Posted: Nov 14, 2022
The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Field Hockey team takes the #5 seed into Tuesday's Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinal, traveling to face #5 seed Adelphi University at 4:00 pm in Garden City, New York (Motamed Field).
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How They Got Here - The Spartans wrapped up the regular season with a record of 10-8 and 8-5 in the NE-10, clinching a spot in the tournament. The standings/seeding results are as follows: #1 Saint Anselm College (13-5 overall, 11-2 NE-10), #2 Assumption University (14-4 overall, 11-2 NE-10), #3 Bentley University (11-7 overall, 9-4 NE-10), #4 Adelphi University (10-8 overall, 9-4 NE-10), #5 St. Thomas Aquinas College (10-8 overall, 8-5 NE-10), #6 University of New Haven (8-10 overall, 8-5 NE-10), #7 Pace University (11-7 overall, 8-5 NE-10), #8 Southern New Hampshire University (8-10 overall, 7-6 NE-10).
The Match-Up - St. Thomas Aquinas faced Adelphi one time during the 2022 regular season, falling to the Panthers 3-1 on November 2. The match-up, held at Motamed Field, saw the visitors strike first (Kelly Johnson), before Adelphi tallied three straight goals (Amanda Lee, Emiline Biggin and Bianca Bachisin) to capture the victory. Panthers keeper Mirthe Karstens made eights saves on nine shots faced over 60 minutes of action to pick up her fifth win of the year (5-7), while Spartans goalie Jessie Hohenstein suffered her fifth defeat of the season (9-5), stopping 4 of 7 shots in the match.
All-Time Record - STAC and Adelphi have faced off six times in since 2018. The Panthers currently hold a record of 5-1, outscoring the Spartans 19-6 in those matchups.
However, the maroon and gold hold the victory in the only other postseason matchup between the schools. St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Adelphi in a thrilling 2-1 double overtime victory on November 5, 2019 at Motamed Field. A late Lotte Strijbos goal evened the match at 1-1, forcing overtime. In extra time, Briannah Thorne took a penalty corner insert from Strijbos and deposited it to the back of the cage to win the quarterfinal contest.
Players to Watch - The Spartans were led in the regular season by sophomore Nicola Van Vuuren with 24 points (10 goals & 4 assists), freshman Jasmijn Van Drunen with 22 points (8 goals and 6 assists), freshman Floortje Beune with 10 points (3 goals & 4 assists) and freshman Kelly Johnson with 10 points (4 goals & 2 assists). In the cage, graduate student Jessie Hohenstein played 14 of 18 contests, going 9-5 with a 1.51 goals against average and a .735 save percentage. Hohenstein also posted four shutouts in 14 starts.
On the other side, the Panthers were led by sophomore Amanda Lee with 31 points (12 goals & 7 assists), senior Bianca Bachisin with 26 points (10 goals & 6 assists) and senior Kaylee Deleva with 25 points (12 goals & 1 assist). In net, freshman Mirthe Karstens played in 14 of 18 contests, going 5-7 with a 2.28 goals against average and a .779 save percentage. Karstens also posted 2 shutouts in 12 starts.
What's Next? - The winner of this quarterfinal match-up will advance to play the winner of #1 Saint Anselm College vs. #8 Southern New Hampshire University in the semifinal round of the tournament on Friday, November 18.
2022 NE10 Field Hockey Championship Schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Quarterfinals – at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #8 Southern New Hampshire at #1 Saint Anselm - 4:00 PM
Match 2: #7 Pace at #2 Assumption - 7:00 PM
Match 3: #6 New Haven at #3 Bentley - 7:00 PM
Match 4: #5 St. Thomas Aquinas at #4 Adelphi - 4:00 PM
Friday, November 18
Semifinals - at Higher Seeds
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 4 winner – Time TBD
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 – Time TBD
Sunday, November 20
Championship – at Higher Seed
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
NOTE: Postseason admission in all rounds of NE10 fall championships will be $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and children. Current NE10 students, with valid ID, will be admitted free of charge.