Looking Back at Field Hockey's Championship Season

BEVERLY, Mass. -- Endicott field hockey continued their recent dominance in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) this year, surging to a 9-1 conference record, earning the top spot in the CCC tournament, and capturing their second consecutive CCC title.

The Gulls (15-5) won two dramatic overtime victories in the conference tournament, tipping both Gordon and Nichols by 2-1 scores in order to make a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Senior Melissa Enright (York Beach, Maine) netted in the semifinals to help the Gulls advance, while classmate Taylor Matties (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) was the hero in overtime of the CCC championship game for the second straight year.

Endicott travelled to Utica for the NCAA tournament and battled hard, keeping the game scoreless for the first half before the Pioneers emerged with a 4-1 victory.

The team's fifteen wins is the most by an Endicott field hockey squad since the 2008 season and it included a thrilling win in an overtime affair with UMass Dartmouth, a 3-1 victory over University of New England on homecoming as the Gull's opened North Field with its renovated turf, and a come-from-behind victory at Nichols to close the regular season and clinch the top seed in the tournament for the Gulls.

Senior forward Hannah Thornberg (Oakland, Maine) led the way offensively with 22 goals and 7 assists for 51 points, setting the Endicott record for goals and points in a season. The 2012 season was a banner year for Thornberg, as she became the all-time leader in goals and points in Endicott field hockey history. She also struck late in Utica to tally the first goal for Endicott in an NCAA field hockey tournament game.

Adding to the record-setting this season, senior goalie Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) became the all-time program leader in goalie games played and started, with 77 and in goalie minutes played (5338). Teixeira started all 20 games for Endicott, making 114 saves and posting a goals against average of 1.64.

The Gulls had almost their entire team named to the All-CCC Team, and took awards in three major categories. Thornberg was named Offensive Player of the Year, Teixeira earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and Head Coach Jodi Cipolla was named CCC Coach of the Year for the second time in her six seasons at the helm.

Teixeira and Thornberg were named on the First Team All-CCC with Enright, Matties, and sophomore defender Meghan Leary (Hampton Falls, N.H.). Earning second team mention for Endicott were sophomore defender Jessica Linden (Stratford, Conn.), junior midfielder Stacie Teevens (Westborough, Mass.), sophomore forward Emily Sawchuck (Cumberland, Maine)and senior midfielder Cassie DeSimone (Reading, Mass.).

Enright netted 13 goals and three assists this year, while Sawchuck added 11 goals and three assists, including six game-winning goals. The sophomore forward has already tied the all-time record for career game-winning goals, with 11 in her first two seasons.

Matties scored six goals and assisted on four others, and finishes her Endicott career with 21 assists, second in program history.

Leary and Linden were part of an Endicott back-line that shut down the strongest attackers in the conference every game, helping Endicott outscore their opponents 68-34.