Utica Set To Host 2014 Field Hockey Playoffs
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The Utica College field hockey team will host the Empire 8 playoffs this weekend at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium. Both semifinal games will be played on Saturday, with the E8 championship game taking place on Sunday. The winner of the tournament will earn automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Women's Field Hockey Championships later this month.
Beginning at 11 a.m., Saturday's first semifinal game will feature top-seeded Utica and fourth-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology. The second semifinal contest will start at 1:30 p.m., and will feature second-seeded St. John Fisher and third-seeded Washington and Jefferson. The winner of both games will face off at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
*Admission each day is $4 for adults and $2 for students, children and senior citizens.
First Semifinal Game: Utica vs. Stevens
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The Pioneers claimed the top seed in the tournament after finishing the regular season with an unblemished, 8-0 record in conference play... Utica has compiled a 16-2 overall record and is ranked No. 20 in the latest NFHCA national poll...UC is led by senior Hannah Mackey who has a conference-best 34 goals and 73 points... Mackey is also second in the nation with 1.89 goals per game... Senior Louise Steele-Norton is sixth in the conference with 1.72 points per game... Her 13 goals and 31 points rank second on the team... The Pioneers have won the last two Empire 8 Championships and have advanced to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" in each of the last two seasons.
Stevens took the fourth and final seed in the tournament after finishing 5-3 in E8 play... The Ducks tied with W&J, however the Presidents held the tiebreaker as they defeated Stevens 4-3 in head-to-head play... The Ducks enter the tournament on a four-game winning streak... They have held the top seed in the last two E8 tournaments... The last time Stevens won an Empire 8 Conference Championship was in 2010 when it captured its third straight title... Stevens is led by junior Dailyn Brook, who ranks second in the conference with 46 points... Brook and Freshman Victoria Alvarez have each netted 16 goals on the season.
In their last meeting, Utica defeated Stevens on Oct. 12, dropping the Ducks by a score of 4-1. After nearly 20 full minutes of scoreless action, senior Hannah Mackey broke the deadlock. Utica added an insurance tally in the final minute of the first half as junior Colleen Dowling fired a low shot inside the left post off a penalty corner.
UC carried its momentum into the second half as senior Louise Steele-Norton tallied her ninth of the year and senior Alaina Stojkovski capped off the scoring for Utica with just over five minutes remaining as she found the back of the net for her eighth of the year. The Ducks were able to spoil Utica's shutout hopes as Stevens was awarded a penalty corner as time expired. The ball bounced around in front of the net before Dailyn Brook was able to bat it out of the air and into the cage.
Second Semifinal Game: St. John Fisher v Washington & Jefferson
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St. John Fisher picked up the No. 2 seed after compiling a 7-1 record in Empire 8 play... The Cardinals' only conference loss came by way of a 3-1 defeat to Utica on the last day of the regular season... Fisher is led by freshman Emily Markarian who has 19 goals and 40 points on the year... Junior Danielle Famolaro is fourth in the E8 with a 3.00 goals against average... This is the third straight E8 tournament appearance by Fisher in just its fourth season in existence... Last year the Cardinals upset No. 1 seed Stevens in the semifinals before falling to Utica in the championship.
Washington & Jefferson (10-8) locked up the third seed after going 10-8 overall and 5-3 in the conference... Stevens also finished 5-3 on the year, but W&J defeated the Ducks 4-3 during the regular season, so the Presidents were awarded the No. 3 seed... The Presidents are led by sophomores Amanda Steffey and Lauren Brown, who each have 12 goals and 26 points... Junior Morgan Brozena leads the conference with a 1.69 goals against average... This is W&J's sixth Empire 8 Tournament appearance in the last seven years... The Presidents last won the E8 title at Utica in 2011 by defeating Nazareth 2-1.
In their last meeting, Stacie Skidmore assisted on both goal for Fisher in the first 20 minutes of play to give the Cardinals the early lead. Elizabeth Cusack scored in the fourth minute and Emily Markarian scored in the 19 minute to put her team up, 2-0. The Presidents got on the board with just over 11 minutes left in the regulation on a goal by Catherine Beaudoin for the 2-1 final.
Championship Game: TBD vs. TBD – 1 p.m.
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