For the second year in a row, Stevens’ field hockey team has come out on top in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championship. Senior Sarah Korczukowski scored the game-winning goal with three minutes and eight seconds remaining, allowing Stevens to defeat the top-seeded Arcadia University. This is the Ducks’ seventh conference title.
The field hockey team came to play during this year’s conference final, with the Ducks taking the first four shots of the game. Unfortunately, all of their shots on goal were denied. The Knights pulled through, and with 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the opposing team scored on the Ducks. Despite the setback, the Ducks continued to outperform the Knights in the second quarter. The Ducks were able to even the score in the 24th minute when senior Makenna Quigley and sophomores Lauren Flynn and Sophia Cozza worked together to fire the shot.
The two teams entered halftime tied at one, but Stevens was able to dominate over their competitors, holding a 14-1 advantage in shots. In the fourth quarter, Stevens fired ten shots and took seven penalty corners. Senior Emily Smart shot a penalty corner to Korczukowski, who then scored on the goal, giving Stevens a 2-1 lead and ultimately leading the Ducks to victory. This victory demonstrated the Duck’s perseverance as the team overcame a 4-2 defeat against Arcadia on October 23.
Head Coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz expressed her joy for the win, stating, “Back-to-back champs!!! This team has such incredible grit, to go back to the place we lost our only conference game and secure the bigger win. Each and every member of our team has put in the work and focus to get us to this point and we are ready for the big dance!!”
The Stevens field hockey team earned numerous accolades this season. The team received six MAC Freedom All-Conference selections, and Meredith Spencer-Blaetz, along with Assistant Coaches Maggie Sohns and Felicia Heard and Volunteer Assistant Coach Kila Eadie, was named Staff of the Year, as revealed by the MAC office Tuesday as part of its season-end awards announcement.
Cozza and juniors Emilia Lopes and Gabi Moroney earned First Team All-Conference honors. This is Cozza’s second straight first-team selection. Korczukowski earned her second Second Team All-Conference selection, joining sophomore Molly DiCampli, who earned her first all-league selection. Junior goalkeeper Lily Wierzbicki received Honorable Mention honors, her second season making all-conference.
Coach Spencer-Blaetz and her staff were able to create a fourth straight season with a conference winning percentage of 0.750 or greater, finishing the season 6-1 in the league.
Moroney earned a league-best scoring of nine goals in conference play. She scored in each of the team’s final three games, including the only goal against Lebanon Valley. Cozza showed no signs of a sophomore slump this year, scoring seven times and assisting on nine more. Lopes was among the most consistent players for the Ducks, spending all but eighteen of the 1,173 minutes played on the field. Her work allowed the Ducks to hold opponents to one goal or fewer in five matches.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks fell to eleventh seed Bates College. This was Stevens first meeting with Bates. Smart closed out her career with 29 goals and 16 assists. Wierzbicki made three saves on this day. While the Stevens Field Hockey Team ended their season here, the team hopes to come back even stronger next season.
