REISTERSTOWN, MD - The sixth-seeded Manhattanville College women's hockey season concluded Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 loss to third-seeded Stevenson University in the first round of the United Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament at Reisterstown Sportsplex.
 
Allie Sabatini scored the game-winning goal for Stevenson (14-7-5) with 6:35 to play after Manhattanville (9-14-3), once down 2-0, rallied to tie the game for the second time less than three minutes prior. Senior Sarah Sinning (Southold, N.Y./National Sports Academy) scored two goals, the 30^th and 31^st of her collegiate career, and sophomore Janet Xu (Edmonton, Alta./Ontario Hockey Academy) scored just her second goal of the season for the Valiants. Monica Pozuc had two goals for the Mustangs, while Chelsea Blackburn added a goal and an assist.
 
Pozuc struck first at 5:29 of the opening period off assists from Blackburn and Cierra Siemasko, with Blackburn drawing Pijaca to the left side of the crease before feeding Pozuc on the other side. Blackburn added to the lead at 15:54, going top shelf on Pijaca off a 2-on-1 break. Sinning cut the lead in half at 19:22, beating Stevenson goalie Catie Darosa with a slapshot from just inside the blue line off a feed from sophomore Zoey Pellowitz (Arlington, Va./Washington Pride).
 
Catching Stevenson in the midst of a line change, Sinning tied the game at the 6:54 mark of the second period off a pass from freshman Tianna Lopes (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Pacific Steelers). Sinning's equalizer marked the lone score of the period, despite 18 total shots between the two teams. Pijaca stopped 11 Mustang shots while Sinning and Xu combined to block four additional shots during the period.
 
After Pozuc scored her second of the game on the power play at 6:38 of the third period, Xu took advantage of a Stevenson turnover near center ice, maintained puck control weaving through the Stevenson defense, and beat Darosa with a wrist shot from between the faceoff circles at 9:36. After stopping Stevenson's next six shots, a shot from Sabatini found its way through four bodies in front, and past Pijaca at 12:25.
 
Manhattanville had chances down the stretch, and pulled Pijaca for an extra skater with 1:25 to play, but four Darosa saves and a Manhattanville penalty that wiped out the 6-on-5 after just 18 seconds were too much for the Valiants to overcome.
 
Pijaca, the program's new single-season record holder for saves and minutes played, will return next year alongside nine skaters who also appeared in at least 20 games this season.