Field hockey wins national championship

All season long, the field hockey team meticulously practiced penalty corners. That effort paid off in the ultimate prize when the Lions scored a pair of goals off penalty corners en route to a 3–1 win in the NCAA Division III championship game.

Words by TCNJ's editorial staff

All season long, the field hockey team meticulously practiced penalty corners. That effort paid off in the ultimate prize when the Lions scored a pair of goals off penalty corners en route to a 3–1 win over Middlebury College in the NCAA Division III championship game in November. It was the program’s 10th NCAA title overall. Senior goalkeeper Shannon Syciarz was named the tournament’s most valuable player, finishing with a whopping .979 save percentage with a miniscule 0.25 goals against-average with three shutouts. Joining Syciarz on the all-tournament team were senior Alex Okuniewicz and juniors Camille Passucci and Kathleen Notos. “This team has a great feel of what a national championship team is made of, and they played championship smart the whole tournament,” Head Coach Sharon Pfluger ’82 said after the win. The team finished the year 24–2, riding a 14-game winning streak. How does that winning streak stack up against others in Lions’ sports history? Click here to find out.