Union, NJ… For the third consecutive year The College of New Jersey field hockey team found a different opponent across from them in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship. For the fourth straight season, the end result was the same. The Lions defeated Kean University 2-1 to capture the 2017 NJAC Championship and automatic berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The fourth-ranked Lions improved to 15-3 on the season, while the tenth-ranked Cougars fell to 19-2.
 
Just over four minutes into the game, TCNJ took advantage of what was already the Lions fifth penalty corner. Sidney Padilla (Suffern, NY/Suffern) made the pass to Kayla Peterson (Cream Ridge, NJ/Allentown) who ripped the shot past the Cougars goalie for her ninth of the season.
 
The Lions would strike again slightly over halfway through the opening period. Another penalty corner ended with a loose ball and a scramble in front of the Cougar net. Jillian Farley (Skillman, NJ/Montgomery) took a backhanded slap at the ball that pushed it to the back of the cage and extended the advantage to 2-0.
 
The Lions had an opportunity to extend the advantage further as Tori Tiefenthaler (Freehold, NJ/Biotechnology/Freehold Borough) beat the goalie, but Katie-Lynn Lussier made the defensive save to keep Kean in the game.
 
Kean broke through with a little more than 12 minutes remaining. Off a penalty corner, the Cougars got the ball on the stick of Teresa Carr. Carr blasted a shot that slipped just below the outstretched blocker of Christina Fabaino (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills).
 
TCNJ faded six additional corners in the game's final ten minutes. Fabiano made three saves over that stretch including a stop on a shot from NJAC Defensive Player of the Year Shauna LaMaina with just 41 seconds remaining. Fabiano made nine saves in the win.
 
Kean out-shot the Lions 21-16 and earned 19 corners to 11 for TCNJ.
 
The win marks the 25^th Conference Championship for head coach Sharon Pfluger.
 
TCNJ now awaits their opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The entire bracket will be released in an NCAA.com press release Sunday night at approximately 11:30 PM.