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Endicott College Field Hockey Dominates Keene State, Advances in NCAA Tournament
Beverly, Mass. – Teh Keene State College field hockey team’s season, and the distinguished careers of several key individuals, concluded Wednesday night wiht a decisive 9-0 loss to eighth-ranked Endicott College in the NCAA tournament second round. The defeat marks the end of an era for the Owls, including the collegiate career of NCAA leading scorer Grace Bazin and long-time head coach Amy Watson, who retires after 514 wins.
Did you know? – Endicott has now defeated Keene State in three consecutive matchups, outscoring the Owls 14-0 in those games.The Gulls will face No. 9 Middlebury College in the next round of the NCAA tournament.
Despite the challenging outcome, the 2023 season was marked by significant accomplishments for Keene State. The team secured back-to-back Little East Conference tournament championships and a league-record 16 overall titles under Watson’s leadership,who guided the Owls to five NCAA tournament second-round appearances. However, they were unable to replicate that success against a formidable Endicott side.
Pro tip: – Reagan Hicks led the Endicott offense with four goals. Tori Swanson contributed a goal and two assists. Riley Perkins also added a goal and an assist for the Gulls in the dominant victory.
The Gulls seized control of the game in the third quarter,scoring three goals in a rapid 1:19 stretch to extend a 2-0 lead to an insurmountable 5-0 advantage. Reagan Hicks led the Endicott offense with four goals, while Tori Swanson, who previously recorded a hat trick against Keene State earlier in the season, contributed a goal and two assists. Riley Perkins also added a goal and an assist for the Gulls.
Endicott established an early lead with a goal from Hicks in the 14th minute, followed by a goal from Swanson late in the first half. Despite seven saves from freshman goalkeeper Molly Diamondstein and a defensive save from Belle Hemond, Keene State struggled to contain the relentless Endicott attack. The Gulls’ dominance continued into the fourth quarter,adding four more goals to secure the victory.
Reader question: – How did the Gulls’ offense perform? Endicott had a commanding 34-10 advantage in shots and a 17-4 edge in penalty corners. Faith Minickene recorded three saves in over 50 minutes of play.
The gulls’ offensive prowess was reflected in the game statistics, with a commanding 34-10 advantage in shots and a 17-4 edge in penalty corners. Diamondstein finished with eight saves, while Gorman added two saves in the fourth quarter. Endicott’s Faith Minickene recorded three saves in over 50 minutes of play.
This contest contrasted sharply with the tightly contested conference tournament games that propelled both teams to the NCAA tournament. Keene State edged the University of Southern Maine 3-2 in a penalty shootout and defeated Eastern Connecticut State University 1-0 to claim the Little East’s automatic bid. Endicott, simultaneously occurring, navigated two overtime periods to defeat Western New england University 3-2 and then edged Roger Williams University 2-1 in the Conference of New England final.
Endicott has now defeated Keene State in three consecutive matchups, outscoring the Owls 14-0 in those games. The Gulls will now face No. 9 Middlebury College,a seven-time national champion,in the next round of the NCAA tournament at Johns Hopkins University on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.Middlebury advanced with a 6-0 victory over Westfield State University. Notably, Endicott previously upset Middlebury 2-1 in overtime on September 28 and
