WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Little East Conference tournament field hockey champion Eastern Connecticut State University faces former four-time national champion Bowdoin College in the Warriors' first appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. at Ryan Field on the Bowdoin campus.
On Saturday, Eastern (14-5) won its first LEC tournament title with a 1-0 win over top-seeded and host Keene State College to earn the automatic bid awarded the LEC tournament champion. Ranked sixth in the most recent NFHCA national poll, first-time opponent Bowdoin (14-4) was selected to the 26-team NCAA field as an at-large participant after losing, 4-3, in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship game to No.1 nationally-ranked Middlebury College on Sunday.
In the last nine years, Bowdoin has won four national titles and finished second twice. The Polar Bears had an eight-game winning streak snapped in the loss to Middlebury. Bowdoin has played seven matches this year against nationally-ranked teams, losing the first three but winning three straight against those teams -- Oct. 10 against No. 12 Williams College and Oct. 27 and again this past Saturday, both times against No. 4 Tufts University in the NESCAC semifinals – before losing to Middlebury.
Eastern has enjoyed a record-setting season this fall and brings a five-game winning streak (one short of the program record) and three shutouts into Wednesday. The team has set season records this year for wins (14), conference regular-season wins (9), road wins (7), most consecutive regular-season wins (5), shutouts (8), consecutive shutouts (3) and has tied the regular-season record for victories (11).
In her first year as the starting goalie, junior
Sarah Gallagher (South Windsor) has set a season record with seven full shutouts, with her current 1.57 goals-against average ranking third all-time in a non-Covid season. Senior
Brianna Nolan (Watertown) broke the season record of 13 goals with 15 this year and broke the season points record of 29 with 31. Sophomore
Isabel Sanchez (Weston), who scored early goals in the LEC semifinal and final wins, follows Nolan with ten goals and first-year player
Liz LaMarco (West Hartford) and senior
Bryce Makula (Guilford) – the MVP of the Little East tournament – sharing the team lead with six assists.
Junior Faith Jennings leads Bowdoin with 17 goals and seven assists. The Polar Bears have also posted eight shutouts as a team – including four straight in late September. Bowdoin's defense – in front of senior goalie Maddie Ferrucci -- has allowed only 19 goals in 18 matches, four of them in the NESCAC final against Middlebury. Ferrucci has a 1.30 GAA and .787 save percentage.
Eastern and Bowdoin are among eight New England institutions in the NCAA tournament, along with Johnson & Wales University, Babson College, Endicott College, Middlebury, Trinity College and Tufts University.
