Western New England Advances to First CCC Championship Game in Program History with 3-2 Victory at Endicott

Freshman forward Jacqueline Clark scores game-winner for Golden Bears in 60^th minute

BEVERLY, Mass. (November 2, 2016) – The third-seeded Western New England University field hockey team advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship game for the first time in program history with a 3-2 victory over second-seeded Endicott College this evening in the CCC semifinals at North Field.

Top Performers
• Freshman forward Jacqueline Clark (Auburn, Mass.) scored the game-winner for the Golden Bears with 10:30 remaining in regulation, snapping a 2-2 tie and giving Western New England its first lead.
• Junior goalie Grace Trupe (Cardiff, Calif.) stopped all 11 of the shots that she faced in the second half and matched her season-high with 13 saves.

• Junior Emylee Wood (Kensington, N.H.) and junior forward Brittany Bushey (Pittsford, Vt.) each scored for the Gulls.

Match Review
• Endicott opened the scoring just 1:13 into the contest on Wood's ninth goal of the season, an unassisted tally.
• Western New England pulled even at the 3:38 mark when freshman forward Jessica Clifford (Auburn, Mass.) scored her fifth of the season off a rebound in traffic.
• The Gulls restored their one-goal lead in the 11^th minute on Bushey's redirection.
• Western New England was awarded a penalty corner at the 18:50 mark, and the Golden Bears capitalized as Jackson potted the equalizer on a feed from freshman forward Madison Barron (Lebanon, Pa.).
• Trupe kept the score knotted at 2-2, saving a barrage of second half shots, before junior forward Brittany DeLima (Branchville, N.J.) set up Clark for the game-winning goal with 10:30 on the clock.
• Western New England sealed the win as Trupe came through with a pair of saves over the final five minutes.

Notes
• With the win, the Golden Bears advance to the CCC title game for the first time since Western New England joined the conference for the 2007 campaign. Coming into this season, Western New England's only appearance in the CCC Tournament was a semifinal showing in 2010. Prior to joining the CCC, the Golden Bears captured one North Atlantic Conference (NAC) title in 2005, and posted runner-up finishes in 2002, '04 and '06.
• Tonight's contest was the third between Endicott and Western New England this fall. All three were decided by one goal, with Endicott claiming a 3-2 win in Springfield on September 28 and a 2-1 victory in Beverly last Wednesday.
• Endicott outshot Western New England 27-15, including 20-4 in the second half. The Gulls also held a 16-10 advantage in penalty corners.
• Trupe's 13-save performance marks her sixth 10+ save effort this season.
• Clark's goal, her sixth of the season, also serves as her second game-winner. The freshman has compiled 15 points on six goals and three assists this fall.
• Junior defenders Samantha Krumpholz (Florence, Mass.), Amber Meehan (Orange, Mass.) and Lauren Palmateer (Coxsackie, N.Y.) were all credited with defensive saves.

Up Next
Western New England (10-9) will travel to Biddeford, Maine on Saturday to take on top-seeded University of New England (18-3) in the CCC championship contest at 1 p.m. Endicott's season comes to a close at 11-9.