EWING, N.J. – A first-quarter goal off the stick of
Regan Nacrelli proved to be enough for the second-ranked Salisbury University field hockey team, who blanked The College of New Jersey Lions, 1-0, in Saturday afternoon's regular season finale at the TCNJ Field Hockey Complex.
In the fourth minute of action,
Emma Radebaugh unleashed a shot that Lions goalie Brigitte Racey got a leg on. The rebound went out to the top left of the arc, where Nacrelli stole it from a TCNJ defender, made a move to the right, and rocketed a shot into the low-right corner of the cage, putting the Sea Gulls in the driver's seat, 1-0.
The Lions had a chance to answer early in the second quarter with four shots in a 26-second span, but
Abbey McIlvain saved two attempts and the Sea Gull defense blocked the other two. Racey kept the home side in the game with a save on a
Madelyn Reed shot later in the period and the game stayed 1-0 into halftime.
Salisbury played a stifling defense in the second half, limiting the Lions to one wide shot in both the third and fourth quarters and running out the clock on the Sea Gulls' seventh shutout of the year.
GAME NOTES
- Regan Nacrelli scored her fourth goal of the year and first since Sept. 28 on her only shot on goal.
- Kaitlyn DeModna and Arden Hunteman shared the team lead with two shots and one shot on goal apiece.
- Abbey McIlvain made four saves, all in the first half, as part of her seventh solo clean sheet on the year.
- While TCNJ outshot the Sea Gulls 10-9 overall, SU had more shots on goal (6-4) and owned the penalty corner margin 10-5.
With the win, the Sea Gulls wrap up the regular season with a 14-2 record. SU begins postseason play next Saturday with the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Championship against No. 6 Christopher Newport. Opening pushback from Sea Gull Stadium is slated for 6 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 50 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
