Ewing, N.J. … The College of New Jersey field hockey team battled its way to a 1-0 triumph over Montclair State University to capture the 2016 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship.
With the victory, the Lions (16-3) earned an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tournament. It marked the third consecutive NJAC title for TCNJ and the 24th conference championship in program history.
Freshman
Cayla Andrew (Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown) scored the lone game of the game with 20:08 remaining. That tally held up as the Lions allowed just two shots in the contest.
The game was a true defensive battle as neither team registered a shot until late in the first half. TCNJ registered its first shot attempt with just under nine minutes remaining in the opening period. The Lions came out strong in the second half, registering a pair shots early to generate some momentum in the offensive third.
With 20 minutes remaining in regulation,
Elizabeth Morrison (Stonington, CT/Stonington) had the ball on her stick near the end line. She delivered a short, centering pass to Andrews, who sent a firm wrist-shot into the back of the cage to give TCNJ its one-goal advantage. It was the 12th goal of the season for Andrews.
The Red Hawks applied pressure in the final minutes, but could not break through with a solid scoring chance against the TCNJ defense. Junior
Christina Fabiano (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) stopped the only shot on goal she faced to earn the win in goal.
The Red Hawks fell to 16-5 on the season. Goalkeeper
Kaitlyn McGuire had a solid performance in the cage, recording four saves in the game.
The first round of NCAA tournament is scheduled on Wednesday, November 9, with the second and third rounds to follow next weekend on November 12th and 13th. The Lions will learn their opponent, date and location of their first game when the tournament bracket is released.
The entire NCAA tournament field and the NCAA interactive bracket will be posted as a press release on ncaa.com late Sunday night, at approximately 11:30 p.m.
