Box Score   |  CAA Standings

BOSTON—The Northeastern field hockey team took a major step toward securing a spot in the Colonial Athletic Association championship tournament with a 3-2 victory over William & Mary on Friday night in Williamsburg, Va.

The Huskies (7-11, 3-2 CAA) and Tribe (7-10, 2-3) entered the crucial showdown locked in a three-way tie with Hofstra for third place in the conference standings. The top four teams advance to the conference tournament. The Friday night win moves NU into sole possession of third place with a 3-2 CAA record with one game remaining. W&M drops to fifth at 2-3. Hofstra's game at James Madison was still in progress at press time.

Senior Lindsay Bennett did everything she could on Friday night to assure her team of victory. The Kansas City, Mo., native scored all three Northeastern goals to run her season total to 10.

Bennett sparked an early 2-0 NU lead with goals at the five and seven-minute marks. She scored the opening goal — her eighth of the season — when she redirected a shot from Caroline Judge. Judge rifled a ball from outside the area and Bennett made a cut near the goal and tipped the attempt past W&M goalie Cate Johnson.

Just one minute and 40 seconds later, Bennett again struck for the Huskies, as she cut in from the right side and buried a shot off an assist from Natalie Stewart to give NU a 2-0 lead.

Northeastern maintained the two-goal advantage until the 16-minute mark, when William & Mary's Taylor Hodge fed a hard pass to Jesse Ebner, who punched it in on the left side.

Just over four minutes later, the Tribe leveled the score on a goal by Taylor Gladey. Pippin Saunders fed a pass to the right post, which Gladey converted from close range.

The teams closed the first 35 minutes of action deadlocked, thanks in part to four saves by NU's Becky Garner. The Tribe owned a 6-1 advantage in corners and a 6-2 edge in shots at the half.

The first 20 minutes of the second period featured level play until Bennett struck for the hat trick when she cleaned up a rebound and pushed it into the left side for what proved to be the game-winner.

Northeastern limited W&M to two shots — one blocked and one wide — over the final 13 minutes of play to secure the victory.

Northeastern will conclude regular-season play on Sunday at 1 p.m., at James Madison. The Dukes entered the weekend in sixth-place with a 1-3 CAA record (8-8 overall). Meanwhile, Hofstra will visit William & Mary in a game that will have postseason implications.