Anna Maria, JWU Cement Spots in GNAC Field Hockey Semifinals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PAXTON, Mass. — The third-seeded Anna Maria College field hockey team downed the sixth-seeded Mustangs of Anna Maria College 5-1 in the first round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament on Saturday morning.

With the win, the AMCATS improve to 13-6 overall, while the Mustangs see their season come to a close at 4-13.

MOVING ON
With today's victory, the AMCATS advance to the GNAC Semifinal round and will travel to face No. 2 Saint Joseph's (Maine) on Wednesday, November 4.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The AMCATS held a 20-10 advantage in shots and a 16-8 lead in shots-on-goal en route to the victory. Anna Maria scored early and frequently, taking a 1-0 in the second minute of the game and holding a 4-0 advantage at halftime.

SCORING
First Half: The AMCATS only needed 1:57 to get on the board, as Kayla Lapierre (Worcester, Mass.) tipped in a shot off of a pass by Kylie Dalbec (Portland, Maine). Dalbec assisted on the team's second goal as well, feeding it in from outside the circle to Lauren Beauregard (Hubbardston, Mass.), who chopped the ball with her stick to redirect the ball high and over the pads of the Mount Ida goaltender.

Courtesy of Anna Maria Athletics Communications.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Finally a one-goal decision went in the favor of the Johnson & Wales University field hockey team and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Wildcats advanced to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament after beating Lasell, 1-0, on Saturday.

Records:
Johnson & Wales: 4-14
Lasell: 10-9

Goalkeepers:
JWU: Shannon Yoder: 8 Saves, 0 Goals; Record: 4-13
LC: Denis Landry: 1 Saves, 1 Goal; Record 9-9

The Lead
Nine times this year the Wildcats have come out on the wrong end of a one-goal game. That changed when Shaina Thompson (Delmar, Del.) scored off a deflection in the 23rd minute. In only its third season, JWU has won a GNAC Tournament game each of the last two seasons.

Of Note:
The goal was Thompson's second score in the last three games and the third game in a row that she's scored a point. She had an assist versus Eastern Connecticut State in the regular season finale after tallying a goal at Anna Maria.

The shutout for goalkeeper Shannon Yoder (Boyertown, Pa.) was her second of the year. She blanked Elms College on September 9. The sophomore turned away all eight shots she faced to improve her goals against average to 2.29, which ranks fourth in the GNAC.

The Lasers outshot the Wildcats 23-5, including a flurry at the end as they tried to score the equalizer. Lasell also had a decidedly 17-2 advantage in penalty corners.

JWU Statistical Leaders:
Shaina Thompson: 1 Goal
Jessica Kocur: 1 Shot On Goal

Up Next:
The Wildcats move on to face top-seeded Simmons on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. JWU lost 2-0 to the Sharks during the regular season.

Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications.