NCAC-Champion Scots Look to Add NCAA Berth This Week

Anlyn Addis

The College of Wooster field hockey team will attempt to add to its already impressive resume this season, as the North Coast Athletic Conference champions are the No. 1 seed for the league’s four-team postseason tournament. The semifinal round is Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 1, as the top-seeded Fighting Scots host No. 4 seed Denison University (7-10, 6-6 NCAC) at 2 p.m., and the third seed, Kenyon College (14-5, 8-4 NCAC), visits second-seeded Wittenberg Univeresity (11-6, 9-3 NCAC), also at 2 p.m. The victors advance to the NCAC Tournament championship game Saturday, Nov. 4, on the campus of the highest remaining seed at a time to be announced, and the winner of that contest earns the automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III Tournament.
During the regular season, Wooster swept the Big Red, prevailing 3-1 at home Sept. 20 and 2-1 on the road Oct. 12 en route to completing the first perfect NCAC regular season (12-0) since Denison accomplished the feat in 1999. Against defensive-oriented Kenyon, the Scots were 1-0 and 2-1 winners at home Sept. 23 and on the road Oct. 14, respectively, while Wooster earned 5-0 and 3-0 shutout victories over rival Wittenberg at home Oct. 7 and on the road Oct. 28, respectively.

Last Week: The Scots won both of their games, clinching the 2006 NCAC championship outright, finishing with an unblemished 12-0 NCAC record, and improving to 14-5 overall.
On Oct. 26, Wooster turned in a dazzling first-half performance, netting seven goals en route to an 8-2 drubbing of defending conference champion Oberlin College. The Scots first got on the board at the 29:36 mark when a penalty corner resulted in a goal by Kate Persing (Canton, Conn. / Kimball Union Academy – N.H.), with Miranda Leickly (Gahanna, Ohio / Columbus Academy) assisting on the play. Less than three minutes later, Gina Crough (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) converted a penalty stroke to put Wooster up 2-0. With the clock just beginning to run again, Amanda Artman (Shaker Hts., Ohio / Shaker Heights) secured a pass from Anlyn Addis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) and snuck it past the Yeowomen goalie for a 3-0 margin. The Scots weren’t done, as they tacked on two additional goals in the five-minute span, with Addis scoring off an Artman feed and Katy Baron (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park & River Forest) blasting an unassisted goal to make it 5-0, still with 21:56 remaining in the half. Wooster would go on to add two more goals in the peiord, an unassisted Artman tally and another Addis goal, which was assisted by Jessica Lee (Ellicott City, Md. / Glenelg Country School) to close the half at 7-0. During the second half, the Scots’ lone highlight came from Artman, as she scored a third goal, marking her third hat trick of the season.
On Oct. 28, Wooster shutout host Wittenberg 3-0, completing the Scots’ first-ever perfect NCAC regular season. Addis lit up the scoreboard first at the 23:52 mark, converting a pass from Artman for a score, and Artman slapped in her own unassisted goal with 5:29 remaining to give Wooster a 2-0 cushion at halftime. While the stout Scot defense continued to hold the Tigers at bay in the second half, Addis rattled the cage for her second goal of the day with 1:17 left in the game. Assisting on that score was Brittany Montgomery (Glen Falls, N.Y. / Glen Falls). Defensively, Anne Leigh (Englewood, Colo. / Cherry Creek) made two saves in the shutout, which marked the 20th of her career, tying a school record with Sarah Heath (1985-87).