Field Hockey Closes Out Regular
Season With 2-1 Win Over WPU
UNION, N.J. (11/3/09) - Senior Brittany
Gibbs (West Deptford, N.J.) and junior Erica Kelly
(West Deptford, N.J.) each scored a goal to lift the Kean
University field hockey team to a 2-1 win over William Paterson
University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season
finale on Tuesday evening.
After a scoreless first half, Amie Hoch (Egg Harbor
Township, N.J.) deliverd a pass from just outside the
circle that Gibbs got a stick on, deflecting the shot off the
goalie and into the cage to give the Cougars (11-4, 3-3 NJAC)
the 1-0 lead at 52:38.
Just over 10 minutes later, Kean extended the lead to 2-0 when
sophomore Lauren Kusik (Randolph, N.J.) crossed a
pass in front of the cage to Kelly (pictured left), who knocked the
ball in with what proved to be the game-winner.
William Paterson (9-9, 2-4 NJAC) cut the lead in half less than
two minutes later, as junior Melissa Szeliga (South Plainfield,
N.J.) converted the penalty stroke into the lower left corner
of the cage to pull the Pioneers to within one goal, however the
Cougars held off the Pioneer attack down the stretch to snap a
three-game losing skid.
The Cougars held a 13-9 edge in penalty corners, while the
Pioneers outshot Kean, 14-7.
In goal, junior Lauren Dobbs (Palmyra, N.J.)
made seven saves in the win, while senior goalkeeper Christina
Auger (Wayne, N.J.) stopped one shot for William Paterson.
The Cougars now await a possible bid to the Eastern College
Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic Region Championships with hopes of
defending their ECAC title from a year ago.
