Box Score

MONTCLAIR, NJ  – The Rowan University field hockey team lost to Montclair State University,  3-0 in the final of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament on Sunday evening.

The Red Hawks (19-1), the top seed, receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.  It is Montclair State’s first conference title in field hockey.  Rowan (15-6) was the second seed in the NJAC Tournament.  The Profs will have to wait until later this evening to see if they receive an at-large bid to the national tournament. 

In the conference semifinals (Nov. 3), Montclair State had a 6-1 win over the fourth seed William Paterson University and Rowan defeated the third seed The College of New Jersey, 4-3.  Montclair State was ranked first in this week’s NCAA South Atlantic Region Rankings and Rowan was third.   

All three of the Red Hawks’ goals came in the second half.  Midfielder Jennifer Tafro (jr. Little Falls, NJ/Passaic Valley) scored the first one at 45:44.  She knocked in a rebound after goalie Jen Goldberg (sr. Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) stopped a shot by midfielder/forward Frances Schaefer (sr. Egg Harbor City, NJ/Holy Spirit).  At 48:36, forward Kate Norgard (sr. Columbia, NJ/North Warren) hit the cage with a one-timer from eight yards away with an assist from Tafro.  The final goal was scored by Tafro off a corner on a pass by forward/midfielder Brooke Hullings (jr. Delran, NJ/Delran). 

Montclair State took 16 shots and Rowan had 10.  Goalie Megan Boland (sr. Boonton, NJ/Boonton) stopped five shots for her eighth solo shutout.  Goldberg made fives saves in 55:43.  Goalie Steph Colombo (jr. Moorestown, NJ/Camden Catholic) played the remaining 14:17.