ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – Senior captain Audrey Dickens' (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) fourth goal of the season came at the right time Wednesday night (Nov. 1), propelling the St. Mary's College of Maryland field hockey team to their third straight Atlantic East Conference Field Hockey Championship Tournament title game. Top-seeded St. Mary's College (12-5) edged No. 4 seed Cabrini University (9-9), 1-0, for a spot in Saturday's championship game.
 
St. Mary's will now take on No. 2 seed Marywood University (14-4) this Saturday, November 4, at the Jamie L. Roberts Stadium at 1 p.m. Marywood was a 2-0 winner over No. 3 seed Immaculata University in tonight's other semifinal matchup. During the regular season, the Seahawks picked up a 1-0 road win over Marywood on October 21 to clinch the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage.
 
Tickets for Saturday's contest will be $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, non-SMCM students with ID, and children aged 6 and up. SMCM faculty, staff, and students as well as children aged 5 and under get in for free.
 
How It Happened

• The first period witnessed just three shots and one penalty corner. St. Mary's generated two shots off the penalty corner, which were both blocked, while the Cavaliers' lone shot went wide.
• The shot and corner advantage in the second quarter favored Cabrini, 5-3 and 2-0, respectively; however, it was the Seahawks who landed on the scoreboard first.
• Dickens flicked in the rebound of a blocked shot for the eventual game-winning goal at 19:13.
• Cabrini brought the pressure following the Seahawk goal, earning back-to-back penalty corners and mustering up four shots in the final 10 minutes of the half. Two of the Cavalier shots were turned away by first-year Caroline McDonald (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) while another one was blocked and the other went wide of the cage.
• St. Mary's looked to notch an insurance goal in the third frame, putting up four shots in the first nine minutes. Courtney Keith denied two of the shots while the other two were blocked.
• The Cavaliers tested McDonald and the Seahawk defense in a four-second span as Caroline Gallagher and Adrianna Jones each put a shot on goal. McDonald took care of Gallagher's shot while Jones' attempt got past McDonald, but sophomore midfielder Josie Shermeyer (Harrisburg, Pa./East Pennsboro Area) cleared it off the goal line to keep Cabrini off the board.

 
Inside the Box Score

• St. Mary's tallied a 10-9 margin in shots; however, the Cavaliers posted a 9-5 margin for shots on goal.
• Cabrini also picked up a 3-2 edge in corners for the game.

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• This is Dickens' ninth career game-winning goal.
• McDonald picked up her fifth shutout of the season as she made three saves in the win.
• Shermeyer and junior captain Charlotte Horn (Schnecksville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) each collected a defensive save to preserve the team's seventh shutout victory of 2023.
• St. Mary's entered tonight's action ranked third in Region IV in the third NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, moving up a spot from last week's rankings.
• The Seahawks now own a 4-2 record against Cabrini. Tonight marks the first time St. Mary's has recorded consecutive wins over the Cavaliers since the series began in 2021. It is also the first time the Seahawks have beaten Cabrini in playoff action, having fallen to the Cavaliers in the 2021 and 2022 championship games.

 
Cabrini Game Notes

• Gallagher led the team with three shots while Keith finished the game with two saves.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Nov. 4 vs. No. 2 seed Marywood (14-4) – St. Mary's City, Md. (JLR Stadium) – 1 p.m.

 
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