STANDISH, ME - Saint Joseph's College (12-5, 8-1 NAC), the second seed in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament, will host #3 New England College (11-8, 7-2 NAC) in a NAC tourney semifinal at Lakeside Field on Wednesday at 2:00 PM.
How they got here:
St. Joe's defeated #7 Simmons College, 3-1, in an opening round contest at Lakeside on Saturday. TJ Cowin '14 (Newry, Maine), Renee Leach '12 (Springvale, Maine) and Peyton Dostie '15 (Standish, Maine) - the latest NAC Field Hockey Rookie of the Week selection - netted the SJC goals in the victory.
New England College advanced to the semifinal round with a convincing 6-1 triumph over #6 Thomas College on Saturday. Graduate student Emily Kuchta (Norwalk, Conn.) recorded two goals and a pair of assists in the win.
The last time we met:
The Monks defeated the Pilgrims by a 5-2 score at Lakeside Field on September 24th. Cowin netted three goals and Dostie chipped in with a goal and a pair of assists in the SJC triumph. Kuchta scored both of the visitors' markers in a losing effort.
Saint Joseph's and New England College had not met on the field hockey field prior to this season.
What have you done lately?
The Monks have won seven of the last 10 contests and three in a row heading into the semifinal match. The Royal Blue halted a rare two-game losing streak with a signature 4-0 triumph over Colby-Sawyer College in the Monks' 2011 conference finale on October 23rd and proceeded to hand Plymouth State College its second loss of the year with a 2-1 win at home on October 26th.
Saint Joseph's has dropped consecutive games on just two occasions over the last four seasons and has not lost three straight since the beginning of the 2006 campaign.
The Pilgrims have been victorious in eight of the last 10 tilts and enter the semifinal round having won four consecutive contests. The only losses New England College has suffered during the month of October have come at the hands of two perennially-strong programs - Keene State and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Recent history:
Saint Joseph's has lost in the NAC Championship game in two of the last three years and held a 25-game regular-season in-conference winning streak before suffering a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Castleton State College on October 22nd.
New England College, a new member of the NAC this year, lost to University of New England in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship and advanced to the ECAC New England Field Hockey title contest last fall.
Recipe for success:
Much of the Monks' success over the past few years has been a result of stout defensive play, and this season is no different. Saint Joseph's leads the conference in fewest goals allowed (18), goals against average (1.03) and save percentage (.878) - a category in which the team ranks third in all of NCAA DIII Field Hockey. The Monks' five setbacks this fall have come by a combined total of just six goals and the team has outscored opponents by a 43-19 margin in 2011.
The Pilgrims also feature a solid defense with a 2.32 goals against average and an .834 save percentage, the ninth-best mark in NCAA DIII. NEC ranks third in the conference in assists (30) and fourth in goals scored (53) and has outscored opponents by a 53-44 tally this fall.
Attitude reflects leadership:
SJC Head Coach Rupert Lewis (75-51, .595), now in his seventh year at the helm, is the winningest and most successful coach in team history. He inherited a two-win team as a first-year skipper and progressively built the program into an annual contender after just two years on the job. Before Lewis, a two-time NAC Coach of the Year honoree, came on board the St. Joe's field hockey team had posted just won double-digit win season (1999). The team's 12 wins this season marks the fifth time the Monks have notched at least 10 triumphs during coach's seven years in the fold.
New England College Head Coach Susan Murray (232-147-2, .612) took over as the Pilgrims' leader prior to the 1992 campaign and has developed the program into one of the finest in the region. Her teams have made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including nine in the past 10 seasons.
Who to watch:
SJC senior netminder Meaghan Johnson (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) is in the midst of her finest season to date. The 2010 First Team All-NAC selection currently ranks third in the country in save percentage (.874) and 15th in goals-against average (1.03) and has essentially rewritten the Monks' goalkeeping record book during her fabulous career.
Offensively, Saint Joseph's is led by Cowin, a sophomore transfer who attended Simmons College last year. Cowin paces the Royal Blue in goals (15), points (32), game-winning goals (5), shots (80) and shots on goal (55). Sarah Bartell '12 (Exeter, N.H.), another 2010 First Team All-NAC choice, has netted seven goals and six assists for 20 total points and Dostie has contributed five goals, seven assists and 17 total points this fall.
Kuchta highlights the Pilgrims' offensive front with 17 goals, seven assists and 41 total points while Kate Roberge '13 (Essex, Vt.) has recorded 12 goals and five assists and Jennifer Adams '13 (Brimfield, Mass.) has 10 goals and four assists this season.
NEC keeper Mary Roux GR (Auburn, Mass.) sports an .840 save percentage and a 2.73 goals against average this fall. She has tallied five shutouts and allowed 35 goals in 1155 minutes between the pipes.
