Hoboken, N.J. – The No. 10 Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team was edged by No. 25 Amherst 2-1 in a shootout during the First Round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament on Wednesday.
Gabi Moroney scored for the Ducks (18-3) in regulation, while Justine Liguori had the lone tally for Amherst (9-8). The Mammoths advance to face No. 4 Bates College on Saturday morning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Amherst nearly opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Genevieve Caruso's attempt was cleared off the line by defender
Aleah Dinmore for a defensive save. Stevens generated the final two chances of the quarter, with
Lauren Flynn having one shot blocked before sending another attempt wide.
The Ducks capitalized off a penalty corner in the 18th minute to go ahead 1-0. Flynn inserted to
Sophia Cozza, who whipped a return pass back to Flynn. The senior found Moroney in front, and she turned and fired past a diving Grace Puchalski for the lead.
The Mammoths put a shot wide in the 23rd minute before finding the equalizer with 2:49 remaining in the half. After a dribble into the circle and a loose-ball scramble, Molly Donegan collected the ball and played it to Liguori, who lifted a shot high into the cage to tie the game at 1.
Amherst held a slight 5-3 edge in shots and a 3-2 margin in corners at halftime.
Brooke Hughes put the first shot on goal of the third quarter in the 35th minute, before
Lily Wierzbicki made a pair of saves in the 42nd and 43rd minutes. The senior goalkeeper preserved the 1-1 score early in the fourth with another stop in the 47th minute and kept the game level with a final save in the closing seconds of regulation.
Taylor Brooks opened the first overtime with a shot on goal, and Wierzbicki turned away an attempt from Emily Huehn off a corner in the 62nd minute. Stevens nearly won it late in the period when
Molly DiCampli had a shot off a corner denied by Puchalski. Neither side converted in the second overtime, sending the contest to a shootout.
After both first-round shooters missed, Brooks put Stevens ahead with a goal in round two. Hughes and Cozza also converted, putting pressure on Amherst. Caruso answered for the Mammoths to extend the shootout, and Puchalski made two key stops before Emma Zhang netted the clinching goal for Amherst.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Moroney concluded her Stevens career with 44 goals and 102 points, both ranking fifth in program history.
- Wierzbicki ended her career third in wins (45), fourth in goals-against average (1.07), and fifth in saves (207).
