WAYNE, N.J. (10/29/14) – Junior Marissa Robinson scored at 16:25 and her classmate Katie DiCarlo put up a shutout in goal as the Kean University field hockey team clinched the NJAC's final playoff spot with a 1-0 victory over William Paterson on Wednesday. A loss for the Cougars would have dropped them into a three-way tie with the Pioneers and Richard Stockton College for the final playoff spot.
With the win, the Kean field hockey team has clinched the fourth seed in the NJAC, the conference's final playoff spot and will play the No. 1 seed – the winner of Saturday's Rowan-TCNJ game – on the road on Wednesday, November 5 in the NJAC semifinals. The championship game will be held on November 8.
The game was a tight defensive battle throughout. The sides combined for just 12 shots, with Kean owning a slight 7-5 edge there. Penalty corners, typically a Cougar strength, did fall in favor of Kean though it was a tight 9-8 count.
Robinson's goal came completely of her own work - an unassisted strike that came without even the aid of one of those nine penalty corners. Her first-half goal was all that hung on the scoreboard at the break, and it came on Kean's only shot of the half. Paterson was held to just two shots themselves in the first 35.
In the second half, play opened up. Meg Davies made six saves for WPU in the second after not making any in the first, and 13 of the game's 17 penalty corners occurred in the second.
Cougar goaltender Katie DiCarlo (pictured left) made both of her saves in the second half as well, though the biggest play of the game came quite late in the evening. With the Pioneers pushing for the equalizer with less than three minutes to go, Paterson's Meghin Stanton sent a shot toward the Kean cage. It would have tied the match if not for Robinson stationed on the goal line, who made the defensive save on what turned out to be Paterson's final shot of the game.
It was DiCarlo's fifth shutout she was a part of this season, and the goal by Robinson was her team-leading 17th of the year.
The Cougars know they will be the fourth seed and in action on the road in the first round of the NJAC Tournament on Wednesday night. Their opponent will be determined on Saturday.
