Box Score

EWING, N.J. – The Neumann University field hockey team fell to the 2011 Division III NCAA National Champion, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), in a round of non-conference Thursday Night Lights.

The Knights held the Lions to fifteen scoreless minutes on the outing when the sixth-ranked College of New Jersey was able to slip a goal past the outstanding Neumann defense. TCNJ would get on the board a total of three times before the intermission.

Neumann continued to battle in the second half limiting the Lions scoring opportunities. 

In the final minutes of play, the Knights charged down the field to force a penalty corner. Kelsey Mazur's goal was teed up by Chelsa O'Donnell in the 69th minute of the contest.

O'Donnell, who prior to the game was ranked 28th in the nation in defensive saves, and Jillian DeFina each had two D-saves on the night. Lindsey Kasecamp's stable performance allowed her to tally 11 saves in net. Heather String and Beth Lounsberry were instramental in pushing the Knights out of the defensive circle. 

On the loss, Head Coach Sarah Kurpel was optimistic, "it's really exciting for us to be so competitive against the defending national champion. We're having a tough season with injuries and since TCNJ is highly competitive it was tremendous to see the team rise to the occasion. I'm so proud of the girls. Kelsey [Mazur] and I spoke before the game about the opportunity to score today. I'm impressed with the team's performance tonight and I look forward to seeing more of their work this weekend."

Neumann (2-9) will travel to Moravian College on Saturday for another round of non-conference competition. The game gets underway at 12:00 PM.