CASTLETON, VT – Top-seeded Castleton State College (14-6, 9-0 NAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (15-4, 7-2 NAC), 3-1, in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Field Hockey Championship on Saturday evening.
The Monks kept the conference's most potent offense at bay for most of the evening, but Castleton would not be denied as they won their second consecutive NAC Championship and earned the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Stephanie Bardell was named Tournament MVP as she controlled the middle of the field and thwarted numerous SJC penalty corners, in addition to scoring the game's first goal.
In the opening half neither team recorded a shot through the first 14 minutes of action. Castleton's first shot didn't come until the 18th minute, when Bardell ripped a ball from the top of the shooting circle. It somehow found its way through the crowd and past goalie Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.), putting the Spartans in front 1-0.
Trailing by one at the half, St. Joe's pressured the Spartans in the second and earned three straight penalty corners. Following the third, Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) rifled a shot from the top of the shooting circle off a feed from Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) to tie the game 1-1 at 44:19.
Less than two minutes later junior Kristy Pinkham fired a strike from the right side of the shooting circle to put Castleton back in front 2-1.
Both teams had chances over the next 15 minutes, but it was Rachel Preusser who put the game out of reach. Taking the ball from just behind midfield, she sprinted past three defenders down the far sideline and into the shooting circle before slipping a pass between the charging Astbury and a defender to Blake Wardwell at the near post. Wardwell deposited it the back of the cage for the 3-1 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Monks outplayed the Spartans statistically, as the Royal Blue posted sizeable advantages in both shots (13-5) and penalty corners (10-2). Junior Jessica Galatioto made seven stops in net to earn the win for the hosts, while Astbury took the loss with one save and three goals allowed.
Castleton improves to 14-6 on the year and moves on to the NCAA National Tournament. The Spartans find out their first round opponent on Sunday evening.
All-Tournament Team:
Kashley Weymouth – Farmington
Renee DesPres – Farmington
Sabrina Vaillancourt – Husson
Annika Durrell – Husson
Rachelle Messuri – Saint Joseph's
Theresa Hendrix – Saint Joseph's
Kaylee Heath – Saint Joseph's
Brynn Cayia – Castleton
Kristy Pinkham – Castleton
Rachel Preusser – Castleton
Stacy Sullivan – Castleton
Stephanie Bardell – MVP – Castleton
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
