#19 Louise Steele-Norton scored the game-winning goal with 4:45 left in the contest.
PHOTO GALLERY
Utica, NY (11/4/2012) – The Utica College field hockey team secured a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second time in program-history on Saturday by defeating top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology, 4-3, in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament Championship game at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Sophomore Louise Steele-Norton scored the game-winner on a breakaway with 4:45 left in the contest, off an assist from Nikki Kieffer, to help the Pioneers (14-6) earn the thrilling one goal victory. The NCAA Division III selections, seeding and pairings will come out on late Sunday night and the first round of the Division III tournament will begin on Wednesday.
Utica has won three of the last four meetings against Stevens and the Pioneers will be appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. Steele-Norton, who broke the College’s single-season scoring record earlier this year, also tied the Empire 8 Conference record for goals in a single-season which was originally set back in 2004 by Hartwick’s Kelly Cooman. Sophomore midfielder Alaina Stojkovski was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after totaling a team-best five points on three assists and one goal over the course of the Pioneers’ two tournament victories.
“This is an incredible win for everyone involved with our program here at Utica College. I had a good feeling coming into this weekend considering how well we were playing down the stretch and I was very pleased to see that our expectations were met. I’m very proud of this group of girls,” said fourth-year Head Coach Sarah Elleman. “We don’t want to stop here. We are going to enjoy this win and get right back to it as we prepare for the NCAA Tournament this coming week.”
Before the Ducks could blink, they were staring at a 2-0 hole and a ton of momentum for the second-seeded hosts. Utica’s Ally Sanders controlled a loose ball at the top-right of the circle, took a shot and it was deflected up and over Stevens goalie Kaitlin McClymont 2:59 into the game to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead. Then, just 2:02 later, sophomore Hannah Mackey tallied on a rebound to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead with 29:59 left in the first half. Mackey finished the day with two goals on her way to earning All-Tournament team accolades.
Stevens (13-7) weathered the storm and quickly countered Utica’s fast start with one its own. In the ninth minute, the Ducks scored directly off a penalty corner when junior forward Marguerite Chavez inserted out to junior Megan Traub. Traub touched once to control and blasted a perfect shot in the lower left corner to make it a one-goal game. The early equalizer came 3:30 later when sophomore midfielder Jillian Fiebel battled for a rebound in front after a shot from Chavez. The second-year player controlled and took one shot that was blocked before netting her third goal in two days to make it a 2-2 game with 23:06 left in the first half.
The Pioneers regained the advantage 3:40 into the second period when Mackey angled into the circle from the left side, going all the way to the right and connecting on a perfect backhanded shot into the lower-left corner for her 14th goal of the season.
Stevens tied things up in the 51st minute when Traub converted a penalty stroke. The play began on a penalty corner with Traub taking a shot that was blocked. Fiebel made several attempts on rebounds and the final one was blocked by a Utica player but a penalty was called because the Pioneer that made the play used her body to prevent the ball from going in. A stroke ensued and Traub did the rest, getting her ninth of goal of the season.
Despite battling pressure in their own zone through much of the second half, the Pioneers came back and took the lead for good, countering a Stevens attack with the game-winner. Sophomore back Nikki Kieffer found Steele-Norton with a long pass into the left side of the circle. Steele-Norton chased it down and put her shot in the lower-right corner for her conference-record-tying 24th goal of the season.
Stevens ended with a 15-10 margin in shots and a 13-5 edge in penalty corners. Utica freshman keeper Kells Casey finished the day with eight saves in the cage for the Pioneers, while Stevens’ goalie Kaitlin McClymont stopped two shots.
The game was played at second-seeded Utica because regular-season champ Stevens was unable to host due to Hurricane Sandy.
(Portions of release courtesy of Rob Kulish - Stevens Institute of Technology)
2012 Empire 8 Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team
Tournament MVP – Alaina Stojkovski – Soph. – M – Liverpool, N.Y.
Hannah Mackey – Utica College – Soph. – F – Locke, N.Y.
Meghan Morreale – Utica College – Jr. – B – Marcy, N.Y.
Louise Steele-Norton – Utica College – Soph. – F – Avondale, Pa.
Jennifer Marabella – Washington & Jefferson College – Sr. – F – Sinking Spring, Pa.
Elizabeth Herb – Washington & Jefferson College – Sr. – M/D – Pittsburg, Pa.
Caitlin Allen – St. John Fisher College – Soph. – M – Rochester, N.Y.
Stacie Skidmore – St. John Fisher College – Soph. – F/M – Rome, N.Y.
Marguerite Chavez – Stevens Institute of Technology – Jr. – F – Oceanport, N.J.
Megan Traub – Stevens Institute of Technology – Jr – B – Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Jillian Fiebel – Stevens Institute of Technology – Soph. – F/M – Roxbury, N.J.