Mendonca Scores in America East Title Game, 'Cats Fall 4-1 to No. 18 Stanford

Sunday, November 5

Lowell, Mass.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

(9-12)

Stanford University

(13-7)

New Hampshire

Stanford

Photo by: Rich Gagnon

Mendonca Scores in America East Title Game, 'Cats Fall 4-1 to No. 18 Stanford

11/5/2017 3:40:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass. – Ashley Mendonca (Brampton, Ontario) scored a second-half goal but the University of New Hampshire field hockey team was defeated 4-1 by No. 18 Stanford University in Sunday afternoon's America East Championship title game at UMass Lowell's Cushing Field.

UNH, the East Division #3 seed, ends the 2017 season with a 9-12 record. The Wildcats had advanced to the title game with overtime victories against Cal (3-2) on Friday and UAlbany (2-1) on Saturday.

The Wildcats recorded an 18-3 shot advantage and 6-1 edge in corners in the second half but could not overtime a 4-0 halftime deficit.

UNH goalkeeper Kelsey Rudert (North Grafton, Mass.) was credited with three saves. Stanford starter Kelsey Bing made five saves and exited the game with the Cardinal leading 4-0 with 6:49 remaining. Maddy Belin stopped 5 of 6 shots the rest of the way.

Stanford won its second consecutive America East tourney title to improve to 13-7 and advance to the NCAA tournament.

ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
UNH seniors Gianna Bensaia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), Aggie Sutherland (Dauphin, Pa.) and Mendonca were selected to the 2017 America East All-Championship Team.

ELITE 18
Aslo at the conclusion of the tournament, senior back Brittany Marshall (Hopkinton, N.H.) was named recipient of the Elite 18 award, which is presented to the student-athlete competing at the tourney with the highest cumulative grade point average. She has a 3.87 GPA as a mechanical engineering major.

GAME INFORMATION
Event: America East Championship, final
Date: Sunday, Nov. 5 (1 p.m. start)
Place: Wicked Blue Field (Lowell, Mass.)
Attendance: 289
Score: Stanford 4, New Hampshire 1
Updated Records: UNH (9-12) … Stanford (13-7)

GAME RECAP

Stanford scored twice in the opening 10 minutes en route to a 4-0 halftime lead.
The Cardinal opened the scoring at 4:08 off a corner when Frances Carstens flicked the ball to the right and Corinne Zanolli blasted a shot inside the near post.
The designated home team extended the advantage to 2-0 at 8:46. Marissa Cicione led a breakaway down the left wing and her reverse-stick shot caromed off Rudert's leg pads high into the cage.
Stanford took a 3-0 lead at 18:56 when Sarah Helgeson's centering pass from the right side was corralled by Carstens, who turned a struck a backhander into the cage.
UNH called a timeout and generated a penalty corner at 23:30. Mendonca's initial shot was blocked and resulted in a second corner, which did not produce a shot.
The Cardinal built a 4-0 lead at 30:08. Cicione advanced into the left side of the circle, drawing Rudert out from the cage. She slipped a centering pass to the goalmouth and Jessica Welch one-time the ball into the open cage.
UNH pressured early in the second half and, in the 39^th minute, Bloem van den Brekel (Eindhoven, Netherlands) spun around a defender at the top of the circle and blasted a shot barely wide of the right post and just beyond the stick of Katie Audino (Severn, Md.).
Three minutes later, the Wildcats generated another corner. The battery of van den Brekel and Rachel Bossi (Chelmsford, Mass.) set up Mendonca's direct shot. That shot was blocked, but Kayla Sliz (Ajax, Ontario) corralled the rebound on the right side and her shot was stopped by Bing.
In the 51^st minute, Bing made a kick save on van den Brekel's bid from the right side.
Moments later, van den Brekel's rising shot from the top of the circle was knocked away by Bing's blocker.
With 10 minutes left in regulation, Nicky Bajus (Lions Bay, British Columbia) blasted a direct shot just wide of the left post.
The 'Cats continued to pressure and in the 64^th minute, Mendonca dribbled past a defender to the top-left side and struck a shot that rolled inches wide of the far post.
Moments later on another corner, the direct shot off the stick of Jessica Schmidt (Warren, Pa.) was stopped by Belin.
On UNH's next corner, Schmidt was once again denied on a direct shot and Sliz, from the right side, sent a shot wide of the near post.
In the waning seconds, Taylor Scafidi (Waltham, Mass.) penetrated along the left end line and lifted a shot into Belin that resulted in an untimed corner.
Mendonca's direct shot and the rebound attempt by Audino from the middle of the circle were both stopped by Belin. Jordan Barry made a defensive save at the right post on Sliz's follow-up shot, but the Wildcats were then awarded a penalty stroke.
Mendonca lined up and lifted a shot inside the left side to end the game, 4-1.

UNH NOTEBOOK

This was the last career game in a UNH uniform for six seniors: Bensaia, Marshall, Mendonca, Scafidi, Schmidt and Sutherland.
New Hampshire entered the game with a season-long three-game win streak.
UNH has made 11 championship game appearances and finished as runner-up eight times, most recently in 2014.
The Wildcats were bidding to win their first conference title since '13.
Twelve of UNH's 21 games were against nationally-ranked teams.

SHOTS: UNH 2-18—20. Stanford 6-3—9.

PENALTY CORNERS: UNH 2-6—8. Stanford 1-1—2.

GOALS
UNH (1): Ashley Mendonca
Stanford (4): Frances Carstens, Marissa Cicione, Jessica Welch, Corinne Zanolli

ASSISTS
UNH (0)
Stanford (3): Frances Carstens, Marissa Cicione, Sarah Helgeson

SAVES
UNH: Kelsey Rudert 1-2—3 (70:00... 4 GA) [loss]
Stanford: Kelsey Bing 0-5—5 (63:11 … 0 GA) [WIN] … Maddy Belin x-5—5 (6:49 … 1 GA)

DEFENSIVE SAVES
UNH (0)
Stanford (1): Jordan Barry