



BABSON PARK, Mass. - November 3, 2007 - Fourth-seeded Springfield College received two goals from junior Jane Kelleher (Chatham, Mass.) and another from senior Brittany Veazie (Dexter, Maine) as the Pride defeated top-seeded Babson College, 3-1, in the semifinals of the 2007 NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Pride (18-3), ranked first in New England East and 14th in the country, advance to Sunday's championship game at Babson at 1 p.m against Wellesley. The Beavers (14-7), ranked second in New England East, lost for just the second time in their last 15 games.
Kelleher gave Springfield a 1-0 lead at 9:12, as she took a fast break pass from junior Allie Eisele (Walton, N.Y.), made a move around sophomore goalie Emily Cohen, and tucked a shot inside the far left post for the game's first goal. The junior midfielder then made it 2-0 with her second goal of the contest when she took a pass from senior Eileen Jenkins (Gorham, Maine) and ripped a shot from the right side that glanced off a defender's stick and in at 37:33. The Pride eventually took that two-goal advantage into the break.
Veazie continued Springfield's offensive assault early in the second half, as she scored an unassisted goal on a reverse sweep from in front to make it 3-0 at 45:38. Babson got one goal back when sophomore Alyssa L'Bassi scored from the right side off an assist from sophomore Jess Paladino at 57:18, but that would be the Beavers' only score of the day as the Pride held on for the 3-1 victory.
Senior Emma Kaplan (Ridgefield, Conn.) played brilliantly in net for Springfield, finishing with nine saves. Cohen also played well in net for Babson, making seven stops, while senior tri-captain Michele Farley added a defensive save.
After seven years as head coach of the Pride, Melissa Sharpe, has continued the SC tradition of winning on the field hockey turf, posting an impressive 115-44 record, good for a winning percentage of .723 at the helm of her alma mater. Read more.