The Golden Rams took the 2011 NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship with a 2-1 victory over UMass-Lowell at Busch Stadium in Bloomsburg, Pa. last Sunday afternoon.
Seniors Nicole Fiorilla and Brynn Adams each contributed tallies in the first half to keep a hold over the defending champions and snag the national title.
“The moment when the horn buzzed and the game was over was surreal for most of us,” first-year head coach Amy Cohen said. “We set a goal to win a National Championship and we completed our mission.”
Fiorilla put up the first goal of the game in the seventh minute, off a pass from Kayla Gluchowski. The marker was her 13th of the season, her first since Oct. 11.
Adams added on the lead eight minutes later, taking an assist from Leah Angstadt off a penalty corner, and netting the shot past River Hawks’ goalkeeper, Melanie Hopkins.
Adams’ shot gave the Rams an early 2-0 lead over their competitors—a comfortable feeling unlike their semifinal match on Friday against Bloomsburg, which came to a close after double-overtime and penalty shots.
The Rams kept the River Hawks silent for the remainder of the first half and cruised into the second with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
In the 57th minute, UMass-Lowell’s Ali Ferraro scored off a penalty corner, creeping in on the Rams’ hold.
Minutes later, Gluchowski was yellow carded, prohibiting her from play for five minutes. UMass-Lowell was desperate to even the score with the opportunity, and pulled their goalkeeper to add additional pressure to West Chester’s zone.
“The last 15 minutes were definitely stressful,” Cohen said. “Our goalkeeper did a great job, and the girls in front of her did a great job as well.”
Golden Rams’ goalkeeper Kristin Arnold felt the pressure too.
“I knew that for us to be successful I would have to have a good game,” Arnold said. “My defense played amazingly and really kept their good opportunities to a minimum and made my job a lot easier.”
“With about 1:24 left on the clock Adams took the ball and started to kill the clock on her own. I started to smile because I knew the game was over,” Cohen said.
Arnold halted the River Hawks offense, and let the buzzer sound with the realization of their national victory. Arnold made a season high of 12 saves, one short of her career high against North Carolina last season.
Hopkins was credited with 10 saves for the loss.
West Chester outshot UMass-Lowell by a margin of 20-17, and held a 15-10 advantage in corners.
“This game was by far the most exciting game I ever played in,” Arnold said. “The feeling is so surreal; it still has not really set in what we’ve accomplished as a team. I just feel such a huge sense of pride that I was involved with a team that was able to accomplish so much.”
The victory was the first national championship for West Chester in Division II, and fifth overall for the field hockey program. The field hockey team joins the 1961 men’s soccer team, and the 2002 and 2008 women’s lacrosse teams as the only NCAA champions in West Chester’s history.
“Brynn Adams and Michele Shrift had amazing seasons from the very first game and I think they set the tone from the very first whistle,” Cohen said of the senior and junior. “Game by game we had other players raise their level of play and match their intensity, until we had a full roster playing at their potential.”
Coach Cohen’s assessment was harmonized, as four players from West Chester were named to the 2011 Longstreth/NFHCA Division II All-American squad this week, including Adams and Schrift. Adams was also named the South Region player of the year, making her a contender for the title of national player of the year.
Adams finished an impressive season third on the team in scoring with 26 points, four defensive saves, and three game-winning goals, including her game-winner in the national championship.
The first team is composed of Adams and Schrift, while the second team includes Angstadt and Gluchowski.
Schrift finished fifth on the team in scoring with 17 points, seven goals and three assists. She also put up a goal, an assist and a defensive save in the semifinal match against undefeated Bloomsburg. Angstadt placed fourth on the team in scoring with 24 points, eight goals and eight assists, with one game-winning goal. Gluchowski tied Fiorilla to lead the team in scoring with 13 goals and 30 points, ranking 24th in the country in points and 26th in goals.
“The team has done just an amazing job in learning and growing on and off the field. I am very proud of each and every one of them,” Cohen said. “This goal was something that 24 women set for themselves, and with hard work, focus, and determination they were able to win a National Championship for West Chester University.”
Brynn Dougherty is a fourth-year student majoring in economics and finance with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at BD670913@wcupa.edu.