STANDISH, Maine – Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champion Saint Joseph's College (18-3, 8-0 GNAC) will play at #14 Babson College (18-4, 8-0 NEWMAC) in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA DIII Field Hockey Tournament at 2:00 PM today.
The winner of today's contest advances to the second round and will travel to Vermont to take on #2 Middlebury College on Saturday at 11:00 AM.
COVERAGE:
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/babson/
Live Stats: https://gomonks.com/sports/fh/2019-20/boxscores/20191113_auq4.xml
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
After claiming the top seed in the GNAC Tournament for the fourth time in the last six seasons, Saint Joseph's earned a first-round bye. The Monks advanced to the title game with a 5-0 semifinal victory over #5 Regis College on Wednesday and captured their fourth-consecutive conference championship with a 4-0 victory over second-seeded Lasell University on Saturday.
Babson, ranked 14th nationally in the latest NFHCA Poll, fell to MIT – 3-2 in overtime in the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship game on Saturday but earned an at-large berth into the national tournament. Only five at-large berths were divvied out across the country.
WHAT WE KNOW
Saint Joseph's:
- All three of the Monks' losses this fall have come at the hands of nationally ranked opponents - #9 Kean University, #14 Babson, and Colby College (ranked 17th at the time)
- Saint Joseph's enters the national tournament riding a seven-game winning streak, a string that includes six shutouts
- St. Joe's is currently ranked eighth nationally in winning percentage (.857), 10th in penalty corners per game (11.29), and 12th in shutouts per game (0.48)
- The Beavers' loss to MIT on Saturday snapped the team's winning streak at 13 games
- Three of Babson's losses have been to nationally ranked foes - #2 Middlebury (2-0), #4 Tufts (1-0), and #20 Endicott (3-1); MIT narrowly missed this week's poll as the first team listed in the "Others receiving votes" section
- Including the overtime loss to MIT, three of the Beavers' four setbacks have taken place on their home field
- Sophomore forward Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine), the 2019 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, has scored 12 goals with eight assists for 32 points this fall
- Junior defender Alexandra Belaire (Greene, Maine) is enjoying another fine season with eight goals and 12 assists for 28 total points
- Four-time First Team All-Conference honoree Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) has tallied seven goals with five assists for 19 points
- A trio of first-year players have provided major contributions this season, as Alexa Gutowski (Conway, N.H.), Sophia Jacques (Peru, Maine), and Megan Quirion (Oakland, Maine) have combined to score 20 goals with nine assists in 2019
- Sophomore forward Lauren Curley leads the Beavers offensively with 22 goals – including seven game-winners - and four assists for 48 total points
- Senior Tori Roche as contributed 44 points with 19 goals and six assists
- Sophomore midfielder Millie Brady has tallied seven goals and 11 assists for 25 points
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Rupert Lewis, in his 15th season as the Monks' skipper is 193-92 (.677) with a 37-3 (.925) record in GNAC play over the last six seasons. Under his watch the Monks have won four-consecutive GNAC Championships and he has been crowned as the GNAC Coach of the Year on three occasions in the last four years. In 2016, Saint Joseph's advanced to the NCAA 'Sweet 16' with an opening round victory over Montclair State University, which was ranked 10th nationally at the time.
Babson College Head Coach Julie Ryan is in her 13th season at the helm for the Beavers and has notched a 186-85 (.686) overall record with an 84-20 (.808) mark in NEWMAC play. She has led her program to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four in 2016.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
The only meeting between these two teams prior to this afternoon took place earlier this season when Babson topped Saint Joseph's by a 1-0 score at the SJC Athletics Complex on September 7th.
Both teams had scoring chances early with plenty of back and forth play in the opening quarter, but Babson took advantage of an SJC defensive lapse in the 14th minute when sophomore Lauren Curley (Stow, Mass.) netted the game's lone goal. Senior Kate Driscoll (Milton, Mass.) evaded several Monk defenders in the right corner and fed Curley, who was unmarked near the left goal post and slammed a one-timer into the empty side of the cage.
Simpson made nine stops in a losing effort for the Monks while Riley turned away the three shots she faced in the shutout triumph. Babson held the lead in shots (12-9) and shots on goal (10-3) while St. Joe's registered a 7-5 penalty corner advantage on the afternoon.
COMMON FOES:
The Monks and Beavers share a pair of common opponents this season, as both teams defeated Skidmore College and Wellesley College earlier this fall. The Monks topped Skidmore, 2-1, on August 31st and edged Wellesley, 2-1, in Massachusetts on September 1st. The Beavers beat Skidmore by the same 2-1 score on September 13th and went on to topple NEWMAC-rival Wellesley by a 5-1 margin at home on October 8th.
