Daniel Webster Eagles Play On, Earn First ECAC Tourney Bid in Field Hockey
(Nashua, N.H.) – Fresh off their first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tournament championship this past Saturday, the Daniel Webster College field hockey team got a pleasant surprise call this morning when they learned they had earned their first invitation to the ECAC New England Championship tournament.
The Eagles, seeded fifth in the five-team field, will travel to meet fourth seeded New England College on Wednesday for a 3:00 p.m. quarterfinal game. It will mark the first meeting between the Eagles and Pilgrims.
The winner will advance to face top seed Bridgewater State University on Saturday, November 13th at 11:00 a.m. The second semifinal includes third-seeded Plymouth State University and second-seeded Endicott College.
The tournament championship is slated for Sunday, November 14th at Noon.
Daniel Webster is in just its third season as a varsity program and enjoyed a remarkable campaign posting an overall record of 12-4 which included a 7-1 mark in the NECC regular season as the Eagles won the regular season championship.
"This is a proud moment for our program," said Eagles first year Head Coach Melissa Talamini. "Our goal was to win the NECC championship and we accomplished that this past weekend, but to earn an ECAC invitation is a remarkable testament to the hard work our team has put in this season."
The Eagles are paced offensively by junior Natalie Bates (N. Kingstown, R.I.) who led the squad with 14 goals and nine assists for 37 points while rookie Sierra Ackerman (Soldotna, Alaska) added 13 goals and five assists for 31 points. Fellow freshman Courtney Brennan (Beverly, Mass.) added a 10-3—23 mark while sophomore Samantha Bark (Belfast, Maine) chipped in with a 5-6—16 total.
Defensively, the Eagles combined for a team goals against average of 1.69. Goalkeeper Amy Prince (Hope Valley, R.I.) posted a 1.96 GAA in 14 starts and finished with a 10-4 record.
The Eagles will have a tall task as they face a New England College club that won the Commonwealth Coast Conference regular season title with a perfect 8-0 mark before falling to the University of New England this past weekend in the tournament championship.
11-10 overall, the Pilgrims are paced by Marisa Ayotte's 23-7—53 mark, followed by Samantha Escobar's 20-7—47 total and Emily Kuchta (12-3—27).
Jesse Kilcullen is the Pilgrims top net minder, sporting a 2.15 GAA with a 6-4 record.
