The Wooster field hockey team won their second straight NCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday, defeating No.3 seeded Ohio Wesleyan University 1-0 in an impressive defensive battle. This victory not only cemented the Scots as the dominant force in NCAC field hockey, but it also secured them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Scotís offense kept pressure on the Ohio Wesleyan defense throughout the first half. Amanda Artman í10 led the Scots with two shots in the first 35 minutes, but failed to put either past the keeper. Later in the half, Brittany Montgomery í10 scored the only goal of the game after receiving a quick pass from Artman. This goal marked Montgomeryís fifth goal in her last three games moving her up to third on the Scotsí total points list for the season.
Although the game was a low-scoring one, the Scots outshot Ohio Wesleyan nine to three and had six more corner attempts. It was this offensive pressure which helped to keep Ohio Wesleyan scoreless throughout the match. Stephanie Standera í11 was also a major factor in the Scotís victory as she controlled the midfield with flawless defense. She received the NCAC Tournamentís MVP award for her stellar play throughout the tournament. In addition to this award, Standera was named to the all-tournament team along with Montgomery, Kate Valora í11, and Katrina Wojciechowski í10.
The NCAC Championship opened the door for the Scots as they competed in the first round of the NCAA Div. III tournament on Wednesday afternoon. The Scots hosted Hamilton College (12-4) in the hopes of advancing to the second round of the tournament. The Scots prevailed in the low-scoring match, 2-1. This victory marks only the second NCAA Tournament win in school history, the last coming in an overtime stroke-off against State University of New York at Cortland back in 1985.
It didnít look good early in the match for the Fighting Scots as Hamilton College kept the pressure on the Wooster defense. They had four corner attempts in the first 10 minutes of the game, eventually scoring on an impressive shot by Colleen Callahan with 29 minutes left in the first half.
Fortunately for the Scots, this goal would mark the end of the Hamilton offense, as the Scotsí defense would dominate the field for the rest of the afternoon. Scot goalkeeper Madalyn Myers í12 made several key saves as the Scotís defense shut down Hamilton for the rest of the afternoon.
With just over two minutes left in the first half, Scotsí forward Maddie Hart í12 tied the match with an impressive shot through several defenders. This goal swung the momentum of the game the Scotsí direction, and they would not give it up for the rest of the match.
Both defenses continued to provide impressive performances deep into the second half, as it looked like the match may have been headed to an overtime stroke-off. Fortunately for the Scots, Montgomery got a breakaway opportunity with 19 minutes left in the match. She broke passed her defender with only the goalkeeper to beat and finished an impressive passing shot to put the Scots up 2-1. This goal would be all the Scotsí defense would need as they finished their solid effort on the defensive end.
With this win, the Scots will travel to Salisbury, Md to compete against the second ranked Salisbury University tomorrow for the second round of the NCAA tournament. Salisbury will prove to be a major challenge for the Scots ó the Seagulls have only lost one match all season. Salisbury received a first round bye in the tournament.† The Scots took off Thursday afternoon.