Interactive Tournament Bracket 

BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Endicott field hockey team lost a heartbreaker, 1-0, in overtime to the University of New England in the 2015 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Saturday afternoon at the Big Blue Turf.

Sophomore midfielder Hannah Buckley (Leominster, Mass.) was the hero today as she connected on a ball she collected off multiple rebounds to score the game-winning goal for UNE in the 81st minute and sent the Nor'easters storming onto the field to celebrate their back-to-back CCC titles.

UNE out-shot the Gulls, 17-12, on the day, including a 5-3 advantage in overtime.

With the loss, Endicott had a four-game win streak snapped and fell to 11-10 overall, while the University of New England (16-6) will move on to the First Round of the 2015 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament beginning on Wednesday, November 11.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott and UNE met for the fourth time is postseason history today and the third time in the CCC Championship. The Nor'easters are 2-1 in title games versus the Gulls, winning back-to-back championships over Endicott with today's 1-0 (OT) and last season's 4-3 (2 OT) victories.
• Today's game saw another overtime battle between the two teams, as four of the last six meetings have gone to an extra session.
• Today's game saw the two teams battle to their eighth overtime (including three double-overtime) decision in the all-time series.
• The last seven games between these two teams have been decided by one goal.
• Junior goalkeeper Cheka Ventura (Lawrence, Mass.) (2-1) made 10 stops for the Gulls as she suffered her first loss in her fourth start of the season for Endicott.
• Freshman forward All-CCC Second Team/ Co-Rookie of the Year Sophia Cogliano (Saugus, Mass.) paced the Gulls with six shots (five on goal).
• The Gulls have never won on the Big Blue Turf since it opened in August 2010.

FOR THE FOES

• Buckley was the hero today as she scored her third goal of the season en route to a championship celebration for UNE.
• Junior goalkeeper Holly Smith (Peabody, Mass.) made eight saves as she improved to 16-6 on the year and posted her seventh shutout of the season.
• All-CCC First Team junior forward Nicole Matarozzo (Wolfeboro, N.H.) led the Nor'easters with seven shots (five on goal).

NOTES

• The Gulls and Nor'easters met twice in the regular season, as UNE swept the season series, defeating the Gulls, 3-2 in overtime at North Field on September 22 and again at home on October 14 by a score of 2-1.
• Endicott is 11-11 all-time against UNE dating back to the 2003 season, though the Gulls have lost five straight and eight of the last nine against the Nor'easters.
• The Gulls have made the CCC Tournament in every season since joining the conference in 1999, with appearances in the conference championship in now 11 of 17 seasons.
• The Gulls won ECAC Championships in 2006 and 2008 and hoisted the conference championship trophy with back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012 to earn two NCAA First Round appearances. Nine-year head coach Jodi Cipolla has led the Gulls to a 114-70 overall record in her tenure .
• The University of New England, ranked No. 3 in the latest NCAA New England Region poll, is no stranger to the CCC Championship, as the team has appeared in the title game in three consecutive seasons and successfully defended their 2014 banner. 
• UNE has competed in the conference championship in five of the past six seasons, and won three times (2015, 2014, 2010).  
• In their previous head-to-head playoff history, the Nor'easters celebrated a 4-3 (2 OT) win Nov. 8, 2014 at the Big Blue Turf. The Gulls defeated UNE 2-1 in overtime on November 4 in Beverly, Mass. to claim the 2011 crown. UNE won 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 15, 2009 in the ECAC Division III New England Semifinal in Biddeford, Maine.

• Special note: The Endicott field hockey archive only dates back to 2003, so all-time results vs. an opponent may be slightly off.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 3 seed Endicott (11-10) sees its season come to an end.

No. 1 seed University of New England (16-6) earned the conference's automatic bid into the 2015 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament. The First Round begins Wednesday, November 11. 

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