UTICA, N.Y. (November 2, 2012) – The top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team is set for the Empire 8 Championship. The Ducks will take on fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson College in one semifinal Saturday at 11:30 a.m., while second-seeded Utica College will battle No. 3 St. John Fisher College at 2:30 p.m. The tournament is being hosted by Utica at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium due to complications in Hoboken after Hurricane Sandy.
 
The Ducks have a high-powered and well-balanced offensive attack with five players coming into the postseason with 19 or more points. Junior forward Marguerite Chavez (Oceanport, N.J.) leads the team with 32 points behind 13 goals and six helpers. She is third in the conference in goals and fourth in points and has a team-high four game-winning markers. Freshman midfielder Dailyn Brook (Cherry Hill, N.J.) has 10 goals, three helpers and three game-winners, while senior Mary Nikish (Pittsford, N.J.) has a league-best 12 assists and five tallies. Sophomore Jillian Fiebel (Roxbury, N.J.) has 21 points, while junior captain Megan Traub (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) has 19 points from her back position.
 
Defensively, the Ducks are led by senior goalie Kaitlin McClymont (Corpus Christi, Texas), junior Katie Achilles (Portsmouth, N.H.), senior captain Samantha Weisman (Fairfax, Va.), junior Grace Ridge (Moorestown, N.J.), freshman Angela Bauroth (Rockville, Md.) and Traub. That group has helped the Ducks outscore conference foes 28-13 and maintain a goals-against average of 1.60 over their last 10 games.
 
Overall Stevens has won five of its last six games, getting consistently strong play from midfielders Chelsea Cresci (Wilmington, Del.), Samantha Shiner (Exeter, Pa.) and Erin Silvestri (Beverly, Mass.). Cresci has been especially impressive, playing well on both ends all season.
 
Back on October 20, the Ducks defeated W&J 4-2 in Washington, Pa. After the hosts tied the score at one midway through the first half, Stevens tallied three-straight times and ended up winning by a 4-2 final.
 
Washington & Jefferson is the reigning conference champ. The Presidents came away from the tournament, which was also hosted by Utica, with an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. W&J finished the year with an overall record of 11-7, with key conference wins over Utica, Nazareth College, Elmira College and Ithaca College. The roster features three 20+ point scorers in Jennifer Marabella (13 goals, one assist), Erin Barno (10 goals, five assists), and Arielle King (seven goals, seven assists). Kira Bunker started their final regular season game in the cage after splitting time this past season with Morgan Brozena. Bunker currently boasts a 1.75 goals against average. 
 
Stevens had an unbeaten mark in conference play (8-0) this year and is 12-6 overall. The Ducks would have hosted the tournament but with Hurricane Sandy rocking the state of New Jersey and the greater-New York area the tournament had to be moved. It is the fourth time in program history Stevens has been the regular-season conference champion.
 
It has been a trying week for the Ducks but Head Coach Emily Beach (Hoboken, N.J.) is confident in her team.
 
“I've been really impressed with the team's ability to stay positive this week. It's been a tough few days for everyone, but we remain focused and feel as though we can use these challenges and motivation to bring back some good news to campus.”
 
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