Field Hockey Edged 2-1 by Pacific, Ousted From America East Tourney in Quarters

Friday, November 6

Albany, N.Y.

2 pm

University of New Hampshire

(8-11)

University of the Pacific

(11-7)

New Hampshire

Pacific

Field Hockey Edged 2-1 by Pacific, Ousted From America East Tourney in Quarters

11/6/2015 4:43:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University of New Hampshire field hockey team recorded substantial advantages in both shots and penalty corners, but the University of the Pacific was the 2-1 victor in Friday afternoon's America East quarterfinal game at the University at Albany's Alumni Turf Field.

UNH, the East No. 3 seed by virtue of its 4-4 America East conference record, ends the season at 8-11 despite controlling play to generate a 27-7 shot advantage and 13-5 edge in corners.

Pacific, the West No. 2 seed with a 4-2 conference record, improves to 11-7 and advances to play East No. 1 seed Albany in a Nov. 7 (12 p.m.) semifinal.

Meg Flatley (Townsend, Mass.) scored UNH's goal to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 23:07 and Melissa Rize (Severn, Md.) made two saves. Lindsey Nerbonne (Bow, N.H.), an America East All-Conference First Team selection, finished with a game-high 11 shots, eight of which were on goal, and set up Flatley's tally.

The Tigers capitalized on their limited opportunities by converting two of their four corners into a goal. Kyleigh Morrison leveled the score, 1-1, with 10 seconds remaining in the first half and Savannah Burns struck with 5:59 left in regulation. Laura Pujade made 12 of her 14 saves in the first half.

Pacific pressured in the opening minute with a shot by Axelle Steffen 26 seconds after the opening whistle, but Rize made the save.

New Hampshire earned the first corner of the game in the third minute and dominated play the rest of the half. Flatley's initial shot was blocked, as was the shot off the rebound by Gianna Bensaia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.).

One minute later on another corner, Pujade denied Nerbonne and then Bensaia off the rebound. UNH earned another corner 30 seconds later, and this time Jackie Hozza (Sinking Spring, Pa.) had a shot blocked and Meg Carroll (Mansfield, Mass.) rang a shot off the post. That directly led to another corner, however, and another shot off Bensaia's stick was turned away by Pujade.

In the eighth minute, Pujade once again made a couple of strong saves when she stopped Nerbonne's initial shot and then Bensaia's on the rebound.

UNH earned another corner in the 11^th minute that produced shots on goal by both Nerbonne and Katie Audino (Severn, Md.). Three minutes later on another corner, Nerbonne blasted a shot from the top left wide of the near post.

Pacific, outshot 12-1 the opening 15 minutes, was awarded a penalty stroke at 15:02 but Savannah Burns did not convert.

The Wildcats immediately regained momentum as Nerbonne was once again turned aside by Pujade just 30 seconds later. In a corner in the 17^th minute, Ashley Mendonca (Brampton, Ontario) had two shots blocked and then fired a shot wide of the cage.

On yet another corner in the 20^th minute, Pujade kept the game scoreless with consecutive saves against Lynne Lehman (Landisburg, Pa.) and Hozza.

The Wildcats finally broke through to take a 1-0 lead at 23:07. In a transition attack, Flatley scored her 10^th goal of the season off Nerbonne's pass.

New Hampshire continued to carry play, but Pujade stopped two more Nerbonne shots, the latter of which was generated by a penalty corner.

Pacific began to gain offensive momentum in the last two minutes. The Tigers generated a corner at 33:06 but Burns' shot was blocked. On minute later on corner, Burns' swing pass from the top of the circle to the left side found Morrison, who blasted a shot through traffic into the cage at 34:50.

The score was tied 1-1 at halftime with UNH leading in both shots (21-4) and corners (9-2).

Pacific slowed the 'Cat attack early in the second half as Nerbonne tallied the initial shot eight minutes after its commencement. UNH earned successive corners in the 47^th minute, but the Tigers' defense blocked both shots – by Nerbonne and Hozza.

Pacific called time out at 54:32, but the Wildcats recorded the game's next shot – another Nerbonne chance stopped by Pujade – at 58:30.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead at 64:01 when Burns scored on a direct shot from the top of the circle on a corner. The battery of stick-stop Malia Robertson and insert Ali Campos set up the game-winning goal.

Nerbonne's blast from the top-left went just wide of the far post at 67:10 and the 'Cats pulled Rize in favor of a kicking back 20 seconds later.

Pacific thwarted UNH's advances, however, until the closing minute when a Tigers' turnover led to a Wildcats' corner with 30 seconds on the clock. On the last play of the game, New Hampshire put all 10 players around the circle to optimize its chance to tie the score and send the game into overtime, but Hozza's shot from the top of the circle was blocked and the Tigers successfully cleared the ball out of the circle to the right wing to end the game.

The end of the 2015 season marks the end of UNH careers for six seniors – Carroll, Flatley, Lehman, Emma Compagna (Canton, Mass.), Chandler Giese (Trappe, Pa.) and Taylor Rideout (Barrington, R.I.).