On Saturday evening, November 2, the Stockton University Ospreys pushed past the Kean University Cougars in a contested New Jersey Athletic Conference field hockey (NJAC) matchup.
Stockton (10-8, 3-4 NJAC) and Kean (6-12, 2-4 NJAC) both sought the coveted final seed in the NJAC playoff tournament, with Stockton proving victorious in shootout fashion.
The Ospreys struck early in the third minute of the first quarter off of a penalty corner. Junior Kirsten Bailey blasted a shot to the near back corner of the net off of a pass from sophomore Riley DeMarco.
Kean evened the contest in the 24th minute in a similar fashion. Again in a penalty corner, sophomore Madison Brege tapped the ball across the mouth of the goal where sophomore Jazmyne Frack lifted it up above a Stockton defender’s stick.
Heading into the second half of the match equal, both teams had offensive pressure in an attempt to seize control. However, it was senior Kiera Lyons who regained the lead for Stockton.
Lyons gained possession of the ball from a pass to the back corner of the field where she then made a quick entry into Kean’s defensive circle. She dribbled along the baseline, beating out two Kean defenders. She then lifted it past Kean freshman goalkeeper Daniella Maresca’s right foot to find the opposite corner of the cage.
However, in the 51st minute of the contest, Kean’s Madison Brege would find the back of the cage to force an overtime period. Again in a penalty corner, Frack would let a loose ball across the line of the goal. With Stockton’s goalie on the turf after a save, Brege had an open net to tap the ball in.
After two periods of overtime, both teams were deadlocked 2-2, forcing penalty shootouts.
Even in shootouts, the teams were fairly evenly matched, with back-to-back Kean goals from Brege and freshman Adrianna Duda. In turn, both Stockton’s Bailey and Lyons notched a pair of goals.
It came down to the fifth and final round of shootouts. After a failed attempt from Kean, it was Stockton senior Carlee Thompson who converted on the deciding play.
The Cougars outpaced the Ospreys in offensive corners 9-6. However, both teams were fairly matched in shots and shots on goal, again with Kean leading 12-11 and 8-7.
The Kean University field hockey team also celebrated its Senior Night, honoring its pair of seniors, Kelsey Corbett and Maddison Gonzales.
This will be the first time that Kean will not be in the NJAC Tournament since 2018. After a semifinal loss to The College of New Jersey last year 1-3, the Cougars received an at-large bid into the DIII National Tournament. They then went on to have unprecedented success, making it to the team’s first Final Four appearance before exiting the tournament after a loss to Johns Hopkins University 0-2.
This will be Stockton’s second consecutive berth into the NJAC Tournament. Last year, the Ospreys saw a first round exit after The Rowan University Profs defeated them 0-6.
Stockton, No. 4 seed for the NJAC Tournament, will take on No.1 and regular season champions Rowan University in a 2023 semifinal rematch on Wednesday, November 6, at 5:00 p.m.
The winner of this match will take on the victor of the No. 2 The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and No. 3 Montclair State University matchup on November 9.
