Medford, Mass. - Sophomore Lia Sagerman (LaJolla,
Calif.) scored two goals to lead the top-seeded No. 4
Tufts University Jumbos to a 3-0 win over the sixth-seeded No. 19
Trinity College Bantams in the field hockey New England Small
College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship Tournament
semifinal round today. Trinity, the only team who to beat
Tufts earlier this season, likely ends their season with a 9-6
record. The Jumbos improve to 15-1 and earn a spot in the
League Championship game with today's win. The Bantams
would need an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for their season
to continue.
The game stayed scoreless until the 21st minute, when Sagerman
found herself in a one-on-one opportunity with Trinity junior
goalkeeper Gina Dinallo (West Hartford,
Conn.). Having crossed a defender, Sagerman was able
to beat the final line of defense, and give the Jumbos a 1-0
lead. Tufts outshot Trinity 9-0 in the opening half.
Early in the second frame, Sagerman struck again to put the
Jumbos up 2-0. The play began on the left side of the field,
when junior defender Sarah Cannon (Atkinson, N.H.)
took a pass just outside of the striking circle and found senior
forward Tamara Brown who drew Dinallo to the left of the goal, and
slipped the ball to Sagerman on the opposite post, who was able to
finish the play.
Late in the game, Tufts scored a third time, which would
virtually put the game out of reach for the Bantams. With
less than 15 minutes on the clock, Tufts sophomore Missy
Karp (Berwyn, Penn.) earned a penalty corner on the right
side. Senior Tess Guttadauro (Carlisle,
Mass.) sent a flat insert to classmate and co-captain
Jess Perkins (Barrington, R.I.) who rifled the
ball on cage. Brown got her stick on it and deflected it in for a
goal.
With little time on the clock, the Bantams put together a late
offensive attack, though were unable to capitalize on scoring
opportunities. Senior co-captain Robyn Williams
(Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) ripped a chest-high shot from the
left, but junior goalie Marianna Zak (Concord,
Mass.) make a key deflection for her only save of the
game, preventing the Bantams from gaining any momentum.
Tufts outshot Trinity 17-7 in the game and held a 9-5 advantage
in penalty corners. Dinallo finished with five saves for the
Bantams.
Box
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