Lady AMCATS Season Ends in NCAA First Round

MEDFORD - Sophomore Dakota Sikes-Keilp (Montclair, NJ) and senior Emily Cannon (Atkinson, NH) each scored two goals and added an assist as the Tufts University Field hockey team posted a 5-0 win over Anna Maria in the first round of the NCAA Championship Wednesday afternoon at Bello Field.

The Jumbos improve to 15-2 on the year and will face Salisbury University (14-3), who had a first round bye, in the NCAA Second Round Saturday in Maryland.

The AMCATS, competing in their first NCAA Tournament, finish their season with a record of 15-7.

Sikes-Keilp put the Jumbos on the board just 1:45 into the game when she scored unassisted for a 1-0 lead on Tufts' first shot.

Anna Maria's best scoring opportunity came four minutes in on their first corner attempt when sophomore Kayla LaPierre drilled a shot that was blocked by a Jumbo defender.

Cannon would then score back-to-back goals, the first which was assisted by Sikes-Keilp  when she blasted a shot off a corner past the AMCAT goalkeeper, and then unassisted to put the Jumbos up by three going into halftime.

Sikes-Keilp added her 16th goal the season when she took a corner insert from sophomore Alexandra Jamison (Gaithersburg, MD) and ripped it into the back of the net in the 40th minute.

Junior Brittany Norfleet (Solana Beach, CA) rounded out the scoring for the Jumbos when she tallied her first goal of the season on a pass from Cannon for the 5-0 final score.

Breen made 15 saves for Anna Maria, who were out-shot 32-2. Brianna Keenan (Greenland, NH) made one stop in net and first-year Carrie Cook (Medfield, MA) entered the game for the final 20 minutes of play to combine for the shutout. The final penalty corner count was 30-2 in favor of Tufts.

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