Bridgewater State Seeded Fourth In ECAC New England Field Hockey Championships, Hosts Wheaton Wednesday
Bridgewater State is seeded fourth in the 2011 ECAC New England Field Hockey Championships, as the Bears will host fifth-seeded Wheaton in quarterfinal round action on Wednesday evening at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Courtesy Bridgewater State Sports Information
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University field hockey team has earned the number four seed in this week’s Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament and will host to fifth-seeded Wheaton College in an opening round game on Wednesday (Nov. 9) at 6:00 PM at the Swenson Athletic Complex.
The Bears are making the program’s eighth ECAC Tournament appearance and third in the last five years. Bridgewater captured the New England Tournament title in 2007 and lost in the championship game a year ago, 2-1, to Plymouth State. Wheaton will be making its fifth ECAC appearance and first since 2007.
Under the guidance of sixth hear head coach and 2011 BSU Hall of Fame inductee, Erika Smith, the Bears’ field hockey team enters the tournament with an overall record of 12-6, while Wheaton is currently 10-8 on the season. Bridgewater posted a 7-4 Little East Conference record but were eliminated from the LEC Tournament last Wednesday with a 5-1 loss to Westfield State. Wheaton, winners of three straight games, finished 4-4 in the New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), but did not make the NEWMAC Tournament.
The Bears are led by junior midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) who leads the team with 15 goals, including five game-winners, and 35 points. Classmate Breanna Clement (Pittsfield, Maine) is next with 22 points (8-6-22), followed by junior forward Beth Phillips (Worcester, Mass.) with 18 points (5-8-18). Phillips currently has a team-best eight assists. Junior netminder Cassie Johansen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) has started all 18 games between the pipes and is 12-6 with two shutouts, 84 saves and a 1.79 goals against average.
Wheaton is led by senior Emily Asack (Stoughton, Mass.), who has team-high totals of 15 goals and 36 and points. She potted a team-high five game-winning goals during the regular season and also dished out six assists, which is tied for the team lead with sophomore Emily Chick (Bangor, Maine). Sophomore Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass.) is second in goals (nine) and points (23). In goal, sophomore Ellie Massengill (Amherst, Mass.) is currently 9-8 with a 2.98 goals against average (GAA) and a .733 save percentage.
The two teams met earlier this season on September 25th at Swenson Field with Bridgewater coming away with a 2-1 victory. Farland and Clement each tallied a goal and an assist, while Johansen turned aside ten shots. Farland notched the game-winner in the 54th minute to break a 1-1 tie.
The Lyons lead the all-time series with the Bears, 14-12-1, and have won five of the last seven meetings – including four via shutout.
Plymouth State and the University of New England are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in the tournament, respectively, and receive a bye into the semifinals. The winner of the Wheaton/Bridgewater State game will face the Panthers while the winner of the No. 3 Mount Holyoke/No. 6 Worcester State will play the Nor’easters. Both semifinal games as well as the final will be played at PSU.