Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
James Madison
No. 8 James Madison Ousts Drexel in the CAA Semifinals, 3-0
11/3/2007 5:24:06 PM | Field Hockey
The Drexel field hockey team saw its season come to an end in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship at the hands of No. 8 James Madison, 3-0. The Dragons finished the season at 12-9 while the Dukes improved to 17-3 on the season and will face top-seed Old Dominion in the CAA Championship game.
The Dragons controlled most of the action in the opening 20 minutes and threatened to score on several occasions. Ather earning a penalty corner, senior Sarah Gostomski fired a shot toward the cage that was deflected in, but the goal was disallowed after officials ruled Gostomski's shot was too high. While Drexel kept the ball on the offensive end for most of the first half, the Dukes looked for counterattack opportunities. Drexel goalie Colleen McAndrew mad a number of point-blank saves on two-on-one counters by James Madison. After the Dukes' Melissa Walls fired a shot off of a penalty corner that McAndrew saved, Lauren Stefaniak picked up the rebound and took a shot from the right side that found the back of the cage to open the game's scoring. The game went to halftime with the Dukes ahead, 1-0. For the half, each team was awarded two penalty corners while James Madison held a 10-7 advantage in shots. McAndrew made seven saves in the period.
The second half saw James Madison put increased offensive pressure on the Dragons. The Dukes picked up an insurance goal when Dolores de Rooij dribbled the ball through the top of the arc and fed teammate Melissa Stefaniak who sent a perfectly placed shot off the left post and past McAndrew for the goal. With less than six minutes left in the game, Lauren Walls iced the game for the Dukes with a reverse shot from the top of the arc. The Dukes outshot the Dragons, 12-1, in the second stanza. McAndrew made 13 saves for Drexel while James Madison's Kelsey Cutchins, the 2007 CAA Player of the Year, stopped four shots in recording her fourth straight shutout.
The loss ended one of Drexel's finest seasons as the Dragons set a record for conference wins since joining the CAA with five and placed third in the final standings. Drexel also won its first-ever game in the CAA Championship after defeating Hofstra, 4-3, in the quarterfinals. Midfielders Sarah Gostomski and Carolina Gibernau were both named First Team All-CAA marking the first time Drexel has had two members of an All-Conference team since Drexel joined Division I competition in 1982. The pair were also the first First Team All-CAA selections since Drexel joined the conference in 2002.
