STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The LIU field hockey team led regular season and top-seeded Fairfield for 45 minutes in the Northeast Conference championship game Sunday afternoon, but fell in the end when the Stags scored three goals in 10 minutes to close out the game for the win.
 
Three Sharks were named to the All-Tournament team, as LIU finishes as the NEC runner-up for the second year in a row. Senior Rachel Vellis earned the nod for the second straight time. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Saarah Olton and Samantha Olton.
 
LIU scored first on a penalty corner just a minute and 36 seconds into the game. Sol Espona took the corner, and passed it to Emma Braeckmans, who found Saarah Olton. Olton shot and scored, putting LIU on the board, 1-0.
 
The Sharks held on to that lead for nearly 45 minutes. It wasn't until the fourth period that Fairfield was able to tie it up. A minute and 42 seconds into the period, the Stags scored their first goal of the game on a penalty corner, tying it up, 1-1. They would break the game open less 10 minutes later, scoring a second goal to go ahead. And in the 56th minute, Fairfield added one more to put the game out of reach, 3-1. Fairfield would hold on to win the NEC Championship four minutes later, ending LIU's season.
 
The Sharks finish the 2021 season with a 7-11 overall record, and 4-3 in the NEC.