-0 | BOX
#3 Colby-Sawyer def. #6 Rivier, 3-2 (OT) | BOX
#5 New England College def. #4 Simmons, 2-1 | BOX

Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 1
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#5 New England College at #1 Johnson & Wales, 4 p.m.
#3 Colby-Sawyer at #2 Lasell, 6 p.m.

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4

Semifinal winners, TBD

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

Stay up to date with all the latest news from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC)!
'Follow' us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and 'Like' us on Facebook!

-#TheGNAC-