ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – After a being absent from the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament a year ago, the York College field hockey team is heading to the semifinal round this year after picking up a 2-0 win at St. Mary's (Md.) on Sunday afternoon.

In its last three trips to the CAC Tournament, York (13-6) is now 2-1 against St. Mary's (10-7) and avenged a 2-0 defeat the Green and White suffered in 2012 to the Seahawks.

The Spartans got on the board at exactly the 16-minute mark when their second-leading scorer Autumn Mallory (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) put back a rebounded shot following a penalty corner.

York out-possessed the Seahawks throughout the first half and as a result took an 11-6 shot advantage into halftime.

YCP's mindset remained the same in the second half as the Spartans continued to attack St. Mary's with offensive pressure and as a result York put another tally on the board. For the second time in the game, York was able to capitalize on a penalty corner as Alexa Taylor (York, Pa./Red Lion) tipped in a hard shot from senior captain Katie Petrillo (Howell, N.J./Freehold Township).

The Spartans seemed to be hitting on all cylinders offensively and also put forth a superb defensive effort, led by a five-save shutout performance by freshman goalkeeper Jessica Everett (Windsor, Pa./Red Lion). Everett displayed great composure throughout the game as she continuously turned away the Seahawk attack on quality chances from close range.

The win today also avenges a loss to St. Mary's earlier in the season and displays how the young Spartan squad has grown and matured since that last meeting.

"Today we were able to start strong which is something we struggled with earlier in the year especially after long road trips like the one we had today," explained head coach Carly Zinn. "Having played them before we obviously knew their weakness and who to attack which definitely helped us have a strong performance today."

The win today sets up a date with No. 1 Salisbury on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Salisbury in the semifinal round of the CAC Tournament.

"The number one thing we need to do is focus on ourselves and focus on the things that we do best to put us in the best position to succeed against Salisbury," said Zinn. "As a coaching staff we will break down film and figure out where the best areas are to attack them, but ultimately we need to be concerned withy our execution and play to our strengths."

"The character of this team is what has caused a turnaround from last year," explained Zinn. "Their character really shows up in practice and in their preparation. They practice hard and they are able to self-evaluate whether its in film study or on the field which has been a crucial part of the success we've had this year."

Autumn Mallory photo courtesy of Derek Behrenshausen - Asst. Athletic Communications Director