Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

Boxscore

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –Kim Schlezes posted a goal with less than four minutes remaining in the first overtime period to carry the No. 16-ranked University of Delaware field hockey team into the Colonial Athletic Association finals with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 James Madison on Saturday at Drexel's Buckley Field.

With the victory, the Blue Hens advance to the CAA finals where they will face top-seed Drexel, who posted a 5-1 win over Hofstra in the first semifinal on Saturday.  Delaware (13-5) last advanced to the finals in 2004 when the team captured the conference championship.

After falling behind early in the first half, Delaware remained unfazed and battled relentlessly. Rachel Schexnayder knotted the game at 57:25 in the second period before Schlezes (at right) completed the late-game heroics.

In overtime, Delaware had several early opportunities, including a breakaway by Howard that was shut down by James Madison goalie Kelsey Cutchins. The All-Conference keeper also batted away a blast by Schlezes off a penalty corner to keep the game going.

The Blue Hens continued its overtime onslaught and kept the pressure on James Madison. Eventually, the attack paid off as Kayla Schweitzer found Schlezes, who made a nice move before firing a one-timer past a diving Cutchins to clinch the come-from-behind victory.

Delaware dominated throughout most of the contest, out-shooting James Madison, 17-7, while also holding an incredible 11-2 advantage in penalty corners.

In the early going, the Blue Hens were the aggressor from the start. Amanda McCardell ripped the first shot of the game after finding a hole in the Drexel defense before firing a shot just wide.

After staving off a few Delaware attacks, James Madison responded. With 25:06 remaining in the first half, Vivienne Konijnedijk momentarily broke free just long enough to find Meghan Bain in front of the cage. The Duke forward quickly capitalized, punching a shot past Noelle Diana to stake the squad a 1-0 lead.

With Delaware behind by one, Schlezes stepped up the attack for the Hens. She made a nice centering pass across the UD zone that barely missed Howard’s stick in front of the cage. Later, Schlezes’ persistent pressure resulted in a Dukes turnover in the UD zone, but the resulting shot went wide left.

The Hens kept up the attack in the waning moments of the opening period, unloading a flurry of shots around the three-minute mark. Despite the offense’s best efforts, the Duke defense, led by Cutchins, kept the squad off the board.

After halftime, James Madison looked to be in prime position to extend their advantage after a Duke forward broke free from the Delaware defense while chasing a loose ball. Noelle Diana was up to the challenge, however, as the sophomore keeper kicked away the attack.

Soon after, Delaware finally broke through. After a scrum in front of the cage, Howard corralled a loose ball and found Schexnayder. The senior standout uncorked a shot that found an opening and knotted the game at one.

During the remainder of regulation, both teams earned a slew of penalty corners, but every attempt was all for naught. Cutchins held tough for James Madison, swatting away three shots, including a pair of blasts by Michelle Drummonds. The Delaware defense was just as stingy, shutting down a pair of JMU corners to set up the overtime victory.