The fifth seeded Saint Anselm field hockey team defeated sixth seed Stonehill College 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 12 at home in Grappone Stadium.

The Hawks will play LIU Post at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 at Stonehill College in the final four of the Division II tournament in a rematch of the Northeast-10 Championship, a game Saint Anselm lost 2-1 in overtime. This is as far as any Saint Anselm athletic team has gone in college history in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Junior Jackie Guillemette says, “Losing in the NE-10 championship never stopped us from getting a bid and from keeping our fire going. It is just awesome that we have made it this far and I don’t see any reason why we have to stop until the end.”

On Monday, Nov. 7, the team secured a Division II NCAA tournament bid for the first time in Hawk field hockey history.

“This is great,” senior captain, Elizabeth Alie, told The Crier, “We just missed the bid last season, [and] last spring we set this as our goal. It’s nice to achieve our goal and see our hard work pay off!”

From following the team this season, it is easy to see that teamwork plays a large part in the Hawks’ success. Senior captain Jennifer Brown told The Crier regarding teamwork, “Everyone has been on the same page because everyone shares a common goal. It’s been awesome.”

Elizabeth Alie told The Crier regarding teamwork, “Everyone seemed to click right from the beginning. The freshmen have been making a huge impact on and off the field.” Once again, the game against Stonehill showcased the Hawk’s high level of teamwork.

The Hawks went into the game against Stonehill College with a record of 16-4 overall. Prior to the game, Alie told The Crier that the team’s motto is “Play our game; even though we have game plans we should have the focus be on us. We have to play our game.” That is exactly what the Hawks did on Saturday, Nov. 12.

From the beginning, it was evident that both teams came ready to play. Although St. A’s had several shot attempts throughout the first half, the Lady Hawks were unable to score. Stonehill was able to score in the final two minutes of play in the first half, and left the field up 1-0. However, as they have done all season, the Hawks came out strong in the second half.

About five minutes into the second half, Saint Anselm received a corner attempt. Junior Emma Kincaid scored a goal shortly after. She was assisted by junior Mia Vecchione on the play. Then, about thirteen minutes into the second half, junior Leika Scott scored her first goal of the season, putting the Hawks ahead 2-1. Saint Anselm freshman Michelle Lemelin added an insurance goal, scoring with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. Lemelin was assisted by sophomore Maddie Bressler as the Hawks went on to win by a final score of 3-1.

“We opened the season with a loss, and we looked at that and said this isn’t what we want the season to be,” Guillemette told the Crier. “From that we shaped it into something spectacular and I think that has really pushed us along. Knowing that we have already made so much history and we can just keep going with it.”

The Hawks now move on to the Division II NCAA final four, and will face off against LIU Post on Nov. 18 at Stonehill College.