SALISBURY, Md. - The No. 2 ranked Salisbury
University field hockey team defeated No. 5 ranked SUNY
Cortland on Sunday afternoon, 3-2, to advance to the semifinal
round in the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament. The Sea
Gulls will now travel to South Hadley, Mass., to face No. 4 ranked
Tufts University on Saturday, Nov. 21.
"We knew it was going to be a really intense game," said head
coach Dawn Chamberlin of today's match-up. "They're
strong, fast and very well coached." Indeed, it was intense, as
both teams committed a slew of fouls and each drew one green card
in the game. The Sea Gulls and Red Dragons were fairly evenly
matched in penalty corners, with Salisbury having 14 opportunities
and SUNY Cortland having 10. Four of those corner opportunities for
the Red Dragons came in the last five minutes of play as they
scurried to catch up to the Sea Gulls' 3-1 lead, with SUNY Cortland
player Liz DeWaters putting a shot past sophomore goalkeeper
Anna Cooke (Ann Arbor, Mich.) (three saves)
in the 69th minute of play. The maroon and gold,
unfazed, maintained their 3-2 lead for the last 14 seconds of the
game and took down the previously undefeated Red Dragons (19-1).
With the win, the Sea Gulls improved their record to 18-1.
Salisbury fought for possession throughout the entire game,
outshooting SUNY Cortland 15-8. The Red Dragons scored the first
goal of the game in the 14th minute, marking the fifth
time this season that the Sea Gulls have trailed in a match. In the
26th minute, sophomore back Tara
McGovern (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) evened up the score
off an assist from senior forward Lauren
Correll (Bridgeville, Del.). Salisbury and SUNY
Cortland entered halftime tied, with one goal apiece.
Both teams remained tied for almost 20 minutes into the second
half, until sophomore forward Alison
Bloodsworth (Delmar, Md.) fired a shot that went past
Red Dragon keeper Ashley Hughes (eight saves). Just 26 seconds
later, in the 63rd minute of play, Correll scored the
unassisted game-winning goal off of a fast break. That goal gave
Salisbury the 3-1 lead with just six minutes left to play, but the
Sea Gulls maintained their composure and finished the game strong.
"I knew that the [final] goal was going to be essential in winning
the game. Two goals isn't enough against a team like Cortland,"
said Correll.
Last year, SUNY Cortland handed Salisbury its final loss of the
season in the second-round of the NCAA tournament, as the Red
Dragons defeated the Sea Gulls, 4-3, in overtime. Salisbury
advances to the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament for the
first time since 2007. "This is a huge win for us, mentally and
physically," said Chamberlin. "We have overcome a lot this year.
This is really just a great experience overall."
Links:
Send
the Sea Gulls a message as they head to Massachusetts in search of
their fifth national title
2009 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament
Bracket
