University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Princeton
NCAA BOUND: UMass Defeats Princeton, 2-1
November 06, 2007 | Field Hockey
Nov. 6, 2007
PRINCETON, N.J. - The University of Massachusetts field hockey team (14-8, 6-1 A-10) is going to the NCAA Tournament, after it defeated Ivy League champion Princeton (13-5, 6-1 Ivy), 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Class of '52 Stadium in an NCAA play-in game. Kara Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) scored at the end of the first half and Lauren Gillespie (Casco, Maine) scored the game-winner with 8:26 left. Becky Letourneau (Greenfield, Mass.) made a season-high 12 saves in goal for UMass. The Minutewomen will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001. The field of 16 will be announced at 8 p.m. Tuesday live on CSTV.
The win was UMass' first over a ranked opponent in over seven years. That came on Oct. 4, 2000, when the #7 Minutewomen downed #14 Boston University, 2-1, in an overtime game that was decided by penalty strokes.
The two teams dueled to a scoreless tie for 35 minutes of action, but the Minutewomen still took a 1-0 lead into the locker room. UMass was awarded a penalty corner with just one second remaining in the half. Off the corner a scramble in front of the net ensued with no time left on the clock. Murphy scored from 10 feet out off a pass from Katelyn Orlando (Manchester, Mass.) for the senior forward's third goal of the season.
Shots in the first half were 6-4 in favor of Princeton. Letourneau stopped two Princeton shots. The Minutewomen won the battle of penalty corners for the half, 4-3.
The Tigers struck back early in the second half. Paige Schmidt converted off a penalty corner 2:30 into the half. Candice Arner and Christina Bortz assisted on the play. It was Schmidt's ninth goal of the season and it knotted the game at one apiece.
The Minutewomen went right back ahead at the 8:26 mark of the half. Jaime Bourazeris (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) took a free hit for UMass from behind the right side of the circle. Gillespie tipped in the long pass top-shelf over the Princeton goalkeeper for her fifth goal of the season and team-leading fourth game-winner.
Princeton kept the pressure on in the latter stages of the game, posting 18 shots and five penalty corners in the second half. UMass' defense, and Letourneau in particular, were up to the task, thwarting all the Tigers' scoring chances. Two of Princeton's corners came with less than two minutes to go, and Letourneau made big saves on both to ensure the victory.
Final shots were 24-7 in favor of Princeton, with corners going the home team's way as well, 8-5.
