All Photos Courtesy: Matt Haggerty (please check back soon for a complete Championship Photo Album!)

NASHUA N.H. – Armed with a swarming midfield defense and bolstered by timely goals from juniors Tim Amberman (Shrewsbury, Penn.) and tournament MVP Alex Jackson (Kent, Ohio), the Eagles successfully defending their New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) tournament championship and automatically earned their way into the NCAA tournament with a 2-0 victory over their oldest varsity foe and fifth-seeded Southern Vermont College Sunday afternoon before more than 300 chilled Eagle Field patrons.

The Eagles, who tied the all time program record for wins in a season (12) set last year by improving to 12-5-1, also broke the all time record for consecutive victories with their eighth, surpassing seven in a row last year.

Fourth-year Head Coach Bill Lawler's Eagles will learn their NCAA opponent and location Monday afternoon.

Spencer Bernard (Windsor Locks, Conn.) assisted on both goals while Eagle keeper Joe Keene (Bristol, N.H.) made five saves.

The tournament title was the second for the College in 24 hours. The Eagle Field Hockey team downed Becker College on Saturday. It also marked the fifth NECC tournament title for a DWC athletics program over the past two years.

Southern Vermont keeper Aaron Eschler (Gloversville, N.Y.) sparkled, making 10 stops. Head Coach Tim Penrod's Mountaineers finished a remarkable late season run 8-10-1 overall and reached the finals of a conference championship for the first time since 1993.

The Eagles outshot SVC 15-9 overall (12-5 on goal) and finished with six corner kicks while holding the Mountaineers to none.

Amberman gave the Eagles the advantage just 7:20 in popping home the rebound of a Bernard header that originated off a Ben Anthony (Greenfield, N.H.) pass.

From there, SVC was forced to press heavily through the bulk of the first half as the Mountaineers spent more time in the offensive zone. But the Eagle midfield consistently clogged the middle and the Eagle backs were solid in clearing out in front of junior Eagle keeper Joe Keene (Bristol, N.H.). When the early dust had cleared DWC held a 7-3 advantage in shots but none reached Keene.

SVC pressed in the second as the field began to open up allowing for both teams to find the net including a nifty minute and half of action midway through the period. SVC's Nick Haggerty's (Wyantskill, N.Y.) high cross almost found teammate Ben Naaktgeboren (Cambridge, N.Y.) before Keene snared the ball with 24 minutes left.

On the ensuing break, Eagle Kyle Davis (East Hampton, Conn.) broke down the left side and was stoned from 15 yards by Eschler with a beautiful diving stop to the right. Less than 30 seconds later Eagle Mike Lohr (Chepachet, R.I.) sent a patented corner hooking right that beat Eschler but clanged off the cross bar. Three minutes later, Elliot Kilgore (Milford, N.H.) was left alone on the right side from 20 yards out only again to be stopped by Eschler, who would finish with 10 stops on the day.

The final joust that sealed it came with 5:55 left when Naaktgeboren nearly tied it heading a redirection off a beautiful feed from Cohen Bond (Alexandra, Va.) that Keene knocked down.

On the transition, sophomore Elliot Kilgore (Milford, N.H.) sent the ball downfield to a streaking Bernard who pulled deep left and found Jackson charging down the chute. Jackson promptly buried the pass past a diving Eschler to the bottom left corner to seal the title.

NECC All-Tournament Team (Daniel Webster & Southern Vermont)

The all tournament team included Jackson, Lohr, Amberman and Samson Kiberu from Daniel Webster, Naaktgeboren, Eschler, Noah Massucci (Craftsbury, Vt.) and Connor Murray (Litchfield, Conn.) from SVC, Zachary Almeida-Beers and Stephen Siragusa from Lesley University, and Joe Lawer and Will McNally from Newbury College.

SVC President Karen Gross with Dave Gage, Nick Haggerty, & Aaron Eschler