Gulls' First NCAA Run Comes to a Close at Keene State
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 |
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2 | 0 | 2 |
Team Stats
Keene St.
| Game Statistics | Endicott | Keene St. |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 2 (0) | 19 (12) |
| Saves | 10 | 0 |
| Fouls | 64 | 61 |
| Penalty Corners | 3 | 12 |
Box Score
KEENE, N.H. – Endicott field hockey saw their incredible 2011 season come to an end on Wednesday night as they were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by the Owls of Keene State College. The Gulls fell 2-0 to the hosts Keene State in Endicott's first NCAA field hockey championship appearance.
Endicott finishes their season at 12-9, losing for just the second time since October 1st. The Gulls won eleven of their last thirteen games after starting the season 1-7. In that stretch, they rattled off nine straight conference victories and captured the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) tournament before winning their first CCC conference crown on their home field.
Elizabeth Coffin (Sugar Hill, N.H.) and Jackie Benson (Hampstead, N.H.) scored less than seven minutes apart in the first half to provide all of the offense the Owls would need. Coffin netted an unassisted tally in the 22nd minute before Benson finished a pass from senior midfielder Alyce Ferenc (Rumney, N.H.). Both goals came as the result of penalty corners, of which the Owls took 12. Endicott earned just three penalty corner attempts.
Taylor Teixeira made ten stops for the Gulls, as the Owls had possession in the offensive end for much of the game. The hosts had 14 shots in the first half, but Teixeira's acrobatics kept the Gulls within striking distance.
The second half saw more balanced play from both sides, with Endicott finding their only two shots of the game after the half. Freshman Kathryn Walker (Middlebury, Conn.), just missed connecting on a crossing ball and junior Cassie DeSimone (Reading, Mass.) had a shot that went wide of the KSC net later in the half.
Keene State ended the contest with19 shots, twelve of them on net.
The Owls of Keene State won an NCAA first round game for the first time in their seventh appearance. The Owls improve to 20-4 on the season and will advance to play at the defending champion Bowdoin Polar Bears in Saturday's second round regional.