Field Hockey's Season Ends in 2-1 Loss to St. Michael's in Conference Quarterfinals
Northeast-10 Quarterfinals #5 Bryant at #4 St. Michael's
November 1, 2006
Field Hockey Loses to St. Michaels 2-1 in NE-10 Quarterfinals
Colchester, VT. - The Bryant University field hockey team's season ended Wednesday afternoon at the hands of the No. 4 seed St. Michaels in the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals. The Purple Knight downed the Bulldogs 2-1 in Colchester, VT.
Trailing 1-0 in the second half, senior co-captain Laynie Sadler (Rehoboth, Mass.), who missed the first half after being injured in pre-game warmups, knotted the game at one, when her shot beat goaltender Tina Nardi and found the net. It was her 16th of the season, unassisted at 54:27
The Purple Knights came right back at 58:11 as Andrea Slaven scored her team-leading 12th, with the assists going to Megan Lagasse and Lindsay Harrison. Slaven's tally proved to be the game-winner.
Both teams fired four shots on goal, as this playoff game was a defensive battle. But in the end, the Bulldogs came up just a goal short.
Caitlan Johnson (Walpole, Mass.) and Sadler led the way with two shots apiece.
Nardi stopped three shots, including a key save with three minutes to go when she pushed aside a Johnson shot.
Bulldogs freshman goalie Kundayi Mawema (Hare, Zimbabwe) stopped two shots in the loss. She anchored the net this season, playing all but 89 minutes this year.
Sadler finishes her senior season with 16 goals and 12 assists (44 points). Her 44 points and 16 goals are the second-highest totals in one season in Bulldog history, while her 12 assists tie the school record set by Melissa Manseau in 2003.
With the victory, St. Michael's, ranked eighth nationally, advances to the NE-10 Semifinals where they will play top-ranked Stonehill Saturday.
The Bulldogs, who are ranked 10th in the current STX/NFHCA DII National Coaches Poll, finish the 2006 season 11-10, 9-7 in the Northeast-10.
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