Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-- The Skidmore College field hockey team shut out Alvernia College 2-0 in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Field Hockey championships Wednesday at Thoroughbred Field.

The 17th-ranked Thoroughbreds are 14-5 and will travel to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, to face the number-one Polar Bears in the regional semifinals at 11 a.m. Nov. 10.   SUNY Cortland and Rowan University will play in the other regional semifinal. The regional championship is set for Bowdoin on Sunday, Nov. 11. The national semifinals and finals are Nov. 16 and 17 at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa.

Alvernia finished its season at 16-6.

Skidmore struck early when Shaila DeLea (Cornish, Maine) sent a rebound to Casey Tang (Columbia, Md.), who made it 1-0 4:59 into the first half.

DeLea scored her team-high 14th goal of the season at 12:52 with a high shot on Alvernia goalie Audrey Hoffman (Mertztown, Pa.).  Anne Murphy (San Francisco, Calif.) assisted.

Each team had its chances in the second half, but both goalies proved unbeatable.  Hoffman had seven saves in the half and 11 for the game.

Skidmore freshman Liz Catinella (Sudbury, Mass.) had four saves in the second and six total.  Two of her second-half saves came on consecutive shots by Alvernia's Christy Miller.  She preserved her seventh shutout of the season with a big pad save on a rocket by Ashley Tatangelo with 21 minutes to play.

“We were well prepared from our conference competition last weekend," said Skidmore Coach Beth Hallenbeck. "The seniors understood the magnitude of hosting NCAAs and they stepped up and were great leaders.

"The combination of senior leadership and young-blood freshman seems to work for us," added Hallenbeck.

The trip to Maine will be a homecoming for DeLea, who credits the team's experience.

“It is to our advantage that we have a group of seniors who have played in the NCAA tournament before," she said.  "We came out with a lot of intensity throughout the whole game.  It was a complete team effort."

Alvernia (16-6) vs. SKIDMORE (14-5)

Goals by period           1  2  Tot

 -------------------------------

 Alvernia............        0  0 -  0

 SKIDMORE............     2  0 -  2

SCORING SUMMARY:

  1.   4:59 SKIDMORE Casey Tang (9) (Shaila DeLea)

  2.  12:52 SKIDMORE Shaila DeLea (14) (Anne Murphy)

 Shots: Alvernia 11, SKIDMORE 19

 Saves: Alvernia 11 (Audrey Hoffman 11), SKIDMORE 6 (Liz Catinella 6)