HOBOKEN, N.J. (Nov. 4, 2021) – For the first time since the 2015 season, the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team will be playing for a conference title as they used a pair of second half goals to take down #4 Arcadia University 3-1 Wednesday in the MAC Freedom Tournament Semifinal.

The Ducks got goals from Alyssa Appleby, Brynn Froehlich and Natalie Logan as well as a pair of assists by Lynda Farinella to advance to Saturday's championship contest for the first time under head coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz.

Stevens will face off against #2 Misericordia University in the championship contest Saturday at home with a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament on the line. It will be the first home title match for the Ducks since they knocked off Washington & Jefferson 2-0 in the Empire 8 Championship in 2010.

After Arcadia came out of the gates hot with three penalty corners in the first minute of game action, the Stevens balanced attack was able to respond and get on the board first.

In the seventh minute of game action, Farinella collected the ball at the top of the circle and was able to get past a defender with possession just outside of the penalty spot. The junior from South Plainfield, N.J., ripped a shot across the face of goal where Appleby stood waiting for the redirect into the top right corner of the cage to put the Ducks on top 1-0.

The Knights answered with their lone goal of the contest in the 25th minute. Off a penalty corner, Morgan McEntire was able to collect a pass with some space on the right edge of the circle. McEntire wasted little time, firing a shot just to the right of the outstretched glove of Emily Franco to knot things up at one heading into the break.

With the score still knotted 1-1 in the 37th minute of action, Stevens was able to go ahead for good off a fantastic all-around offensive effort on a penalty corner.

After the ball was inserted to the top of the circle, Kila Eadie quickly passed the ball to the left side for Appleby to set up the scoring opportunity. Already with one goal to her ledger on the night, Appleby decided to facilitate this time as she delivered the ball into the middle of the circle for Farinella.

Farinella quickly redirected the ball to the feet of Froehlich who buried a shot into the left side of the cage to make the score 2-1.

The contest remained in doubt until Logan provided the dagger in the 48th minute of game action. Off another penalty corner, the Ducks' sixth of the game, Logan and Ellie Jenkins executed a perfect give-and-go effort to free up an open shot from 10 feet inside the circle for Logan who did not miss.

Stevens cruised from there, allowing just two shots in the fourth to earn the victory despite playing down a player for over six minutes in the final period due to cautions.

Turning Point

• With Stevens still leading by only one goal in the 43rd minute of game action, fifth-year Anna Cooper made a miraculous play at the goal line to erase a golden opportunity for Arcadia.
• McEntire, who already had one goal to her name in the contest, collected a pass off a penalty corner and decided to go with the loft approach, immediately lifting the ball into the air and over Franco's outstretched glove for what looked like would be the equalizer.
• Cooper was sure not to let that happen, however, as she leapt into the air and was able to swat the ball with her stick to prevent the goal for the defensive save.

Inside the Numbers

• Both Froehlich and Logan contributed their fifth goals of the season for the Ducks in the win while Appleby's goal was her fourth.
• The win avenges the only conference loss of the season for the Ducks after Arcadia beat Stevens 2-1 in Glenside, Pa., on Oct. 23.
• The defensive save for Cooper was her third of the season and her second in the last three contests. Overall, Cooper has 12 defensive saves in her career to rank third in program history.
• Franco made three saves in goal for the Ducks and has still yet to give up more than two goals in a game against MAC Freedom competition this season.
• The goal from Appleby put her in double figures with 10 points this season, making her one of eight student-athletes with double-digit points. Statistically, it is the most balanced offensive attack the Ducks have had since at least the 2010 season.
• Logan, Farinella and Lauren Jones all had two shots apiece to lead the team.
• Stevens held a narrow 9-8 edge in shots and a 6-5 advantage in penalty corners in the contest while shots on goal were even at 6-6.
• Arcadia came into the contest leading the MAC Freedom with 3.1 goals per game and were held with less than two scores for just the fourth time in their last 13 games.
• Saturday's matchup against the Cougars will be a contest between the two best defenses in the conference as the Ducks lead the MAC Freedom with a 1.33 goals against average and Misericordia is second allowing just 1.37 goals per game.

From the Sidelines (Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz)

• "I am incredibly proud of our team today! The loss against Arcadia in the regular season was tough to swallow and to come back in such a big moment was huge. The team stuck to the game plan and played like a team that deserves to be in the MAC Freedom Championship game. We are excited to get back to work and host on Saturday."

Next Up

• Stevens and Misericordia, the lone two teams in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings, will battle for a spot in the NCAA Tournament Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
• The Ducks took down the Cougars 2-1 in Hoboken earlier this season on Oct. 16.
• Live stats and video will be available on StevensDucks.com.

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