The Saint Anselm field hockey team grabbed the number one seed and  will play Merrimack College on Nov. 4 in the NE-10 semifinals.  The Hawks finished 15-3 overall and 8-2 in conference play.

Saint A’s remains ranked third in the nation and received the top seed in the NE-10 tournament which begins Friday, Nov. 4. The Hawks beat Saint Michael’s, Southern Connecticut University, and Franklin Pierce University on Corners for a Cure night prior to losing to Merrimack.

The game against Saint Michael’s on Oct. 19 was one that showcased St. A’s teamwork. After several corners, the Hawks were finally able to score after a quick succession of passes gave junior Katie Neyland the opportunity. Neyland’s goal was the only goal scored in the first half, but St. A’s didn’t back down in the second half. Once again quick passing and rebounding by the Hawks led to the second goal of the night scored by sophomore Anna Drakeley and then another one scored by Allia Connolly. Thus, clinching the hawks victory with a score 3-0.

Coach King-Robitaille told the Crier prior to last week’s games, “I do not think there is any more pressure being nationally ranked than we put on ourselves naturally. We try not to get too caught up in the polls because we know that every team has a chance on any given day to earn a win.”

The team honored eight senior players and a senior manager against Southern Connecticut University. Junior Jamie McNamara scored very soon in the first few minutes of play giving the Hawks an early lead. Not soon after, sophomore Maddie Bressler scored pushing the Saint A’s lead to 2 points. Before the end of the first half, junior Erin Collins snagged another goal for the Hawks making the score 3-0, where it would stay until the final buzzer.

The Corner for a Cure game was played on Oct. 25 against Franklin Pierce University. A win against the Ravens earned St. A’s the the Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the NE-10 Tournament next week. The game really got started late in the 1st half with a goal from junior Allia Connolly after a series of passes from her teammates. After receiving a penalty shot that senior Rose Mooney took full advantage of, the score was 2-0 shortly into the 2nd half. It wasn’t until late in the second half that Mia Vecchione was able to score; thus, making the final score 3-0.

In the final regular season game against Merrimack College on Oct. 29, St. A’s dropped a 4-1 decision making their record 15-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play going into the NE 10 tournament. Both teams scored once in the opening half. Emma Kincaid found the back of the net for Saint As. However, Merrimack was able to score 3 past St. A’s defense in the second half making the final score 4-1 in favor of Merrimack. They play Nov. 4 at 4 PM in a semifinal matchup against the Merrimack Warriors, the team they just most recently played to end the regular season.

Merrimack beat Adelphi 1-0, on Nov. 1  in the  number 4 seed, number five seed game, so it will be the Hawks and the Warriors in a semifinal bout. The game will be played at home in Grappone Stadium where the team was undefeated this season. The winner punches their ticket to the conference championship on Nov. 6.