Hartford, Conn. - Junior forward Christy Bradley
(Wellesley, Mass.) assisted sophomore back Payson
Sword (Princeton, N.J.) on the dramatic game-winning goal
with eight seconds remaining in the second half to lead the Trinity
College Bantams to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Bowdoin College
Polar Bears in the semifinal round of the New England Small College
Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Field Hockey Championship Tournament
this afternoon on Sheppard Field. Trinity, ranked No. 5 in
the nation, advances to its first-ever NESCAC Finals against the
No. 4-ranked Tufts University Jumbos on Sheppard Field tomorrow at
noon. The Bantams, seeded No. 1 in the tournament field,
improve to 15-1, while Bowdoin, ranked No. 13 nationally and both
the four-time defending NESCAC Champions and the two-time defending
NCAA Division III Champions, falls to 10-6. The winner of
tomorrow's NESCAC Championship game will earn the league's
automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the loser will likely
earn an at-large berth. Bowdoin holds out slim hopes for a
possible at-large selection as well. Tufts shut out Williams,
3-0, in the other NESCAC Semifinal today at Trinity. Trinity
won the regular season game, 2-1, in overtime at Tufts on October
17.
Trinity junior midfielder Robyn Williams (Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe) took control of the ball at midfield with just
over 20 seconds left on the clock and lasered the ball ahead to a
streaking Bradley on the right wing. Bradley slowed the ball
down with her stick and brought it close the right corner with a
defender on her before sending a centering pass toward the front of
the Bowdoin goal. Sword outraced the Polar Bear defenders to
the ball and put it in the cage to give Trinity a stunning
come-from-behind win.
The first half ended scoreless with Bowdoin controlling the ball
for its majority but did not gain many clear looks at the
goal. Trinity did not get off a shot until 5:30 was left
before the break, but the one-timer by freshman forward
Alanna Capasso (Weston, Mass.) rolled just right
of the Polar Bear cage. Bantam junior midfielder
Robyn Williams (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) blasted a shot
at the goal from the top of the circle on a penalty corner in the
final minutes, but Bowdoin freshman goalie Emily Neilson
(Chatham, Pa.) knocked the ball away with her stick to
preserve the scoreless tie at the half.
Bowdoin sophomore forward Kate Herter (Topsfield,
Mass.) nearly gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with a close
shot early in the second half, but Bantam sophomore goalkeeper
Gina Dinallo (West Hartford, Conn.) made an
athletic stop with her leg. The Polar Bears continued to
pressure the Trinity defense and finally broke through 13:43 into
the second when junior midfielder Ingrid Oelschlager
(Roanoke, Va.) scored on a pass by senior forward
Shavonne Lord (Shrewsbury, Mass.) from the right
corner that deflected off Dinallo directly to her stick five yards
in front of the cage. Trinity could not penetrate the Bowdoin
defense for any scoring chances up to the 10-minute mark, but
senior co-captain Carrie Wolcott (Hamilton, Mass.)
broke the drought with 7:20 on the clock, converting on a pass by
sophomore defender Maggie Epstein (St. Louis, Mo.)
to tie the score.
Dinallo finished with seven saves, including five in the second
half, while Nielson made two stops. Bowdoin outshot the
Bantams, 12-5. Trinity wins its third straight over the Polar
Bears despite being outshot by a count of 48-12 in the three
games.
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