Anna Maria Field Hockey headed to GNAC playoffs
AMCATS to face Simmons Saturday in First Round
PAXTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria College field hockey team will make its fourth consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) post-season appearance this Saturday, October 28, when the AMCATS travel to Simmons College for a first-round match-up.
The sixth-seeded AMCATS (5-13 overall, 2-5 GNAC) and the third-seeded Sharks (10-6 overall, 5-2 GNAC) will meet at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Simmons' Daly Field. The winner advances to a semifinal game on Wednesday, November 1, at #2-seeded Saint Joseph's College (Maine). The GNAC Championship game is slated for Saturday, Nov. 4, at the site of the highest remaining seed.
The AMCATS, led by second-year head coach Brooke Brigham, earned the sixth seed after winning a tiebreaker over Regis College, which also finished with a 2-5 GNAC mark. Anna Maria defeated Regis 2-1 in the regular season matchup back on September 9, in a game that wasn't decided until penalty strokes after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after two overtimes.
Saturday's game will be a rematch of the September 30th game at Simmons, which was won by the host Sharks, 4-1.
Anna Maria has made the playoffs all four seasons since joining the GNAC, advancing to the championship game in 2014, the semifinals in 2015, and falling to Johnson & Wales University in last year's first-round game.
The AMCATS are led by senior Nicole Denver (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral), who leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points. She ranks ninth in the GNAC in both goals scored and points. Denver is also one of the top offensive players in Anna Maria history, as she ranks tied for fifth on the all-time list with 74 points and tied for seventh with 32 career goals.
Other key offensive players for the AMCATS include freshman Chayna Bingham- Hendricks (Mashpee, Mass.), who has scored three goals and added a team-high six assists, and sophomore Anne Melanson (Grafton, Mass.), who had contributed five goals and one assist. Sophomore Allyson Shaw (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) and senior Jacqueline Lapierre (Worcester, Mass./South) have also scored three goals each, with Shaw adding two assists and Lapierre one helper.
Senior Bryanna Tobin (Deep River, Conn.) is the starting goalkeeper for the AMCATS, posting a 3.87 goals against average with 107 saves and one shutout this season. She owns 11 career victories to rank tied for third on the school's all-time list, while ranking fourth with 264 career saves.
Other key starters for the AMCATS include juniors Sarah Coley (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) and Kayla Magierowski (Brimfield, Mass./Tantasqua Regional) and sophomores Lauren Lapierre (Worcester, Mass./South), Meghan Gillis (Brockton, Mass.), and Taryn Rebelo (New Bedford, Mass.).
2017 GNAC Field Hockey Tournament
Saturday, October 28 - First Round
Game 1: #5 Mount Ida at #4 Johnson & Wales -
Game 2: #6 Anna Maria at #3 Simmons – 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, November 1 - Semifinals
Game 3: 4/5 winner at #1 Lasell - TBA
Game 4: 3/6 winner at #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine - TBA
Saturday, November 4 - Final
Game 5: Highest remaining seed
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