Story Courtesy of Stevens Athletics
HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team scored on three of its four shootout attempts while Lily Wierzbicki held Lebanon Valley to one successful attempt of four, as the Ducks won 3-2 in a thrilling MAC Freedom semifinal Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The No.1-seeded Ducks bent but did not break early on, conceding four shots and three penalty corners to the No. 4-seeded Dutchmen in the first 4:20, but Lebanon Valley did not find the back of the cage with any of them. Momentum quickly shifted in favor of Stevens (17-2), as Lauren Flynn made it 1-0 just past six minutes gone off an assist from Brooke Hughes. That score held into the early stages of the second quarter when Ava Pelletier made it 2-0 off a Sophia Cozza assist, the two-goal lead holding to the end of the half.
Early in the third quarter, the Dutchmen got one back off their first corner of the half with what wound up being the last shot either side would take in the period. Mere seconds into the fourth, Lebanon Valley leveled things at two off another corner. The two teams combined for eight shots and four corners over the final 14:40 of regulation, but Wierzbicki and Ella Weidenhammer made a combined six saves, sending things to overtime.
As the field opened up with play shifting to 7-on-7, Stevens took full advantage, pestering the Dutchmen with 20 shots during both overtime sessions – 11 of them from Taylor Brooks and Molly DiCampli alone --, but could not find a golden goal, sending the game to the shootout.
Both teams made their first attempt, but Lebanon Valley missed their next two while Hughes put the Ducks up 2-1. After Taylor Brooks made it 3-1, Wierrzbicki denied a third straight Dutchmen opportunity, clinching the win for Stevens.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stevens picked up its fifth straight win against Lebanon Valley dating back to 2012; all four of the teams' meetings since the Dutchmen joined the MAC Freedom prior to the 2023-24 season have been one-goal contests
- Wierzbicki picked up her 17th win of the season, tying the program single-season record set by Ellyn Griggs in 2009
- Wierzbicki also finished with nine saves, her second most in a game this season
- Flynn scored for the third straight game, the second time this season she's scored in three straight games
UP NEXT
Stevens will host either the two-seed Misericordia or three-seed DeSales in the MAC Freedom Championship on Saturday at a time to-be-determined with the winner receiving the league's auto-bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Ducks beat the Cougars 3-1 at home and DeSales 2-1 on the road during the regular season.
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