Visiting Bloomsburg withstood a second-half threat from Massachusetts-Lowell to capture the Division II Field Hockey Championship with a 4-1 win November 9. The title was the eighth for Bloomsburg and its second straight.

Bloomsburg head coach Jan Hutchinson said she knew her Huskies would have to play up to their potential to subdue the speedy River Hawks. The two teams had met in October, with Bloomsburg taking a 4-0 win.

"I knew they would play better than when we played them only a few weeks ago," she said. "They were very fast and very skilled."

Hutchinson's team scored first when Stephanie Beck redirected a shot by Elyce Morring. Just before halftime, the Huskies doubled their lead after Shanna Fritz successfully executed a rebound shot.

The River Hawks, making their first championship-game appearance, mounted a charge in the second half. Martha Marsden cut the lead to one with her eighth goal of the season.

"At that point, I thought the game could have gone either way," Hutchinson said. "It was good to see that our kids came back and got the critical third goal."

That third goal and a fourth came from Kristy Kropa and Sheila Zilinksi, respectively, even as Massachusetts-Lowell put the pressure on to pull even with Bloomsburg.

Shannon Hlebichuk, second-year head coach at Massachusetts-Lowell, said she was proud of her team's effort.

"Bloomsburg is a perennial national power," she said. "My team responded well to the pressure, but there is no question that the better team won. Bloomsburg is the most skilled program that we've seen all year, and we're proud to have played as well as we did against them."

The River Hawks' lone goal was the first allowed by the Huskies in a national championship contest since a 4-3 overtime victory against Lock Haven in 1998. The goal also was the first to elude Bloomsburg goalkeeper Jamie Hartman in more than 306 minutes of action. The score also was the first by Massachusetts-Lowell against Bloomsburg since September 14, 1996.

Massachusetts-Lowell earned a berth in the title game by downing Bryant, 1-0, in semifinal action and closed the season with a 16-7 mark. Bloomsburg, which finished 22-2, won the right to defend its crown by beating Shippensburg, 3-0.

Joining Bloomsburg's Zilinski and Fritz on the all-tournament team were fellow Huskies Alison Poff, Erin McConnell and Sharla Partlon. Massachusetts-Lowell's Marsden, Patrice Mendoza, Josselyn Mroz and Joanna DaLuze also made the team, as did Heidi Chirigotis of Bryant and Kelly Stewart of Shippensburg.

Semifinals

Second half: ML -- Alysia Morgan (unassisted), 57:55.

Shots: Mass.-Lowell 9, Bryant 17; Goalkeeper saves: Mass.-Lowell (Patrice Mendoza) 5, Bryant (Kristen Patat) 5. Penalty corners: Mass.-Lowell 11, Bryant 13.

First half: B -- Kristy Kropa (Sheila Zilinski), 34:59.

Second half: B -- Shanna Fritz, 38:26; Stephanie Beck (Zilinski), 42:40.

Shots: Bloomsburg 12, Shippensburg 11; Goalkeeper saves: Bloomsburg (Jamie Hartman) 1, Shippensburg (Nora Luchansky) 3. Penalty corners: Bloomsburg 7, Shippensburg 11.

Championship

First half: B -- Stephanie Beck (Elyce Morring), 12:13; B -- Shanna Fritz (unassisted), 33:19.

Second half: ML -- Martha Marsden (Courtney Hill), 36:50; B -- Kristy Kropa (Alison Poff), 51:29; B -- Sheila Zilinski, 69:02.

Shots: Bloomsburg 28, Mass.-Lowell 2. Goalkeeper saves: Bloomsburg (Jamie Hartman) 1, Mass.-Lowell (Patrice Mendoza) 12. Penalty corners: Bloomsburg 14, Mass.-Lowell 3.