COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Ursinus College put on a display of historic dominance in its second-round NCAA Tournament clash with Stevens this morning, approaching several Division III Field Hockey Championship records on the way to a 10-0 outburst. The fourth-ranked Bears advanced to their third straight regional final, and will meet No. 20 Rochester, a 3-2 winner over No. 7 Salisbury in the other contest, for a spot in the semifinals tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
Four players scored two goals for Ursinus (18-3), which rewrote the record books with a jaw-dropping barrage that left Stevens (14-8) reeling from the opening whistle. Junior forward Amber Steigerwalt (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) scored on a shot from the middle of the circle just 48 seconds in, setting the tone for a comprehensive rout. Steigerwalt scored again at the 5:29 mark, depositing a feed from classmate Ann Kopera (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) to double the Bear advantage.
Up stepped senior midfielder Megan Keenan (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson), the three-time Centennial Conference Player of the Year, who buried back-to-back goals at 6:24 and 12:43 to make it 4-0 in favor of Ursinus. Keenan then teamed with senior forward Danielle Stong (Gilbertsville, Pa.) for a tic-tac-toe connection, as Stong sent a penalty corner to Keenan at the top of the circle and made the most of a quick return pass, sending a hard shot into the top left corner of the cage in the 19th minute (18:36). About ten minutes later, Stong's centering pass from the right end line found junior defender Colleen Leahy (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach), who beat Stevens junior Emily Stukenborg and sent the Bears into halftime with a commanding 6-0 bulge.
Senior forward Samantha Macchio (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow) got in on the fun with consecutive markers early in the second half, and Leahy notched her second of the afternoon at the 47:20 mark, making it 9-0. Sophomore forward Brooke Overly (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) supplied a highly unusual double-digit margin in the 54th minute (53:47), collecting a cross from freshman midfielder Alexis Short (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) and finding the back of the net to give the rookie her first career point.
Keenan registered two goals and an assist for the Bears, who also received multi-goal efforts from Steigerwalt, Macchio, and Leahy, who netted two for the first time in her career. Stong had a goal and an assist, and senior forward Devin Brakel (West Windsor, N.J./West Windsor Plainsboro North) handed out a pair of helpers for Ursinus, which outshot the Ducks by a stunning 33-1 count.
The scintillating offensive explosion put the Bears in rarified air in Division III NCAA Tournament lore. The 10 goals were the second-most in the history of the tournament, and the margin of victory tied an NCAA record. Ursinus recorded a remarkable 17 penalty corners.
While the offense hummed, the Bears' back line was hardly bothered all day. Stevens' first and only shot came 62:10 into the contest, a harmless effort that was easily blocked away. The Ducks earned a pair of corners with no time on the clock, but neither led to a shot. The one shot allowed by Ursinus was the fourth-best mark in NCAA Tournament history; only three times has a team held its opponent without an attempt. The Bears used all three goalkeepers, with senior Danielle DeSpirito (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood Jr-Sr), sophomore Sydney Godbey (Waldorf, Md./Mercersburg), and freshman Jules Singer (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) combining on the clean sheet. About the only mistake Ursinus made all day was when Godbey and Singer got their sticks tangled up as the latter replaced the former late in the second half, Godbey's falling to the ground in a moment of levity.
A convincing opener behind it, Ursinus will now aim for its first trip to the NCAA semifinals since 2011. The Bears and Yellow Jackets kick off their quarterfinal at 1:00 p.m.