BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart University field hockey team capped its regular season with a 2-1 road win over LIU on Friday afternoon in NEC play. The victory marked head coach Sydney Van Der Merwe's 50th career win leading the Pioneers. Despite the win, Sacred Heart's season has ended due to Rider defeating Wagner on Friday afternoon to claim the final spot in the NEC playoffs.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-11 (5-4 NEC)
LIU: 2-15 (2-6 NEC)
Stat Leaders:
Cassie Chapjian: 1 goal, 2 shots
Emma Brayford: 1 goal, 2 shots
Amelia Pellegrini: 1 assist
Brianna Cooper: 2 saves
How It Happened:
After a scoreless first quarter, Sacred Heart broke through in the second when Cassie Chapjian found the back of the cage at 27:57 to give the Pioneers the lead. Less than two minutes later, Emma Brayford extended the advantage to 2-0, converting off a penalty corner feed from Amelia Pellegrini at 29:19.
LIU trimmed the deficit early in the third quarter, but Sacred Heart's defense held strong the rest of the way. Junior goalkeeper Brianna Cooper made a pair of key saves in the final period to preserve the lead and secure the win.
The milestone win for Van der Merwe marks his 50th career victory as head coach of the Pioneers.
