GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan field hockey team's successful season came to an end in the NCAA Semifinals for the second straight year as the Profs fell victim to a fast start by #2 Middlebury and suffered a 4-0 loss on their home turf in the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship. Middlebury will meet #4 Johns Hopkins for the title on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium.
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE |
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Rowan ends its season with a 21-2 record, for the second-most wins in school history, and its second straight NCAA Semifinal appearance, in addition to winning a conference championship for the second year in a row.
Middlebury (20-1), the defending national champion, didn't allow Rowan to gain any momentum in front of its biggest crowd of the year (898). The Panthers scored just four minutes into the game when Audrey Lazar put in a rebound off her own shot.
Lazar added another one just eight minutes later as Lilly Branka sent her a short pass that she chipped into the middle of the cage. She then scored her third goal of the game at 33:32 as she deflected a pass from Grace Murphy.
Despite facing a 3-0 deficit, Rowan still had its chances, but couldn't get anything by Middlebury goalie Grace Harlan, who made six saves on the day, including one that robbed what looked to be a sure goal by
Bridget Guinan with over five minutes to go in the game.
Middlebury added one goal late in the game, at 56:12, to seal the Profs' fate.
The Profs couldn't capitalize on their six corners, including three in the third quarter, while a handful of their 11 shots just missed by inches.
"I thought we did a good of executing our corners and getting good shots, but it's just a game of inches on some of them," said head coach
Michelle Andre, who has led the Profs to a 39-5 record in the past two seasons.
Abby Hainsworth made eight saves on the day in her final game in the cage for Rowan.
The loss brings an end to the careers of a very accomplished senior class –
Kristiina Castagnola,
Melissa Donaldson,
Liz Fox,
Bridget Guinan,
Abby Hainsworth,
Alyssa Magliaro,
Morgan Mulvey and
Rachel Stone. Castagnola ends her decorated career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 163 points (66 goals, 31 assists), while Guinan finishes third on the all-time list with 128 points (51 goals, 26 assists). Hainsworth set the record for most wins (38) and fewest losses (3) by a goalie, while Fox tied the school record for assists in a game (4). The group of Castagnola, Guinan, Fox and Mulvey compiled a 76-11 record since 2018.
"I'm so proud of what this team has accomplished because from last November when we lost in the Final Four we said we're coming back with a vengeance. And that was felt for the entire season. Even when we would win games 8-0, we still weren't pleased. There was more to improve on. And that's what I'm most proud of – it showed how much this team has grown over the years, especially with my senior class," said Castagnola.
"This team has held it (the Rowan standard) up phenomenally, not just on the field but off the field as well. They're the gold standard in how they uphold Rowan's tradition," said Andre.
