BROOKVILLE, N.Y. -- In its first year back in the Northeast-10 Conference, third-ranked and top-seeded LIU Post took home the NE-10 championship, holding off fifth-ranked and No. 3 seed Stonehill 2-1. Sophomore forward Keliann Margiotta was named the most outstanding player of the championship.
As a result, the Pioneers remain perfect at 20-0, while the Skyhawks dip to 18-3.
It did not take long for a goal to get on the board as the first shot taken by either team found the back of the net. At 4:32 into the game, junior forward Lyn-Marie Wilson set the tone for the Pioneers as she was able to send home an unassisted tally off a restart at the top of the circle.
After that score, neither squad could muster any more scoring in the first half. Stonehill had a chance with back-to-back shot attempts after a penalty corner in the 24th minute, but freshman goalie Meredith Stocklin made a kick-save on Emily Sideris attempt and then swatted away the ensuing shot by Kelly Gouveia to help her squad retain the 1-0 lead.
Margiotta doubled the Green and Gold's lead with slightly under 16 minutes to play when she redirected a shot by senior forward Carlee Dragon for her 25th goal of the year.
Not going down without a fight, the nation's leading goal-scorer, Stonehill's Erika Kelly, cut the score to 2-1 in the 64th minute as she received a pass right in front of the cage, and while diving to her left, slipped a reverse sweep into the left of the net past a diving Stocklin for her 37th goal of the season. That would prove to be the last shot the Skyhawks took on the afternoon.
No. 9 Limestone 4, Lindenwood 3 (shootout)
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Playing in its first championship game in program history, Limestone (15-5, 9-0 ISA) had to go the distance as junior attack Rachel Goromonzi cemented a 2-0 shootout by converting in the fifth round to give the Saints a 4-3 victory against Lindenwood (8-9) in the ECAC Division II Field Hockey Invitational on Sunday.
Leading 3-1 with just two minutes to play, Limestone allowed a goal with 68:44 on the clock. Karlie Quinn took a pass from Linda Oberle and drove it home.
Lindenwood was awarded a penalty corner with one second left in regulation and Kristi O'Connor proceeded to find the back of the cage off of a pass from Kelsey Musson to tie the game and send it to a overtime tied at 3-3.
In the extra period, neither team would come close to a conversion to end it, sending the clubs to a second overtime. That frame would see the Saints turn away an early shot and multiple Lindenwood penalty corners while the Lions withstood a pair of simultaneous green card that forced them to play down two players. That all amounted to a Limestone first as the teams headed into a decisive shootout to decide the championship.
Neither club could find the back of the cage through the first three rounds. That all changed as sophomore attack Jill Funkhouser beat the keeper on the fourth attempt and LU's Alex Chappell was stopped by senior goal keeper Lindsay Hinton on her attempt in that round.
Up 1-0 in the shootout and with one round left, Rachel Goromonzi beat Lindenwood keeper Victoria Gil to make it 2-0 and slam the door on any possible tie by the Lions. That score clinched the first conference championship in program history as the Saints completed a 15-5 season.
"We are so proud of the team and the amazing effort we had to put forth to be successful in our first ever shootout," Limestone head coach Lindsay Jackson said. "To play 100 minutes of field hockey at the end of the season on the road for a championship is a pretty incredible feat and this team worked so hard for it. It's another step in the direction we want to go, it's a great way to end the season and this team worked incredibly hard this season to keep making history at Limestone. We will build off of this and keep going forward."
