ALBANY, N.Y. – The two higher seeds again held serve at 2015 America East Field Hockey Championship Thursday and advanced to Saturday’s semifinals. The #2 seed in the West, Pacific got a late goal from the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, Savannah Burns, to beat East #3 seed New Hampshire, 2-1 while the #2 seed from the East, Maine, scored late in regulation and again in overtime to beat the #3 seed from the West, California, 2-1.
The four highest seeds all advanced to tomorrow’s semifinals. Albany will face Pacific in the first game at 12 p.m. while Stanford meets Maine in the second semi at 2:30 p.m. Both games will air on AmericaEast.TV.
America East Field Hockey Championship Quarterfinals
#W2 Pacific 2, #E3 New Hampshire 1 - Box Score
- America East Defensive Player of the Year Savannah Burns scored off a penalty corner with just 4:59 remaining to break a 1-1 tie and lift Pacific (11-7) to a 2-1 win over New Hampshire ( in the America East field hockey quarterfinals on Friday.
- Pacific’s Laura Pujade made 14 saves, including 12 in the first half.
- UNH dominated the first game’s first 20 minutes, getting off 18 shots and drawing eight penalty corners.
- The Wildcats put 10 of those shots on goal, but Pujade, a second-team All-Conference selection, turned each one away.
- Despite UNH controlling play, Pacific had a golden opportunity to score first, drawing a penalty stroke 15 minutes into the game, but Burns’ attempt went wide to the right.
- The Wildcats finally broke through in the 24th minute as Lindsey Nerbonne went in on net, drew out Pujade and found Meg Flatley, who put the ball in the empty cage.
- UNH outshot Pacific, 21-4, in the first half, but the Tigers were able to even the score before the break as Kyleigh Morrison converted a penalty corner.
- The second half was evenly played with both teams having chances early.
- Pacific broke the tie with just 5:59 to go as Burns, also a first-team All-Conference selection, blasted home a feed from Malia Robertson through a screen.
- The Wildcats had a penalty corner attempt as time expired but could not get a shot off.
- UNH outshot Pacific, 27-7.
- The Tigers, whose 11 wins match their program high, will face top East seed Albany in the first semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m.
#E2 Maine 2, #W3 California 1 - Box Score
- Maine’s Sydney Veljacic scored with 2:48 left in regulation and Nicole Sevey won it 2:15 into overtime as the Black Bears (18-3) beat California, 2-1, in the America East field hockey quarterfinals Friday.
- The Black Bears, the nation’s 19th-ranked team, held a 23-1 shot advantage and an 18-0 edge in penalty corners.
- Maine dominated play in the first half, keeping the ball in its offensive end and getting off 14 shots.
- Bear goalkeeper Kori Griswold kept the game even going into halftime as she made eight her 11 saves in the frame.
- California (9-10) converted its first offensive opportunity of the game in the opening minutes of the second half.
- Alie Zimmer fed Janaye Sakkas, who hit the ball into an empty net and gave the Bears a 1-0 lead.
- That advantage held up until the closing minutes of regulation when Veljacic blasted home a shot off a penalty corner to tie the game 1-1 and force overtime.
- The Black Bears struck early in overtime to end the game as Sevey, a first-team all-leaguer, took a Cal turnover in on net and sent home the game winner.
- Maine, which set a new program record with its 18th win, will face 13th-ranked Stanford in Saturday’s second semifinal at 2:30 p.m.