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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Senior tri-captain Beth Sullivan converted a penalty stroke with 4:04 remaining in the second overtime period to give top-seeded University of New England a thrilling 4-3 win over third-seeded Endicott College in the finals of the 2014 Commonwealth Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship on Saturday (Nov. 8) at the Big Blue Turf.

UNE (16-6), which won its second CCC title in the last five years, will learn its fate Sunday evening when the field of 24 for the NCAA III National Championship is announced at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Gulls (16-5) were making their third appearance in the championship game over the last four seasons.

The Nor'easters were awarded a penalty stroke when a shot by a UNE player had struck the foot of an Endicott defender on the goal line. Sullivan converted the opportunity, lifting a high shot into the left side of the cage to give Big Blue the hard-fought victory.

Endicott had rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes to force overtime. Trailing 3-1, the Gulls cut their deficit in half in the 61st minute when senior Kathryn Walker knocked in a rebound after UNE sophomore goalkeeper Holly Smith had made three consecutive saves in a span of less than 10 seconds.

The Gulls would continue to press, eventually scoring the equalizer with 1:02 on the clock. CCC Offensive Player of the Year Emily Sawchuk drove home a shot off of a penalty corner, with the insertion coming from senior Elizabeth LeClair.

Endicott had several quality scoring chances before the close of regulation, but Smith came up with big stop off a Sawchuk bid with 0:24 left and a save of a shot by senior Ashleigh Allen on a penalty corner after time had expired.

In the extra time the Gulls had the better of play in the first 15-minute overtime period, out-shooting the Nor'easters by a 7-2 margin. UNE carried play in the final extra session, however, and nearly went home victorious in the 94th minute, but sophomore goalkeeper Cheka Ventura came well off her line to thwart a breakaway by UNE first-year Vonde Saunders.

It was Saunders who had figured prominently in Big Blue building its 3-1 advantage. After UNE first-year Alex Staples and Gull rookie Maggie Layo traded goals in the opening 10 minutes, Saunders stuffed home a shot from just in front of the cage to provide a 2-1 lead for the Nor'easters in the 27th minute.

UNE took that 2-1 margin into halftime after out-shooting Endicott 12-5 and forcing four penalty corners to the Gulls' one.

Saunders gave the Nor'easters some breathing room in the 50th minute, pushing in a rebound for her 12th goal of the season and setting the stage for the Gulls' furious comeback in the last 10 minutes.

Smith finished with 14 saves for the Nor'easters, with all but two of those coming after halftime. 

Ventura, the CCC Rookie of the Year, had a strong game in goal for Endicott, piling up 17 stops.

The Nor'easters' only other NCAA III Championship appearance came during the 2010 season when UNE came up short versus The College of New Jersey (4-0) in the opening round.


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Watch the post-game interview with Beth Sullivan, Vonde Saunders and Coach Danielle Collins