Semifinal Round - Saturday, November 10        

Worcester State College 0, Endicott  College 3
Western New England College 0, Wheaton 1 2OT

Championship Game - Sunday, November 11 at  Endicott College
Endicott 2,  Wheaton 1 OT

Endicott Captures Crown in Overtime Victory

BEVERLY, Ma. - The Gulls will raise another banner to the rafters of MacDonald Gym as the Endicott College field hockey team captured the 2006 ECAC New England Championship with a 2-1 overtime win over Wheaton College.

Ashley Meunier (Hartland, VT/Kimball Union) scored the game winner just over two minutes into overtime as she redirected a pass from Caitlin Murray (Templeton, MA/Gardner) past Lyons goalie Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN), giving EC its first ECAC title.

The Gulls got on the board first when Lindsay Fallon (Southampton, NY/Southampton) took advantage of a two on one and found the back of the net, giving EC a 1-0 lead. The game was very evenly played with neither team dominating possession. The scored remained 1-0 at the end of the first half, but Wheaton came out very aggressive in the second half and evened things up at a goal a piece.

The Lyons had a chance to tie the gamewhen Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA) was awarded a penalty stroke. Clarke could not convert however as Gulls goalkeeper Erin Curry (Hampstead, NH/Gould Academy) made a diving save to save the 1-0 lead. Alex Block (Saratoga, CA) scored the equalizer just under ten minutes later as she knocked the ball past a crowd of EC defenders and into the net.

After playing to a 1-1 tie in regulation the game went to overtime, giving Meunier a chance to play the hero scoring the goal in sudden victory and giving EC the title. Following the game the ECAC presented awards to both Wheaton and Endicott. Curry was awarded Most Outstanding Player for her efforts between the pipes. She made four saves, including one on a penalty stroke, to earn the win.

The two teams met once in the regular season with Wheaton taking a 2-1 victory in Norton, MA, but EC evened up the season series with its ECAC win. The Lyons wraps up their season at 14-8 while the Gulls finish up 16-5 and are the 2006 ECAC New England Champions.

Wheaton advances to first final with 1-0 win in double overtime over WNEC, Dimick sets points record

NORTON, MA--- Junior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) scored the game's lone goal in the 93rd minute to propel the second-seeded Wheaton College field hockey team past number three Western New England College, 1-0 in double overtime during an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament semifinal on Saturday at Clark Field.

The Lyons are now 15-7, while the Golden Bears' season ends at 14-9. The goal was Dimick's 18th of the season and gave her 47 points this fall, eclipsing Maureen Reynolds' '87 19-year-old school record.

Wheaton advances to face top-seeded Endicott College tomorrow in Beverly at 1:00 p.m. The Gulls were 3-0 winners over number four Worcester State College in Saturday's other semifinal. After winning their first-ever ECAC Tournament game today, the Lyons look to corral their inaugural ECAC title tomorrow.

The Lyons outshot the Golden Bears, 20-7 during regulation, but the visitors held the majority of the scoring opportunities. Senior Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) had the hosts' best chances during the game's first five minutes, sending two shots toward the cage, one of which was blocked while the other went wide. With less than 12 minutes remaining in the opening half, sophomore Samantha Hensen (Branchville, NJ/High Point Regional) was stopped by Wheaton senior keeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) on a point-blank shot as the two converged 10 yards from the cage. Boll made another big save with 8:20 left in the second stanza, stopping senior Allison Jameson's (Brattleboro, VT/Brattleboro Union) blast off a penalty corner. The shot was Western New England's only one of the half, as the Lyons held a 10-1 advantage.

In overtime, Dimick nearly ended the game 2:20 into the first session but backhanded a shot wide during a three-on-one break. Sophomore Brenna Fitzgerald (Manchester, NH/Manchester Central) was stopped twice by Boll midway through the period, and a pair of Golden Bears sent shots wide later in the frame. During the second extra stanza, Hensen was stopped by Boll less than a minute in before the Lyons came down the field and nearly ended the contest. Freshman Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) redirected Clarke's long hit toward the cage with less than three minutes gone, but junior keeper Emilie Donka (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) stopped the attempt. Hensen returned the favor with 10 minutes remaining, pushing her breakaway shot just wide as Boll came charging toward her.

With 9:37 showing on the clock in the second overtime, Dimick was turned away by Donka before ending the contest exactly two minutes later. After beating the defense on the endline, Dimick dragged the ball in front of Donka on the close post and sent home the game-winner at the 92:23 mark.

Wheaton finished with a 27-15 advantage in shots, while the Golden Bears held a 10-9 edge in penalty corners. Boll stopped 10 shots for her fourth shutout of the season, and Donka had 13 saves.

Endicott Advances

BEVERLY, MA - The top-seeded Endicott College Gulls defeated the No. 4 Lancers of Worcester State College Saturday, 3-0 in the semifinals of the ECAC field hockey tournament in Beverly, MA.

The game started slowly, as the two non-conference teams began to settle in.  Endicott senior Lindsay Fallon (Southampton, NY/Southampton) broke the ice for the Gulls at the 13:12 mark of the opening half, putting EC up 1-0. 

The score would stay that way until the second stanza, and that's when Endicott would take over.  Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year Jennifer Rheaume (Blackstone, MA/Blackstone-Millville) doubled the Endicott lead on a feed from Samantha Bourgeois (Gardner, MA/Gardner), putting the Gulls ahead 2-0.

Just minutes later, Fallon got back in on the scoring action.  The senior forward took a Chelsea LaClair (Middlesex, VT/U-32) pass and was able to beat Worcester State's goalkeeper Erin MacDonald (Dedham, MA/Dedham), icing the game for the home-team, 3-0.
Endicott held a 17-3 shots advantage over the visiting Lancers.  Endicott goalkeeper Erin Curry (Hampstead, NH/Gould Academy) only had to turn away two saves to earn the victory, while her counterpart MacDonald made ten stops in the losing effort.

With the win, the top-seeded Gulls advance to the ECAC Finals where they will face No. 2 Wheaton College, who snuck past Western New England 1-0 in double overtime. As the tournaments top-team, Endicott will host the Lyons at 1:00PM on Sunday.