#5 – FH: Monmouth vs.
Rider, NEC Field Hockey Championship (RID 3-2) – 11/3/12
For one to understand the superb storytelling and drama that played itself out and made this game so great, one has to understand the complete backstory and sequence of events that led us to this 2012 NEC Field Hockey Championship Match. Believe it or not, the seeds for this final were planted back in 2009. Back then, the Monmouth Hawks, who had not qualified for the NEC Tournament in five years, returned to the conference playoffs as a #4 seed. The Blue and White would be taking on their interstate rivals, the Rider Broncs, who had just won the regular season title for the first time since 2003. The Hawks didn’t just come out with a ‘happy to be here’ attitude, they came out to win. With the game tied at one, in overtime, Nora Bosmans scored for the Hawks to cap off one of the tournament’s all-time shockers, only the second time in history a #4 seed had upset a #1. Monmouth was defeated the next day in the tournament final against Lock Haven, but gaining experience in tournament play for the first time in years, would be crucial for a young Hawks team going forward.
In 2010, Rider and Monmouth would be the tournament’s top
two seeds, this time matching up in the final. Monmouth appeared to have scored
with about four and a half minutes to go in the first half, but the goal was
controversially wiped away after being ruled that the ball had just slipped outside of
the circle before being shot on goal. The game would end up going scoreless for
the first 66 minutes and 59 seconds before Alicia Govannicci pushed one past
Melissa Katz to score the game’s long goal, claiming Rider’s first tournament
title since 2004.
Last year, Monmouth returned to the title game for the third
straight season, earning a rematch with Rider. The 2011 Broncs were loaded with talent, and fielded one of the
best teams ever in NEC field hockey history. The Hawks made things interesting, but
were no match for the high powered Rider squad. The Broncs improved to 19-1 on the season, and walked
away with their second straight title.
After Rider graduated of several key players, including NEC Player of the Year Virginia Egusquiza, NEC coaches
selected Monmouth as the 2012 pre-season favorite to finally walk away with
that elusive championship. Monmouth featured several seniors, such as all-time
leading scorer and eventual 2012 Player of the Year Michelle Pieczynski, and grad senior Tara
Brown. Pieczynski and Brown were among many Hawks players part of multiple championship game heartbreaks in years past, who
were now back for one last run at a title. The Hawks were also proudly representing
a community that just days before had been devastated by Superstorm Sandy.
Practicing and preparing for a tournament with little to no power and neighbors
in need, no doubt weighed heavy on the heads and hearts of the Monmouth team. Once
the Hawks defeated St. Francis 3-1 and the Broncs defeated Quinnipiac 4-1 in their
respective semi-finals, we were once again locked in to an All-Garden State Final
for the third straight season. You had a Monmouth team, hungry to finally taste
championship glory, and a Rider team, that despite some new characters in the
cast from previous years, were not ready to give up the championship glory of
their own. The drama that unfolded in Lawrenceville, NJ on this cool, early
November, Saturday afternoon composes our #5 Top NEC Game of 2012…
The Hawks would have several prime scoring opportunities in the
first half of the 2012 final, forcing Broncs keeper Joelle Prettyman to be more
active then she had to be in the semis, but ultimately would be denied. The game
would stay scoreless for the first 28:58, before the Broncs struck first
off a penalty corner opportunity. Sandra Penas inserted the ball in to Allison
Muschs. Muschs would shoot the ball on goal only to have it redirected through
by Gabby Burgo. After tallying two goals in the semis against Quinnipiac, Brugo
gave the Broncs a 1-0 lead in the final, a lead which would hold up all the way
to halftime. Six minutes into the second half the Hawks would cash in on a
corner opportunity of their own. Trish O’Dwyer would insert into Tara Brown,
who put a shot on goal toward the back post that would get tapped in from behind the goaltender by Amanda
Schoenfeld, evening the championship match at one.
Six minutes later, for the first time in their run of four
straight trips to the finals, Monmouth would grab a lead. On a penalty corner
to the right of the goalie, O’Dwyer inserted and found Alex Carroll open.
Carroll would send in a strike that would get past Prettyman, netting her sixth
goal of the season. The Monmouth Hawks were in front 2-1 and 22:32 away from finally tasting a
championship title.
At 54:43, Rider drew a penalty stroke. They would hand the
opportunity to Muschs, who hadn’t missed in such a situation all season. On this
occasion, Muschs would push the ball wide left, preserving a 2-1 Monmouth lead. While the
Hawks contingent held a collective sigh of relief, everyone knew that the Rider
Broncs, operating the top offensive attack in the league in shots, goals, and penalty
corners, would have at least one last offensive flurry to try and even things up. Indeed that flurry would come. With 11:30 to go, on a penalty corner, Sandra Penas would find herself in the right place at the right time. After inserting the ball, Penas would hang out at the far post. Meanwhile, Rachel Ippolite sent the ball into the circle, having it redirected to the back post by Muschs, where Penas was waiting to tap in the game tying goal.
Just four minutes later, Penas would again take over,
slicing through the middle of the field and scoring off a strong backhanded
strike. Penas’ two goals over a 4:11 span would put Rider in front 3-2 with
just 7:12 remaining. Rider would run out the clock, winning their NEC Field Hockey
record sixth tournament title, and becoming the first team to three-peat since
Lock Haven 2006-09. Sanda Penas would go on to tell our NEC Front Row cameras in a post game interview that when Rider went down 2-1, she thought that her team wasn't going to win it. Fortunately for the Broncs, Penas did everything she could to make sure that didn't happen. What she did was put together an amazing clutch effort in a championship situation, earning the 2012 NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Previous Top 12 NEC Games
of 2012:
#6 – FB: Central Connecticut State at Robert Morris (RMU
37-31) – 10/20/12
#7 – MLAX: Mount St. Mary’s vs. Robert Morris (MSM 16-15,
OT) – 5/4/12
#8 – SWIM: Day Four of the NEC Swimming Championships (SFU
748-747) – 2/25/12
#9 – BASE: Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU 4-3, 12
innings) – 4/7/12
#10 - WSOC: LIU-Brooklyn vs. St. Francis, 2012 NEC Women’s
Soccer Final (LIU 1-0) – 11/4/12
#11 – WVB: Robert Morris at Sacred Heart (SHU 3-2) –
10/13/12
#12 (tie) – WBB: Central Connecticut State at St. Francis
(SFU 86-83, 2OT) – 2/20/12
#12 (tie) – WBB: LIU-Brooklyn at Monmouth (MU 55-54) –
2/25/12
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