LEICESTER, Mass.- Nicole Lijanna (Moorestown, PA) scored a hat trick, as Becker College won the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference field hockey championship, with a 5-0 win over Elms College.

Rachel Fink (Bath, PA) got the Hawks started 2:05 into the game, when she received a pass in front from Jessica Provencher (Berwick, ME), for a 1-0 lead. The Hawks went up 2-0 when Victoria Sirchia (Goshen, Conn) fed Nicole Lijana, who scored lying down on the turf. Lijana put the Hawks up comfortably when she tipped a shot from Jessica Provencher passed Elms goalkeeper Katelyn Wasgatt (Worcester, Mass), for a 3-0 lead. Victoria Sirchia capped off the Hawks first half explosion when she drove a rebound past the dive of the goalkeeper.

Nicole Lijana completed her hat trick when she tipped another Jessica Provencher shot into the net, making the score 5-0. Katelyn Wasgatt made 13 saves in a losing effort. The blazers finished the season with a record of 6-13. Ciara Lawrence (Costa Mesa, Calif) made seven saves in a winning effort.

Elms College senior goalkeeper Katelyn Wasgatt (Worcester, MA) turned aside 13 shots, but top-seeded Becker exploded for four first half goals en route to a 5-0 field hockey win over the third-seeded Blazers in Saturday's championship game of the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament at Leicester.

Becker's Kristal Swiderski (Warren, Mass.) was announced NECC Tournament Most Valuable Player by Commissioner Del Malloy. The Hawks finished the season with a record of 12-9. Elms College, which had advanced to the championship following a 2-1 win at No. 2 Daniel Webster earlier this week, finished 6-13.

Box Score

2008 NECC Field Hockey All Tournament Team:
MVP: #4 Kristal Swiderski, Becker, Sophomore, Forward (Warren, Mass.)
#15 Nicole Lijana, Becker, Freshman, Forward (Moorestown, N.J.)
#17 Carrie Ann Hart, Becker, Sophomore, Defender (Belfast, Maine)
#50 Ciara Lawrence, Becker, Senior, Goalkeeper (Costa Mesa, Cal.)
#3 Christine Fleury, Elms, Senior, Midfielder (South Hadley, Mass.)
#5 Courtney Gilmore, Elms, Sophomore, Midfielder (Mansfield, Mass.)
#16 Daniel Gero, Elms, Junior, Midfielder (Holyoke, Mass.)
#19 Ellen Silva, Elms, Senior, Midfielder (Palmer, Mass.)
#17 Michaela Ross, Wheelock,  Sophomore, Defender  (Mansfield, Mass.)
#5 Milbrey Hendrix, Wheelock, Sophomore, Midfielder (Kennett Square, Penn.)
#1 Natalie Bates, Daniel Webster, Freshman, Midfielder (N. Kingstown, R.I.)
#15 Christal Fitzgerald, Daniel Webster, Junior, Midfielder (Sydney, Australia)

2008 NECC FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Semifinals-Tuesday, October 28
#4 Wheelock (4-4, 4-14) at #1 Becker (8-0, 10-9), 6:00 p.m.- Becker 4 Wheelock 1
#3 Elms (4-4, 5-12) at #2 Daniel Webster (4-4, 5-8), 2:00 p.m. - Elms 2 Daniel Webster 1

Championship Match- Saturday, November 1
#3 Elms at #1 Becker, 1:00 p.m. (at higher seed), Becker 5, Elms 0

Story Courtesy of Becker and Elms Sports Information