SALISBURY, MD- The University of Rochester field hockey team's dream season came to an end Sunday with a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Montclair State Red Hawks in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championships.
The Red Hawks (21-1) got goals late in each half and senior Kate Norgard had a hand in each goal to lead the #2 team in the nation. The #20 ranked Yellowjackets could not get their offense going because the Montclair State defense was poised and strong in their end of the field.
13 minutes in, there was a tense moment for the Yellowjackets when on a penalty corner, UR was whistled for leaving early, thus having one less player for the next chance. The resulting corner generated only one shot for the Red Hawks but UR goalie
Madison Wagner was there to make the save.
In the 32nd minute, Montclair State gained possession along the right sideline and forward Kate Norgard ran forty yards alone and ended up beating Wagner for a 1-0 lead.
Rochester (18-6) was short on chances in the first half only getting two shots and one on goal. The Red Hawks were able to fire nine shots, five of which found the net. Montclair State held a 7-3 advantage in corners during the period.
Four minutes into the second half, the Red Hawks kept applying the pressure and that resulted in a Frances Schaefer hard shot. Wagner was there though to make the save.
The 49th minute then brought on more chances for the 2nd seeded Red Hawks when they got off two shots from point blank range. That sequence led to UR Head Coach
Wendy Andreatta to call a timeout.
The timeout unfortunately didn't help out as Montclair State was able to build the lead with 7:06 remaining. This time Schaefer was able to convert for the Red Hawks when she camped in front of the UR net and tipped in a hard shot from the left wing. The goal was her 16th of the year. Said Andreatta “They really took advantage of the opportunities they had, they applied a lot of pressure to our defense and converted.”
The Yellowjackets tried to mount a charge late, but the offense couldn't convert on any of their chances in the Red Hawk zone. The final ended 2-0 with UR getting shutout for the only time this season.
Red Hawk goalie Megan Bosland had to make only one save while Wagner made nine stops in the cage for UR.
For the game, UR finished with only three shots with one on goal. The Red Hawks finished with a 19-3 shot edge and 12-5 lead in corners. With the win, Montclair State moves on to the national semi-finals to play Mary Washington who defeated Lynchburg by a 3-2 score in other Regional Finals action on Sunday.
The loss ends an outstanding 2012 campaign for UR as they set a new school record for wins in a season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's history. “It was a wonderful opportunity to reach the NCAA's for the first time, and reaching the final eight was a great result for this team” said Andreatta, “Everyone is hungry now and wants more in the future.”
