Field Hockey 11/3/2023 3:52:00 PM

Field Hockey Brings the Electric City to Saint Mary's for Atlantic East Championship

The second AEC finals appearance for the Pacers

Scranton, Pa. — Second-ranked Marywood University will compete in the Atlantic East Conference final Saturday, the first since 2019. The No.2 Pacers will travel to No.1 Saint Mary's College of Maryland at 1:00 P.M. The broadcast will be aired on the Atlantic East Network.

The Pacers advanced to the finals after squaring off and eliminating Immaculata in a 2-0 shutout. Cydney Lahr scored in the 17th minute, Lahr's goal officially broke the Pacers' single-season points record. She surpassed Leanne McManus' 2015 school record. Lauren Youngken also scored when she was awarded a penalty stroke, she buried the ball in the upper left corner of the cage. Leah Ewing tallied a clean sheet recording one save.

Marywood (14-4) has 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.

GAME NOTES VS. St. Mary's College (Md.)

SERIES HISTORY VS. St. Mary's: Since the 2021 season, Marywood holds a 0-4 record. Three of the four match-ups were determined by a lone point: 0-1, 2-3, 0-1.

LAST TIME OUT: Marywood fell in a close 0-1 game. In the 49th minute, Brenna Ziegler scored off a penalty corner when Jena Vanskiver ripped the ball from the top of the circle and Ziegler deflected the ball into the cage. The Pacers had five shots on goal, all of which were in the second half, the Seahawks had seven shots on goal. Marywood had a total of two penalty corners on the day compared to St Mary's 13. Ewing recorded five saves, Seahawks keeper Caroline McDonald recorded five as well.

HOW THE SEAHAWKS GOT HERE: The Seahawks (12-5) had a first round bye and matched-up against the Cabrini Cavaliers (9-9) Wednesday in the semifinal match. St.Mary's came out on top in the 1-0 game, senior Audrey Dickens was the hero for the Seahawks when she was able to deflect a shot into the cage. The Seahawks had 10 shots, with three being on target. The Cavs had nine shots, with five being on target. Cabrini also won the penalty corner match-up, 3-2.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Marywood looks to win 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 SEAHAWKS: St. Mary's opened up the season with a 2-1 victory over No.16 Washington and Lee. The other nationally ranked win was against No.17 Rowan in a 3-1 outcome. In conference play, St. Mary's has a 6-0 record, outscoring opponents 32-3. The Seahawks have faced five nationally ranked opponents where they hold a 2-3 record.
It is the third straight season the Seahawks had a first round bye in the Atlantic East tournament. St. Mary's fell to Cabrini last year in the tournament losing 3-0.

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 regular season with a 4-0 blanking of Neumann.

Players to Watch
Cydney Lahr, sr., fwd./mid.: Lahr now holds single-season record with her 48th point of the season. Lahr broke Leanne McManus' 2015 school record. She has six games this year with at least four points. She has 20 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.
Brenna Ziegler, so., fwd.: As a freshman for the Seahawks, Ziegler was named to the NFHCA All-Region IV Second Team. Ziegler is the team leader with 39 points, 15 goals, and nine assists. Two of her goals this year have been game winners. Zielger had the game winning goal against the Pacers in a 1-0 match.
Aubrey Dickens, sr., mid.: Dickens has four goals and five assists this season for St. Mary's. She has a SOG% of .618, three of her goals have been declared game winners, she scored the winning goal against Cabrini in the Atlantic East Conference semifinal.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Klaira Bievenour: B; 5' 4"; Graduate Student

#25 Brie Sumner: F; 5' 4"; Junior

#15 Lauren Youngken: F/M; 5' 4"; Junior

#3 Cydney Lahr: F/M; 5' 4"; Senior

#7 Dariane Jones: M; 5' 5"; Sophomore

#99 Leah Ewing: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#4 Klaira Bievenour
: 5' 4"; Graduate Student
: B

#25 Brie Sumner
: 5' 4"; Junior
: F

#15 Lauren Youngken
: 5' 4"; Junior
: F/M

#3 Cydney Lahr
: 5' 4"; Senior
: F/M

#7 Dariane Jones
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: M

#99 Leah Ewing
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

Marywood University Pacers

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned