West Chester defeats Saint Anselm 2-1 for the 2019 DII field hockey championship

West Chester defeated Saint Anselm in a 2-1 thriller from Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville, Penn. to claim the 2019 DII field hockey national championship. It is the third national title for the Golden Rams at the DII level. 

It was a battle of two opposing forces. West Chester entered the match with one of the top offenses in DII field hockey, while Saint Anselm had allowed just four goals all season. The Hawks had 20 wins and every one of them was a shutout. 

2019 TOURNAMENT: Interactive bracket | Printable bracket 

The Golden Rams had a two-goal first quarter — a feat only one other team had accomplished against Saint Anselm all season — and it turned out to be enough. Saint Anselm had its chances but fell just short of capturing the first national championship in school history.

It is West Chester's third national title in its DII history. The Golden Rams are your 2019 DII field hockey champions. 

2019 DII field hockey championship: Recap from Millersville

FINAL | West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1

And that's a wrap from Millersville. West Chester is your 2019 DII field hockey national champions. It is the program's third title, all under head coach Amy Cohen. The Golden Rams are the ninth-consecutive PSAC team to earn the national championship. 

West Chester finishes the season 20-1 and your 2019 champs!

3:30 | Q4 |  West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1

Saint Anselm's attack was furious, forcing a corner, but PSAC freshman of the year Claire Nielsen makes a big save and clears it for West Chester. Time is running out for the Hawks.

7:00 | Q4 | West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1

About halfway through the final period. Saint Anselm has been applying some pressure but West Chester has been able to escape, clinging to the one-point lead. 

END Q3 | West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1

A quiet period for both teams. West Chester had a couple of shots but that was about all the offense that both teams could muster. 

We are 15 minutes away from a champion. Will Saint Anselm win its first title in school history, or will the Golden Rams bring the trophy back to West Chester for the first time in six years? 

HALFTIME | West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1

Saint Anselm was able to tighten up its tough defense and shut down West Chester in the second quarter. The Hawks were able to finally get some pressure on the Golden Rams net with two corners in the final minute. The first corner was successfully thwarted by West Chester's keeper Claire Nielsen, but the Hawks attack was too much on the second attack. Maeve Murphy put it in for Saint Anselm with just seven ticks left in the half.

Folks, we have ourselves a ballgame. Stay tuned, second half coming up. 

End Q1 | West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 0

Katie Thompson added on another goal 11:22 into the first quarter to give West Chester a huge 2-0 lead early on. It is the first time Saint Anselm has allowed two goals in the same period since the third quarter all the way back on October 6 against Lindenwood. It's just the second time all season that's happened against the Hawks defense. 

A lot of time left, but a two-goal lead is a big cushion for West Chester's high-powered offense. 

6:21 | Q1 | West Chester 1, Saint Anselm 0

WEST CHESTER GOAL!

Kat Roncoroni fires at the net and Marre Corver gets a stick on it to get it past Julia Hand. West Chester goes up 1-0 on the Hawks — who allowed just four goals all season entering the match. Roncoroni and Corver were the offensive heroes in Friday's semifinal, scoring each of the Golden Rams goals. 

Pregame | 12:55

The sun is shining at Biemesderfer Stadium and it's a brisk day in the 40s. That means perfect championship weather! 

Earlier this season, we looked at three teams that could end Shippensburg's run of three straight titles. Two of those teams are standing on the field right now.

LOOK BACK: Preseason predictions — 3 teams that can end the Raiders title run

• West Chester earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic region for a second straight season. Last year, the Golden Rams were bumped in the semifinals by Shippensburg on the way to their third national championship in as many years. This year, West Chester went 18-0 until falling to Kutztown in the PSAC semifinals. A semifinals rematch could lay ahead should the Golden Bears prevail over Southern New Hampshire in the first round.
• Saint Anselm won its first NE10 postseason title as part of a 19-win season, giving the Hawks the top seed in the East. But get this: all 19 wins were shutouts. The Hawks lost just twice this season, once to Lindenwood in early October, and a second time to Assumption on Oct. 16. It's only fitting that a rematch could be awaiting in the semifinals against the Greyhounds.

• 2019 DII field hockey championship: How we got here

West Chester advanced by dominating the first 30 minutes of play. The Golden Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Kat Roncoroni and Marre Corver. Saint Anselm got the game-winner from Emily Bevens — her first of the year — in double-overtime. The Hawks now have 20 wins — all of which have been shutouts — and advance to their first national championship in program history.  

Two rounds of play are in the books. Both winners from the first round have been eliminated by the top two seeds. Here are the scores, so far. 

Finals, Sunday, Nov. 24, at Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville, Pennsylvania

• Game 5: West Chester 2, Saint Anselm 1 

Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 22, at Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville, Pennsylvania

• Game 3: West Chester 2, Kutztown 0
• Game 4: Saint Anselm 1, East Stroudsburg 0 (OT)

First round, Saturday, Nov. 16

• Game 1: Kutztown 1, Southern New Hampshire 0
• Game 2: East Stroudsburg 1, Assumption 0 

Here's what the bracket looks like (tap or click here to open the bracket in another window)

Watch Laura van der Doorn's amazing skills on this unbelievable goal

2019 DII field hockey championship history

Shippensburg will be on the outside looking in for the first time since 2015. The Raiders had won the last three titles, making West Chester the first different champion since in three years. 

HISTORY: Programs with the most titles in DII field hockey 

Here's the complete history of the DII field hockey championship game.