Springfield, Mass. (October 21) -- Junior Sam Rowe (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored in overtime to lift Saint Anselm to a thrilling 2-1 victory over American International on Sunday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference field hockey action. The Hawks advance to the postseason for the first time in the program's history and will take on third-seeded Bryant on Wednesday in the first round of the Northeast-10 Tournament.

AIC took the lead at the 32:03 mark on a goal by Nicole Phelps for the 1-0 lead. Phelps redirected the initial shot past Saint Anselm goalie Riley Haddock (Falmouth, Maine) for the early advantage. The Yellow Jackets held the lead until the final 10 minutes of regulation before Maggie Dwyer (Elkridge, Md.) fired home her first goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1 at the 60:50 mark. 

The two teams then headed into overtime, with Saint Anselm dominating the extra period from the outset with a 7-1 shot advantage. The Hawks picked up their school-record eighth win of the season on a breakaway goal by Rowe at the 77:12 mark for her team-leading fifth goal of the season and her third game-winning score. Assisting on the goal was junior Laura Urko (Attleboro, Mass.).

Haddock made 14 saves to pick up her third straight win, while Cindy Armand made 10 saves in the loss.

Saint Anselm, under the direction of first-year head coach Kathryn Gaudreau, is now 8-9 overall and 8-8  in the Northeast-10. The Hawks, seeded sixth in the NE-10 Tournament, will take on third-seeded Bryant University on Wednesday in Smithfield, R.I. Time is to be determined.