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Lawrenceville, NJ – Junior
Sandra Penas (Barcelona, Spain/ies Joaquim Blume) scored two goals, including the game-winner with less than eight minutes to play, as top-seeded Rider University defeated No. 3 Monmouth University, 3-2, to claim its third straight Northeast Conference Field Hockey Championship on Saturday afternoon at Ben Cohen Field.
The Broncs (14-5), who became the first team to win three consecutive tournament titles since Lock Haven won four between 2006 and 2009, now advance to the NCAA Play-In Game on Tuesday, Nov. 6, where they will face the winner of the Atlantic-10 Championship for the right to play in the NCAA Tournament. Monmouth, which has made the NEC Final four straight years, ends its season with an 8-13 record.
Trailing 2-1 with under 15 minutes to play, Penas rallied the Broncs with back-to-back goals over a four-minute and 11-second span. With 11:23 remaining, she evened the slate, at 2-2, when she was on the end of a penalty corner play, setup by teammates
Rachel Ippolite (Woolwich Twp., NJ/Kingsway Regional) and
Allison Muschs (Linkebeek, Belgium/Lycee Emile Jacqmain).
After a back-and-forth sequence, the Barcelona, Spain native put the Broncs ahead for good, backhanding a shot from the top of the circle to the far post with 7:12 to play.
Unlike the second half, both teams played a defensive-minded first half with nearly 29 minutes going by before the game’s first goal was scored. Striking twice in the Broncs’ semifinal win over Quinnipiac on Friday,
Gabby Burgo (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood) pocketed her third of the tournament off a penalty corner play that saw her shot from the top of the circle deflect off a Monmouth player and into the cage with 6:02 remaining. Penas and Muschs earned assists on the play.
Following the 10-minute intermission, Monmouth came out of the gates firing and it paid off, striking twice within a matter of six minutes and 23 seconds to take a 2-1 lead.
Amanda Schoenfeld (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) evened the slate, at 1-1, following a big defensive save by Rider’s
Stacey Dileo (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde), who denied
Tara Brown’s (Hatboro, PA/Archbishop Wood) shot from the left side of the circle from going in. With the ball lying in front of the cage, Schoenfeld pounced on the rebound and knocked it over the line for score.
Alex Carroll (Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional) then gave the Hawks the lead, rifling
Trish O’Dwyer’s (Dublin, Ireland/Loreto Beaufort) insertion pass off a penalty corner into the cage with 13 minutes elapsed.
Rider looked to even the score before Penas stole the show, earning a penalty stroke with 16 minutes to play. However, Muschs shot went wide left, leaving the 2-1 Monmouth lead intact.
For the game, Rider held an 18-12 advantage in shots, including 13-8 in the second half.
Joelle Prettyman (Newark, DE/St. Mark's) earned the win for the Broncs with six saves while
Teresa Mathews (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) suffered the loss for Monmouth with nine stops, seven of which came in the second half. The Broncs also finished the game with the upper hand in penalty corners, 17-11.
Penas, who finished the two-game tournament with three goals and two assists, was named the 2012 NEC Most Valuable Player, also joining temmates
Marlaine Schneider (Feasterville, PA/Neshaminy), Burgo and
Ellie LaBar (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) on the all-tournament team. Monmouth saw
Kimmy Baligian (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central),
Nicole Manziano (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) and
Michelle Pieczynski (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks West) earn spots for the Hawks.