Field Hockey to Host 2012 ECAC Division III New England Tournament

2012 ECAC Division III New England Field Hockey Tournament Bracket (PDF)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – After finishing the regular-season with a 17-3 record, Bridgewater State University was selected as the number one seed for the 2012 ECAC Division III New England Field Hockey Championships. The tournament is a five-team field with quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds.

The Bears will host the semifinal round contests and championship game on Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th.  The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, November 7th at the University of New England with a first round matchup featuring No. 5 Anna Maria College (14-7) and No. 4 UNE (10-9).  Game time is slated for 4:00 p.m.

The first-round winner will face Bridgewater State at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday in one semifinal, and #2 Keene State College (15-8) will play #3 Plymouth State University (11-7) at 3:00 p.m. in the other semifinal.  The semifinal winners will meet Sunday at noon for the championship.

Under the guidance of seventh-year head coach Erika Smith (82-55, .599), the 2012 BSU field hockey team broke the school record for wins with their 17 while also eclipsing the program mark with 77 goals heading into the tournament.  Bridgewater finished in second place in the Little East Conference standings with a 10-1 league mark.  The Bears earned a 3-0 victory over Southern Maine in the Little East Tournament quarterfinals, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Keene State in the semifinal round.

Bridgewater is led by senior midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.) who ranks in the top five in all of Division III in both goals with 32 and scoring with 77 points.  Farland broke both the Bears’ single-season records for points and goals previously held by BSU Hall of Famer Karen Croteau.  Farland is also second behind Croteau on the Bears’ all-time list with 60 goals and 145 points, and is tied for the career lead in assists with 25 along with former standout Bethany Bush (2007-10).  Croteau amassed 82 goals and 186 points from 1979 to 1982.

The BSU offense has been clicking on all cylinders as the Bears are averaging an impressive 3.85 goals per game which ranks in the top 15 nationally.  Junior forward Demi Miskiv (Centerville, Mass.) is second behind Farland in both goals (18) and points (40), while classmate Carissa Vizakis (Bellingham, Mass.) enters the tournament with 11 goals and 11 assists for 33 points as she ranks second on the teams in helpers.  Senior forward Beth Phillips (Worcester, Mass.) has eight goals and seven assists for 23 points to date, while freshman midfielder Jennifer Arnold (West Yarmouth, Mass.) has notched eight assists.

Senior Olivia Galvin (Mashpee, Mass.), junior Mattie Burke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and sophomore Sarah Gendron (North Dighton, Mass.) anchor a defensive unit that has helped produce eight shutouts in 20 games this season.  The trio has combined to make ten defensive saves with Galvin and Gendron leading the way with four apiece.  Junior netminder Kacie Sturgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.) is 10-2 with five shutouts and 79 saves in 16 appearances (13 starts).  Sturgeon has posted a 1.31 goals against average and an .814 save percentage in just under 962 minutes of work.

Defensively, the Bears are ranked among the top twenty Division III teams in shutouts and goals against average (1.40).