Juniors Mari Creatini and Liane Dixon both scored, while classmate Diana Nelson made three great saves in net, as the ninth ranked Huskies won their third straight America East title with a 2-0 victory over Maine in the 2003 America East championship at Sweeney Field Sunday afternoon.
Northeastern (17-5) captured its ninth crown in the 14-year history of the America East. The three-year run is the second longest championship streak, as the Huskies won four straight titles from 1994-1997. NU is now 22-4 in conference postseason play and has won 11 straight games against America East teams. With the victory, the Huskies earn an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament, which will be their 13th appearance. The tournament pairings will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m.
"I'm just really proud of this team," said NU coach Cheryl Murtagh. "We knew Maine would be aggressive and a tough team to beat. They have a lot of seniors and played a strong game. I'm glad we were able to stick to our game plan and maintain possession of the ball. That second goal was key."
Dixon, the 2003 America East Tournament MVP, netted the second goal with 4:04 remaining in regulation to give the Huskies some breathing room after Maine had been threatening to tie the game in the NU zone. Senior Leigh Shea knocked a loose ball between a Black Bear defenders' legs to Dixon. Dixon took the ball, went around another defender, then sent a shot from 15-yards out inside the near post to ice the game.
With Maine trailing, 1-0, late in the second period, coach Terry Kix called a timeout. After the break, the Black Bears mounted a furious comeback, earning four straight penalty corners from the 12-minute mark until 7:30 remained. During that span, Nelson (three saves) made two point-blank stops on shots by Maine's Meagan Connolly and Emily Dooling on the rebound.
"It was hectic towards the end, but I told my defense to settle down and play our game, and we gutted it out and earned our three-peat," said Nelson, who recorded her ninth shutout of the season. "We played with a lot of heart and were determined to win." Creatini, who leads the country in scoring (72 points), put the Huskies up 1-0 with her 29th goal of the season. Freshman Whitney Shean had the ball at the right post and slid a pass to Creatini in front of the goal. Creatini took control of the ball then fired it into the back of the cage with 2:32 left before halftime.
In the first half, both teams goalies thwarted breakaway opportunities. Only 1:30 into the game, Maine's Rachael Hilgar stole the ball deep in the Husky end and raced in uncontested on Nelson. Nelson rushed out of the net and forced a Hilgar into a shot that sailed wide of the cage. With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Dixon stole the ball from a Maine defender and unleashed a shot just inside the circle, but Black Bear goalie Jaye Lance (three saves) made a sliding save to deny the effort.
"We're communicating well defensively and improving with every game," said junior Alli Bolster. "We're making smarter decisions and being patient. It's exciting going to the postseason." After the first 35 minutes, NU held a 3-1 advantage in shots and 6-2 edge in penalty corners. For the game, the Huskies outshot Maine, 5-3, and held a 9-7 penalty corner advantage.
2003 America East All-Tournament Team
Lindsey Domers, Boston University
Celeste Hubbard, Boston University
Sam Carr, New Hampshire
Christine Buckley, New Hampshire
Amie Dubois, Maine
Karly Bundy, Maine
Rebecca Ouellet, Maine
Sara Webber, Northeastern
Mari Creatini, Northeastern
Diana Nelson, Northeastern
Liane Dixon, Northeastern
2003 America East Most Valuable Player
Liane Dixon, Northeastern
Maine (15-6) vs. Goals by period 1 2 Tot
Northeastern (17-5) -------------------------------
Date: Nov 09, 2003 Attendance: 359 Maine............... 0 0 - 0
Weather: Clear skies, high 30's Northeastern........ 1 1 - 2
Maine Northeastern
Pos # Player Sh G A DS Pos # Player Sh G A DS
----------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
G 42 Jaye Lance.......... - - - - G 77 Diana Nelson........ - - - -
F 4 Emily Dooling....... 1 - - - F 3 Sara Webber......... - - - -
F 5 Karly Bundy......... - - - - F 4 Liane Dixon......... 2 1 - -
B 6 Meagan Connolly..... 1 - - - B 5 Leigh Shea.......... - - - -
F 8 Jana Ouellette...... - - - - F 9 Mari Creatini....... 3 1 - -
F 9 Rachael Hilgar...... - - - - B 15 Melissa Rowell...... - - - -
M 10 Amie Dubois......... - - - - M 19 Jay Quinn........... - - - -
B 12 Liz Mendell......... - - - - B 20 Alli Bolster........ - - - -
B 13 Rebecca Ouellet..... - - - - B 22 Lauren Edelmeier.... - - - -
F 22 Traci Rainone....... - - - - M 24 Whitney Shean....... - - 1 -
B 23 Karyn Magno......... 1 - - - B 27 Megan Troxel........ - - - -
---------- Substitutes ---------- ---------- Substitutes ----------
2 Shaunessy Saucier... - - - - 10 Sarah Eckhoff....... - - - -
25 Kasey Spencer....... - - - - 14 Natalie Singelais... - - - -
Totals.............. 3 0 0 0 26 Joy Earley.......... - - - -
Totals.............. 5 2 1 0
Maine Northeastern
# Player MIN GA Saves # Player MIN GA Saves
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
42 Jaye Lance.......... 70:00 2 3 77 Diana Nelson........ 70:00 0 3
Shots by period 1 2 Tot Saves by period 1 2 Tot
------------------------------- -------------------------------
Maine............... 1 2 - 3 Maine............... 2 1 - 3
Northeastern........ 3 2 - 5 Northeastern........ 1 2 - 3
Penalty corners 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
Maine............... 2 5 - 7
Northeastern........ 6 3 - 9
SCORING SUMMARY:
GOAL Time Team Goal Scorer Assists Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 32:28 NU Mari Creatini (29) Whitney Shean
2. 65:56 NU Liane Dixon (12) Unassisted
