Fredericksburg, Va. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland field hockey team scored first but allowed five unanswered goals as No. 5 University of Mary Washington posted a 5-1 victory in semifinal action of the 2012 Capital Athletic Conference Field Hockey Championship Tournament Thursday afternoon.

The loss brings fifth-seeded St. Mary's campaign to an end with an 8-8 overall record while top-seeded Mary Washington will host the winner of second-seeded Salisbury University and third-seeded Wesley College in Saturday's conference final at 2:00 pm.  This was St. Mary's first appearance in the CAC semifinals since 2010.

The Seahawks came out on fire as St. Mary's struck first at 3:21 off a penalty corner deflection.  Senior defender Ali McIntosh (Stevensville, Md./Kent Island) changed the direction of first-year defender Ally Dahlen's (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) shot just enough to slip it past senior goalkeeper Claire Gianelle (Salisbury, Md./Parkside) for the 1-0 SMCM lead.

Mary Washington (17-1) scored three times on nine shots in the first half to own a 3-1 advantage at halftime.  Senior midfielder Florence George (Virginia Beach, Va.) notched equalizer at 10:12 followed by junior forward Caitlin Baker's (Falls Church, Va.) first goal of the afternoon to give the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish.  Baker picked up her second of the game at 29:12 off an assist from George for the 3-1 UMW lead at intermission.

The Eagles posted a 10-1 shot advantage in the second 35 minutes of the contest as senior midfielder Lisa Charney (Fairfax, Va.) converted on a penalty stroke at 38:56 and first-year forward Jenna Steele (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) tallied an unassisted goal at 43:52 for the final score of the day.

The hosts finished with a 19-4 shot margin as well as a 22-2 penalty corner advantage.

Sophomore goalie Christy Bishop (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg) turned away three shots in 44 minutes while junior Ana Wash (Yorktown, Va./York) and first-year Shannon Flanagan (Crofton, Md./South River) finished out the final 26 minutes of action, each making one save.  Junior midfielder Rachel Heiss (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) aided the defensive effort with a defensive save.

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