EWING, N.J. – The College of New Jersey field hockey team punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament with authority Saturday afternoon, defeating Rowan 3-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship game. The top-ranked Lions improved to 18-0 on the season, while the tenth-ranked Profs fell to 15-4.
 
The NJAC Championship is the sixth for the Lions since the conference tournament began in 2011. The Lions also improved to 7-0 against ranked opponents this season and 6-0 against top-10 teams.
 
Cayla Andrews continued her historic season, opening the scoring midway through the first quarter. Andrews split a pair of Prof defenders and made a backhand shot that beat the Prof goalie. The goal is her 31^st of the season.
 
Late in the first half, Samantha Reed deflected a long pass toward the middle of the circle. Kayla Peterson collected the loose ball and ripped a shot to put the Lions up 2-0 heading into the half.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Tori Tiefenthaler gathered the rebound of an Andrews shot and deked the goalie to extend the lead to three.
 
The Profs refused to give up, earning a penalty stroke a minute later. Kristiina Castagnola stepped up to the penalty spot and ripped a shot. Maddie Beaumont made the blocker save to keep Rowan off the board. Beaumont finished with five saves to secure the win.
 
The Profs would finally break through on a penalty stroke in the game's final minutes, but would get no closer.
 
TCNJ held a 15-8 advantage in shots.
 
The Lions now await their opponent in the NCAA Tournament, which will be revealed in an NCAA.com press release tomorrow night.