GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University field hockey team defeated The College of New Jersey, 2-0 on Saturday for the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title.
 
The Profs (20-0) receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.  It is Rowan' seventh NJAC Championship and first since 2009.  The pairings for the national tournament will be announced in the late evening on Sunday, Nov. 4 on ncaa.com.  The Lions are 14-4 on the season.
 
Midfielder Molly Gorczyca (so. Hackettstown, NJ/Hackettstown) scored the first goal at 14:58.  She knocked in a high shot after a backhand by forward Krystyna Hovell (fr. Gibbsboro, NJ/Eastern Reg.).  TCNJ almost tied the score on a penalty corner (46:10) after a shot by midfielder Samantha Reed (so. Westbury, NY/Carle Place).  
 
Forward Rachel Galante (sr. Mount Laurel, NJ/Collingswood) picked up a loose ball and blasted a shot just inside the 10 for the second tally (50:39). Galante leads Rowan with 26 goals and 60 points.  Reed's shot was stopped by goalie Morgan Novak (sr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson Mem.) at 58:21. The Lions kept the pressure on and Novak turned away forward/midfielder Kayla Peterson (jr. Cream Ridge, NJ/Allentown) with less than a minute left.  Peterson's shot after a penalty corner as time expired was saved by Novak.
 
Novak ended the game with seven saves for her sixth shutout.  TCNJ goalie Maddie Beaumont (jr. Oxford, NJ/Belvidere) turned away four shots.  Rowan totaled 15 shots while TCNJ had 11.    
 
During the regular season, Rowan had a 3-2 win over TCNJ to capture the top seed in the conference tournament.  The Lions were the third seed.  In the semifinals, Rowan shut out Stockton University, 3-0 and TCNJ won 2-1 after a shootout at Montclair State University.