NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Kelsey Millward (Fr., Baie-d'Urfe, Quebec/Loomis-Chaffee), Katie Jacobson (So., Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) and Ciara Beaulieu (Fr., Windsor, Conn./Suffield Academy) all netted hat-tricks to share Player of the Game accolades as Division III No. 8-nationally ranked Connecticut College stymied Penn State Behrend by an 18-4 final score in the opening round of the 2013 Division III Championship tournament at the Jane Cadwell Lot Natatorium.
Connecticut never trailed in the game in running out to a 6-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and a 13-1 advantage by the end of the first half to build a margin the Behrend Lions could not roar back from over the final 16 minutes of action.
Millward opened the offensive onslaught in the dawning moments of the first quarter by zipping in back-to-back shots at 6:10 and 4:40 to put Connecticut outfront for the duration of the game. Jacobson, Sam Pierce (Fr., Windsor, Conn.) and Kristin Lampley (Sr., Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) put home man-up tallies at 4:18, 2:47 and 2:11, respectively, before Megan Wright (Sr., Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) lobbed in a marker at 1:43 to close out the Camels' 6-0 surge in the opening frame.
The lead continued to expand to start the second quarter as Maia Taft (Sr., Lexington, Mass./Lexington) dinged Penn State with back-to-back blasts at 7:15 and 5:57 to make it 8-0. Lampley followed with her second scoring shot at 4:07 before the Lions came out of their cages with a man-up tally by Alex Issacson (Fr., Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) at 3:11 shattering Connecticut's first half shutout bid.
Beaulieu followed with her first score of the afternoon at 2:38 to reengage the Camels' offense as Connecticut rattled off a single goal by Millward at 1:35 to complete a hat-trick and consecutive blasts by Jacobson at 29 and four seconds to carry a 13-1 lead into halftime.
The second half began similar to the first with the Camels striking first to put Penn State Behrend on its heels as Jasbon buried a five-meter penalty shot past Behrend Lions' goalie Elizabeth Causgrove (Jr., Erie, Pa./McDowell) with 6:49 left in the third quarter.
MaryEllen Spooner (Sr., Springfield, Va./West Springfield) responded for the Keystone State contingent at 6:34 to start a back-and-forth run between the two teams for the remainder of the quarter.
Jasbon answered Spooner's tally with one of her own at 5:22 prior to Paula Rusca (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) countering for the Lions with a man-up goal at the 4:53 mark to make it 15-3 in favor of Connecticut.
Spooner tacked on her second goal of the quarter at 1:50 to return the gap to 11 at 15-4, but the Lions would pull no closer.
Beaulieu tossed in another goal prior to the conclusion of the quarter with 30 seconds left on the clock to return the lead to 12 at 16-4 before Gracie Miller (Sr., Sudbury, Mass./Sudbury) and Beauleiu closed out the contest with goals at 4:43 and 3:53 of the fourth quarter.
In goal, Ashley Amey (Fr., Napa, Calif.) recorded the victory with two saves and one goal allowed in 16 minutes during the first half. Pamela Lovejoy (Sr., Guilford, Conn.) finished the game with three stops and three goals allowed over the final 16 minutes of competition.
For Penn State Behrend, Elizabeth Causgrove (Jr., Erie, Pa./McDowell) turned aside six shots in suffering the loss.
Connecticut will next be in action at 6:00 p.m. in the tournament semifinals versus the victor of an opening round game between No. 3 seed Washington & Jefferson College and No. 6 seed Utica College.
The Camels split with the Presidents this year in falling 10-8 at Penn State Behrend in Erie on and downing W&J 10-8 in overtime last weekend at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisc. In addition, Connecticut is 2-0 against the Pioneers of Utica with 18-5 and 18-2 victories at Penn State Behrend and Carthage, respectively.
Penn State Behrend will continue the tournament at 3:00 p.m. against No. 4 seed Macalester College, a 6-3 victim at the hands of No. 5 seed Carthage College in the opening game of the touranment.
Teams
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
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Final |
Penn State Behrend (0-17, 0-13 CWPA Division III)
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
-- |
4
|
No. 8 Connecticut College (13-6, 11-2 CWPA Division III)
|
6
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
-- |
18 |
Connecticut Goals: Katie Jacobson (3); Kelsey Millward (3); Ciara Beauliu (3); Kristin Lampley (2); Nicky Jasbon (2); Maia Taft (2); Megan Wright; Gracie Miller; Sam Pierce
Penn State Behrend Goals: Mary Ellen Spooner (2); Paula Rusca; Alex Issacson
Saves: Connecticut - Ashley Amey (2, 16 minutes), Pamela Lovejoy (3, 16 minutes) ; Penn State Behrend - Elizabeth Causgrove (6)
Exclusions: Connecticut - 3 ; Penn State Behrend - 9
Advantage Opportunities: Connecticut - -for-9 ; Penn State Behrend - -for-3
Sprints: Connecticut - 4-for-4 ; Penn State Behrend - 0-for-4
Officials: JR Perez, Vern Heimbigner
