GLASSBORO, NJ – Fourth-ranked Rowan shut out #9 Washington and Lee, 3-0, in the NCAA Field Hockey Championship Third Round to earn a berth in next weekend's NCAA Final Four in Hartford. The Profs will be making their fifth all-time appearance in the national semifinals and the first since 2012.
Julia Patrone and
Bridget Guinan each had a goal and an assist to lead Rowan, which handed Washington and Lee (18-1) its first loss of the season, while the Profs extended their winning streak to 16 and improved their record to 18-2.
Patrone got the Profs off to a flying start with what proved to be the gamewinning goal just 6:16 into the contest as she scored from close range off a rebound. It was the team-high 19th goal of the year for the freshman.
Krystyna Hovell added an insurance goal in the first minute of the second half when Guinan sent a pass to Patrone, and she found Hovell right in front of the cage.
Rowan, which held a decisive 22-1 advantage in shots, added one more goal late when Guinan scored on a shot from eight yards out at 51:41.
Goalkeeper
Abby Hainsworth needed to only make one save on the day to notch the Profs' ninth shutout of the season.
"It feels good. I think we played really well. Hats off to Washington and Lee - we believe that they're a really good team. They played us really well and played us really tough," said Rowan head coach
Michelle Andre. "I think their defense did a nice job on us. But we made some adjustments at halftime that I really liked in our midfield and for our forwards, and I think our forwards did a really good job keeping the pressure off."
With the Final Four being a goal for the Profs, Andre was confident that they could get there. "The whole team is all in. Every day they are out there making each other better and they are their best supporters. It's a total team effort to get to this point."
The Profs will meet top-ranked Middlebury on Saturday, November 20, at 11 a.m. in the Final Four hosted by Trinity (CT) College. Second-ranked Johns Hopkins and #10 Trinity will meet in the second semifinal at 2 p.m. The winners will advance to Sunday's national championship game at 1 p.m.
Rowan will be seeking its second national title as it previously won the 2002 championship.
