Scranton, Pa. — Second-ranked Marywood University looks to reach its first Atlantic East Conference field hockey final since 2019 on Wednesday evening. The Pacers host No. 3 Immaculata University at 6 p.m. at Pacers Turf Field. The broadcast will be aired on the Atlantic East Network.
Marywood (13-4) have the third-most wins in program history and secured a first-round bye. The Pacers went 5-1 in conference play to secure the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs. Two of the Pacers' four losses (Vassar, St. Mary's) came to regionally ranked teams.
The semifinal winner will play for an Atlantic East title and an NCAA Division III tournament. The victor will face the winner of Wednesday's matchup between Cabrini and St. Mary's (Md.).
GAME NOTES VS. IMMACULATA
SERIES HISTORY VS. IMMACULATA: Since the 2007 season, Marywood holds a 15-3 record (.833) against the Mighty Macs. The Pacers are 10-1 at home against the Macs. Marywood's 11-game winning streak over Immaculata came to a half in last season's 3-2 loss in East Whiteland Twp., Pa. During that timeline, Marywood has only faced Immaculata twice in the postseason. Marywood bounced the Macs from the inaugural Atlantic East tournament with a 4-2 in 2018. The Pacers prevailed over the Mighty Macs 5-2 in the 2021 first round.
Cydney Lahr scored the game-tying and -winning goals in a four-point performance.
Corrin Hasty also scored a goal.
LAST TIME OUT: Marywood won its sixth straight game with a 4-1 win over Immaculata on Oct. 17. After Immaculata went ahead in the second minute on a Lauren Buckel goal, Marywood responded twice with goals in the next 2:22.
Brie Sumner evened the score 18 seconds later on a
Jordan Saybe assist. She assisted a
Dariane Jones goal at the 4:10 mark of the game. Sumner finished with two goals and an assist. Saybe supplied a goal and an assist.
Leah Ewing made three saves for the victory.
HOW THE MACS GOT HERE: Immaculata (9-10) advanced with a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 5 Gwynedd Mercy. It was the Mighty Macs' third consecutive overtime win over the Griffins. Lauren Vandenbraak was the hero with a goal 59 seconds into extra time. Vandenbraak took the ball around mid-field and beat everyone including the goalkeeper to find the back of the cage and send the Mighty Macs onto their second straight Atlantic East Semifinal. Julia Levase had a clean sheet with three saves.
SIGHTS ON FINAL: Marywood looks to advance to its second championship game during the Atlantic East Conference era. The Pacers defeated Wesley College in overtime in 2019. Marywood qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament with an at-large berth during coach
Julie Trott's first season at the helm.
SCOUTING THE MIGHTY MACS: Immaculata began the season with back-to-back losses Albright and Eastern. The Macs scratched out a 1-0 win over King's before being blanked by Stockton and Ramapo. A 5-0 romp over Lancaster Bible paved the way for a 2-1 overtime win over Widener. The positive emotions were short-lived as the Mighty Macs were shut out three straight times en route to a four-game losing streak at the hands of Stevenson, Cedar Crest, Arcadia and St. Mary's. Immaculata turned its season around with a three-game win streak, upsetting Cabrini and beating Gwynedd Mercy and Neumann in back-to-back overtime games. After the Pacers beat the Macs in Scranton, Immaculata downed Manhattanville 4-0 and suffered a seven-goal shut out against No. 12 Kean.
It is the second straight season the Mighty Macs reached the Atlantic East semifinal. Immaculata lost 4-0 to St. Mary's in last year's semi. The Mighty Macs are 2-4 in postseason during the Atlantic East era.
SCOUTING THE PACERS: Marywood has produced the third-most wins in program history this year after beginning the season with a 1-2 record. After suffering an early loss to Vassar and a heartbreaking last-second setback to crosstown Scranton, Marywood rattled off five consecutive non-conference wins over Oneonta, Keystone, King's, Western Connecticut State and Juniata. The Pacers fell 3-1 to SUNY Geneseo before starting a six-game winning streak. Marywood pounded Wilkes 5-1 and downed DeSales 2-1 thanks to a pair of first-half goals. Marywood responded to a two-goal deficit to beat Cabrini 4-2 on the road. In similar fashion, the Pacers allowed an early goal to Immaculata before holding them scoreless for the remaining 58 minutes. Marywood suffered a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to St. Mary's (Md.). The Pacers closed the season with a 4-0 blanking of Neumann.
Players to Watch
Cydney Lahr, sr., fwd./mid.: Lahr tied the single-season record with her 46th point of the season. With one more point, Lahr will break Leanne McManus' 2015 school record. She also sits in sole possession of second place with 19 goals on the season. Lahr has six games this year with at least four points. She has 19 goals and eight assists on the campaign. Lahr leads the Atlantic East with seven game-winning goals and ranks second in goals and points. Nationally, she ranks 11th in points per game (2.88) and 13th in goals per game (1.19).
Dariane Jones, so., mid.: Jones also put her name into the record books during the Pacers' regular season finale. She broke a 12-year school record with her 12th assist of the season. Jones also ranked third all-time at Marywood with 40 points this season. The Kutztown transfer has scored 14 times this season. She is tied for fourth in goals and ranks second in assists in the Atlantic East. Nationally, Jones ranked seventh in assists per game (.75) and 23rd in goals per game (2.38).
Klaira Bievenour, gr., back: A holdover from Marywood's first Atlantic East championship, Bievenour is tied for third all-time with 13 career defensive saves. She has three defensive stops this season. Among active players, Bievenour is 15th in NCAA Division III in career defensive saves.
Lauren Youngken, jr., fwd./mid: A member of the NFHCA Division III Preseason Watch List, Youngken is tied for second all-time with 22 career assists. She has eight goals and eight assists on the season to match a career-best 24 points. Nationally, she ranks 37th in assists per game (.53). Among active Division III players, Youngken ranks 24th with .42 career assists per game.
Brie Sumner, jr., fwd.: Sumner scored two goals and an assist in the Pacers' 4-1 win over the Mighty Macs. She has nine goals and three assists on the season for 21 points — career highs in all three scoring categories.
Lauren Vandenbraak, sr., mid./fwd.: Vandenbraak is the Mighty Macs' leading scorer with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points. She had an assist in the Macs' loss to the Pacers. Vandenbraak scored the game-winning goal in overtime to advance over Gwynedd Mercy in the first round.
Lauren Buckel, sr., mid.: Buckel scored a second-minute goal to take a 1-0 lead over Marywood in their regular season meeting. She finished the season with four goals and an assist for nine points.
