CONWAY, Ark. - Top-seeded Rhodes College and
third-seeded DePauw University advanced to the 2009 SCAC Field
Hockey title game with semifinal wins on Saturday afternoon. Rhodes
defeated Sewanee 2-1 in overtime while DePauw cruised to a 2-0
victory over Centre. Semifinal
#1 Box Score | Semifinal
#2 Box Score
Sewanee struck early against Rhodes. Tiger sophomore Elise
Landau found the back of the cage just 1:59 into the contest - the
earliest a goal has been scored in a match in the six year history
of the SCAC championships.
Rhodes rallied to tie the game 16 minutes later on a goal by junior
Libby Feaster which was assisted by fellow junior Charlie
Wagner.
The teams battled for the next 52+ minutes without finding the cage
and the day's first semifinal match went into overtime.
With just 50 seconds remaining in the first extra period, Wagner
scored the game-winner on a penalty stroke to send the Lynx into
tomorrow's championship match.
Rhodes, which improved to 12-4 and set a school
single-season high for wins, outshot Sewanee 16-8 and
held a 13-6 advantage in penalty corner opportunities.
In Saturday's second semifinal, DePauw dictated the action early,
scoring the game's first goal at the 25:51 mark when first-year
forward Addie McDonnell found the back of the cage.
That 1-0 lead held until, with a little over 10 minutes remaining
in the contest, senior forward Sarah Riffle scored her league-high
12th goal of the season off a penalty corner with an assist from
sophomore forward Kimberly Trainor to give DePauw a commanding 2-0
lead.
DePauw outshot Centre 10-6 and held a 9-4 advantage in penalty
corners.
Junior goalkeeper Liz Attewell posted her league-high seventh
shutout.
After losing to the Colonels twice in the regular season, DePauw's
victory improved its overall mark to 12-7 as the
Tigers advance to the SCAC title game for the second time in
three years. Centre finishes its regular season with a 12-5
record.
DePauw last won the SCAC field hockey title in 2007 and Rhodes has
won titles in 2004 and 2006. Sunday's SCAC title game begins at 11
a.m. CT.
Follow along with live video and stats at the official
website of the 2009 SCAC Field Hockey Championships.