By Peter Conroy
Liane Dixon chose the right time to catch fire.
The junior forward scored three goals in two games as the field hockey team downed Boston University (3-1) and Maine (2-0) to win their third straight America East championship. Dixon was named America East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for her efforts.
The Huskies continue their stranglehold on conference championships, having won nine of the 14 since the AE’s inception. They have also won their last 11 AE games.
“It’s a great win,” said coach Cheryl Murtagh after her squad knocked off Maine to take the crown. “The America East is a tough tournament; we knew it was going to be a battle.”
With a first place finish in the America East, the Huskies earned an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.
Northeastern, the third seed, will travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on second seeded UConn, whom they defeated 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA’s last year.
Earlier in the week, the Huskies were showered with conference awards, with Mari Creatini and Leigh Shea taking respective America East Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Cheryl Murtagh was named AE Coach of the Year.
Creatini, who still holds the nation’s top spot in goals, goals per game, points and points per game, opened the scoring Sunday in the championship game. Whitney Shean dug out a rebound from a Sara Webber penalty corner shot and slid the ball across Creatini, who deposited it into the open net.
The second half began with the Huskies leading 1-0, but the Black Bears weren’t ready to roll over.
NU had to weather a span of four Maine corners, which included a save by Diana Nelson and a blocked shot by Shea.
The Huskies called a timeout to regroup after the onslaught, a move that paid off when Dixon scored her final goal of the tournament, putting the final nail in the Black Bear coffin.
Dixon received a pass from Shea, beat a defender and rifled a shot from 16 yards out, beating goalie Jaye Lance to the far side.
“I’ve been satisfied with my play in the past, but I knew I had to step it up in the postseason,” said Dixon, whose three goal tournament moves her into a tie for fifth in the AE’s goal scoring leaders.
Nelson had only three saves in the shutout, but all three were on difficult shots. The junior also thwarted a Black Bear forward on a breakaway, shadowing her across the goal and forcing a shot that went wide. That breakaway came two minutes into the opening whistle, and could have drastically changed the game’s momentum.
The Huskies met BU Friday, two weeks after pulling out a tough, 1-0 overtime victory at home.
NU dominated the first half, notching a pair of goals and holding a 5-0 lead in penalty corners.
Dixon drew first blood when she redirected a Jay Quinn pass at the near post with 6:46 left before halftime.
The Huskies struck again five minutes later when senior captain Melissa Rowell gathered her own rebound off a penalty corner shot and found the back of the net. Dixon, stationed at the near post, was originally given credit for the goal, but cleared the record after the game.
“Melissa had the second goal,” she said. “I was just surveying it to make sure it went in.”
The Terriers weren’t finished though, and broke Northeastern’s six game shutout streak of AE opponents on a highly questionable call in the opening minutes of the second half.
Whitney Peabody took a top-spin shot off a BU penalty corner which rose to waist level (a dangerous play foul) and bounced over Nelson’s stacked-pad save attempt. No penalty was called, and the Terriers reduced Northeastern’s lead to 2-1.
Dixon once again put the game out of reach for the Huskies, when she received a pass from Creatini and buried it to put NU up by the eventual final margin of 3-1.
