NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.- Junior forward Stephanie Kinchla (Falmouth, Mass.) scored three goals as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's field hockey team scored four times in a span of 23 minutes and 35 seconds in the first half and went on to defeat visiting Plymouth State, 5-0, in a first round Little East Conference playoff match at Cressy Field Tuesday evening.

The Panthers pressured the Corsairs early, and had the first five shots, all of which were repelled by UMD junior goalkeeper Seana Golden (Somerset, Mass.). UMass Dartmouth then took advantage of a penalty corner, as Kinchla tipped in a shot by freshman defender Taryn Cardiel (Moorpark, Calif.) to make it 1-0 at the 10:22 mark. Kinchla tipped home another Cardiel shot off a penalty corner at 25:24, fed freshman forward Erica Allan (Amherst, Mass.) off a rebound to make it 3-0 at 28:24, and scored the only goal of the second half, converting a pass from junior defender Becca Festinger (Greenfield, Mass.) after a rebound to cap the scoring with 1:53 remaining. Cardiel got the Corsairs' other goal, taking a pass from senior defender Laurie David (Yarmouthport, Mass.) with 1:12 to play in the first half.

"Any playoff game is going to be a big one, and this is one of the most intense years in our conference, with four teams in the championship with a 9-2 record," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Nicole Castonguay. "The best way to respond to a loss is to put it into high gear, and some of our players weren't satisfied with the way they played against Keene State, and we came out on fire tonight. Our defense played well, and we are taking it one game at a time, and taking advantage of our opportunities. We feel very comfortable playing at home, and we stepped up tonight when it counted."

The Corsairs out shot the Panthers, 17-15. Golden made 13 saves for UMD, while sophomore goalkeeper Elyse Sedgley (Hopkinton, N.H.) made eight stops for PSU.

UMass Dartmouth improved to 13-6 with the victory, while Plymouth State dropped to 6-6 with the defeat. The Corsairs will host Fitchburg State in a semi-final match Thursday. The match was the final competition of the season for Plymouth State.

"We're a different team now (than the first time UMD played Fitchburg State), and Fitchburg is going to give us a different look," said Castonguay. "We expect it to be a good match."
 
                                                UMASS DARTMOUTH FIELD HOCKEY