PREVIEW: Field Hockey Gears Up For First-Ever GNAC Championship

NEWTON, Mass. (11/3/17) -- For the first time in program history, the Lasell College field hockey program has advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. The Lasers will host the Monks of St. Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday November 4th at 12:00p.m.

Lasell knocked off crosstown rival Mount Ida Wednesday afternoon in an overtime thriller to secure their spot at the championship table. The top-seeded Lasers were unable to capitalize on scoring chances in regulation, as they outshot the Mustangs 22-13, including 11-2 in the first half.

Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.)  scored a mere two minutes into overtime to lift the Lasers past the Mustangs. Flannery has 15 goals, and a team-high 14 assists for the Lasers.

The Lasers will look for a strong performance from sophomore Samantha Taylor (Hanover, Mass.). Taylor leads the Lasers with 17 goals this season, and a team second-best 11 assists. Nikki Pignone (Ipswich, Mass.) sits second in goals for the Lasers, adding 16 along with four assists.

Lasell is currently fifth in the nation for points per game with 10.63, and boast an NCAA Division III fourth-best 3.17 scoring margin.

Denise Landry (New Milford, Conn.) made five saves versus the Mustangs to secure the victory. Landry leads the GNAC with only 14 goals against, and a .86 goals-against average to accompany her conference leading .857 save percentage. St. Joseph's goalkeeper Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) boasts a GNAC second-best 16 goals against and .92 goals-against average, both behind Landry.

The Monks rolled to their third straight GNAC Championship appearance defeating Simmons 5-0 on Wednesday. Monks'' Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) scored twice in under two minutes midway through the first half to bring her season total to 19 goals, good for third in the GNAC. Pomerleau sits just one point behind Flannery with 43 points, fifth best in the conference.

Kara Kelly (York, Maine) would score her first of two in the 34th minute, giving the Monks a 3-0 lead headed into the break. Kelly and Hayley Winslow (Falmouth, Maine) would each score in the second half, sealing the victory for the Monks.

Earlier this season, the Lasers knocked off the Monks at Grellier Field on October 7th, 2-1. In the victory each team was held scoreless during the first half. Pignone connected with a pass from Flannery in the 37th minute before Leah Sullivan (Mansfield, Mass.) gave the Lasers a two goal advantage two minutes later. The Monks, who outshot the Lasers 12-6, broke up the clean slate for Landry when Kelly capitalized off a corner in the 67th minute.

The GNAC Championship is set for 12:00p.m. at Grellier Field, and can be viewed live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lasell/.