Next Stop: NCAA Tournament

Before the season even started, Junior Captain Amy MacDonald (Hull, MA) stated that she "always thinks about that game," talking about the game that ended their 2013 season, which was a 8-6 loss against Eastern Connecticut State University.

MacDonald, and the rest of the Panthers no longer have to think about the nightmare of that game, or other postseason losses, as they captured the Little East Conference post-season title with a 8-4 win over Keene State University.

The journey to get to the LEC Championship game has featured a number of crazy, unexpected, and turbulent turns since that loss back in May of 2013. With the loss of a number of key players that were on last season's team that went 12-3 overall, and 6-0 in conference play, the possibility of having a successful 2014 season didn't appear impossible, but wasn't likely.

Upon losing tough conference match-ups to Western Connecticut State University as well as Keene State College, the Panthers were exactly where they wanted to be.

Not many teams would find themselves to be fortunate to lose a couple of conference games towards the end of their regular season, but PSU was able to develop a chip on their shoulder that ultimately propelled them to a conference championship. The two losses against WCSU and KSC put PSU as the three-seed, but because six teams make the LEC tournament, the Panthers wouldn't have a bye in their schedule.

Defeating Rhode Island College in the first round of the playoffs didn't come as any surprise to the Panthers, as they defeated the same team 19-4 only three days prior. The 17-5 win in the Little East Tournament was the program's first playoff win since 2009 when there weren't any members of the current Panthers (between both players and coaches) on the roster.

Heading into a Friday matinee against Western Connecticut State University, Plymouth knew that they had the ability to defeat a Colonial team that got the better of them only 13 days ago. A quiet confidence from the players was apparent on the overnight journey down to Danbury, as the focus was at an all-time high.

The Panthers came out scoring three of the first four goals behind MacDonald, Molly Gleason (Haverhill, MA), and freshman Kaitlyn Wilder (Framingham, MA). Just as it seemed that PSU was going to be on their way to a win, West Conn scored two of the next three goals to cut the lead to 4-3. The Junior Captain Gleason would not be denied on this day, as she scored two more goals to put PSU up 9-3.

Holding a 9-5 lead with about four minutes left in the first half, MacDonald, and the rest of the Panthers, put the thought of pondering this game into the offseason to an afterthought, as they scored the next 11 (yes, thats correct) goals.

Senior Captain Lorin Field (Hollis, N.H.) stopped 15 of the 20 shots she faced in net to allow the Panthers a dominant performance on both sides of the field.

Of course, teams don't play to come in second place, and this team was no different.

With Keene State having beaten the University of Southern Maine in the other LEC Semifinal game, the stage was set; who else would a team rather play then their in-state rival that they ABSOLUTELY despise?

Yet again, the approximately 90-mile bus ride was quiet, with players focused on the game at hand, as well as the scouting report for the Owls of Keene State.

Once the first draw occurred in the game, the battle had only just begun for both teams. Only 66 seconds into the contest, MacDonald scored to give PSU an early 1-0 lead. Despite three of the next four goals being scored by Keene State, the turning point of the game occurred with only four seconds left in the first half when freshman Caroline Vonachen (Framingham, MA) was fouled.

A free-position shot was awarded to the player who had scored 34 goals coming into the game. Vonachen buried the shot into the back of the net that was as sweet as any other one this season. This goal not only tied the game back up, but also gave the Panthers the clear momentum advantage heading into the second half.

1:45 into the second half, Wilder scored a goal after Shannon Connerty (Nashua, N.H.) dished out her 24^th assist of the season. Field then had three consecutive saves on shots from Keene, but the Owls were able to tie the game back up at four with 23:40 left in the second half.

After three more saves from Field, knowing that they needed a goal, Connerty found the back of the net to give the Panthers a 5-4 lead upon a pass from MacDonald. The next five minutes of the game featured tremendous defensive efforts from Field, Megan Lunetta (Plymouth, MA), and Rachel Fistori (Medford, MA), and Connerty was able to score her second goal of the game with 12:13 left in the game. Lunetta forced her fourth turnover of the game, and a ground ball by Allie Gonyea (Auburn, N.H.) led to a Fistori goal that was ultimately the backbreaker for Keene.

Field had three more saves to wrap-up the game, as well as a ground ball and a cause turnover in the last 8:43 of the game. Jordyn Godfrey's (Glenville, N.Y.) 22^nd goal of the season gave PSU an 8-4 lead that ultimately ended up being the final score.

Upon winning the Little East Conference postseason tournament for the first time since 2006, the jubilation by the Panthers was quite a sight, as there is no sweeter feeling then being able to celebrate a win by not only ending your rival's season, but on their home-field (or turf) as well.

While the win is undoubtedly the biggest one in the program over the past decade, Head Coach Kristin Tracy told her team that they weren't done yet. "We have only begun our journey," Tracy announced to her team. Tracy also stressed to her team that "No one can ever take this championship away from you, don't ever forget that!"

The end of the Little East Conference tournament only means the start of an even bigger dance: the NCAA Division III tournament. Upon getting back to campus on Sunday night, the Panthers found out that they would be playing Colby College on Saturday (May 10) night.

Of the 15 opponents that the Colby White Mules played and the 16 games the PSU Panthers have played, there have only been two common opponents for both teams. Both teams have played the University of New England (which PSU lost to 18-12 on Mar. 4, while Colby won 18-6 on Apr. 1), as well as the University of Southern Maine (which Colby defeated 21-4 on Mar. 11 and PSU beat 17-6 on Apr. 23).

While it may be easy to write the Panthers off and say they don't have a chance to beat Colby, they have at least one thing that is greater than that of Colby, and that is heart. This may not account for anything on the scoreboard, but PSU has bought into the various things that Tracy, Kristen Guest, and Conor Davis have stressed all season.

Once you get this far into the postseason, you only need a few things to truly separate from other teams: a strong and mentally tough goalie (Lorin Field has stopped 74% of the shots thrown at her the past five games), a balanced attack (seven players with 18+ goals), and the belief that they can do it.

PSU will look to continue to ride the 2014 season for as long as they can, and the belief that they can ride this wave into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on May 25 for a national championship will continue to be the motto that the team follows.