Gniadek Makes 22 Saves in NCAA Tourney Loss

WESTFIELD, Mass. -  A pair of early penalty stroke goals for #9-ranked Middlebury gave the Panthers a running start in a 6-0 win over Westfield State University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament at Peter Kohn Field in Middlebury, Vt., on Wednesday afternoon. 

Seven-time-defending national champion Middlebury was awarded a penalty stroke just 56 seconds into the game, and Megan Fuqua batted it in low left for a 1-0 lead.

The Owls survived the first period with just the one-goal deficit, but that doubled 4:19 into the second quarter when Middlebury was awarded its second stroke of the game, and again Fuqua stepped up for the stroke and ripped it into the low left side of the cage.

The first stroke was called after the ball hit the arm of an Owls defender covering up behind the goalkeeper, setting the stage for the extremely rare two strokes awarded in the first 20 minutes of play.

Middlebury finally got a live-ball goal in the 23^rd minute.  In the midst of an offensive flurry, the Owls got two good saves from senior goalkeeper Emma Gniadek before the ball eventually bounced to Claire McMichael in the middle of the circle and she lifted it into the net to make it a 3-0 Middlebury lead at the half.

Gniadek made 12 saves in the first half, then had a spectacular sliding save to start the second half on a breakaway attempt for Panthers.

Gnaidek finished with 22 saves, two shy of her single-game career high set earlier this season.

"She comes up big in big moments," said Westfield State head coach Carden Brown.  "She really kept the score where it was."

Middlebury edged away in the second half with relentless attacking play.  On a counter attack from Fuqua, she lifted a hard shot under crossbar with 7:30 left in third quarter, then scored the Panthers fifth goal off of a penalty corner with a blast from top of the circle.

Addie Chandler added the Panthers sixth and final goal on a rebound after yet another save from Gniadek with three and a half minutes left in the game. The Panthers outshot the Owls 49-1 on the day and had an 11-0 margin in penalty corners.

Westfield ends its season at 18-4 overall, and had a 16-game winning streak snapped.

"Overall I'm very proud of the team tonight and their positivity and their performance," said Brown.  "I'm very happy, I thought we worked hard, we talked about controlling our energy and our effort, we worked on our defense, and we executed our plan."

Brown said being back in the tournament for the second year in a row was a benefit.

"It wasn't a new or an overwhelming experience for our players, they knew what to expect with the fast turnaround to play, and a faster-paced game against a high quality opponent."

Middlebury improved to 13-5 and advances to Saturday's second round at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and will play the winner of tonight's Keene State vs. Endicott game.   It was the 500^th career win for Middlebury head coach KP DeLorenzo.  The Panthers won their 29 straight NCAA tournament game, and keep their chances alive for an eighth straight national championship.

"They were super at the fundamentals, and really understood passing and pressing lines, and probably see the field better than anyone," said Brown of the Panthers. "They make adjustments quickly and really attack."

The loss wraps up the career of nine seniors for Westfield State, who won at least 10 games each season, and their 53 wins over the last four seasons, with two NCAA tournament bids are the most-successful four-year stretch in program history, the last three under coach Brown.

"They are an amazing group," said Brown.  "They're really hard working, have better fitness, have changed the way we do things.  They've adapted to new systems, new training, and have changed for the better the way the team treats each other on and off the field."

With a school record for wins, and a second straight tournament appearance, it's a milestone moment for Westfield State field hockey.   The national tournament only takes 28 teams each year, and the Owls move into elite company with the 19 other teams that were making consecutive appearances in the big dance.

"I think it shows that we have really competitive field hockey in the MASCAC," said Brown.  "As a team, our goals extend beyond the MASCAC and we want to be highly competitive within New England and on the national stage.  We're growing and improving as a team all the time, and it's important for the next few seasons to realize that we don't always get these opportunities, and we have to seize what is given to us and take advantage of the opportunities that we do have."