(Box Score) 

            NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Junior Stephanie Kinchla (Falmouth, Mass.) scored three goals and assisted on another Tuesday evening as second-seeded University of Massachusetts Dartmouth defeated seventh-seeded Plymouth State University, 5-0, in a Little East Conference field hockey first-round playoff game at Cressy Field.

            The Corsairs, which had defeated the Panthers during the regular season, 2-1, blew the game open in the first half with four goals in a span of 23 minutes and 35 seconds. UMD (13-6) will now host a semifinal game on Thursday against third-seeded Fitchburg State (14-4), as the Falcons advanced with a 2-1 overtime win over sixth-seed Southern Maine.  UMD and Fitchburg State were two of the four teams that tied for the LEC regular season title with 9-2 conference marks.

            Plymouth State (10-8) must wait until Monday, Nov. 9, to see if it receives an ECAC post-season berth.

            The Panthers pressured the Corsairs early, and had the first five shots, all of which were stopped by UMD junior goalkeeper Seana Golden (Somerset, Mass.). UMass Dartmouth then took advantage of a penalty corner, as Kinchla tipped in a shot by freshman Taryn Cardiel (Moorpark, Calif.) to open the scoring at the 10:22 mark.

            Kinchla tipped home another Cardiel shot off a penalty corner at 25:24, and fed freshman forward Erica Allan (Amherst, Mass.) off a rebound to make it 3-0 at 28:24. Cardiel made it 4-0, scoring a goal from senior Laurie David (Yarmouthport, Mass.) with 1:12 to play in the first half. Kinchla tallied the only goal of the second half, converting a pass from junior defender Becca Festinger (Greenfield, Mass.) to cap the scoring.

            The Corsairs out shot the Panthers, 17-15. Golden made 13 saves for UMD, while sophomore goalkeeper Elyse Sedgley (Hopkinton, N.H.) made eight stops for PSU. 

(Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information) 

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