Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers fell 5-0 to the No. 8 Albany Great Danes in the semifinals of the America East Conference Tournament, ending their bid for a conference championship.  The Tigers had previously defeated New Hampshire 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the tournament.  Pacific is now 11-8 this season.

Albany was able to create pressure early on, forcing Laura Pujade to once again make a series of impressive saves to keep Pacific in the game.  Pujade had a sequence of saves on Albany's second corner of the game that included a glove save followed by a reaction kick save to help keep the game close.

The Great Danes scored first with a tipped goal six minutes into the first half.  Jaclyn Hibbs sent in a shot from outside the circle that appeared to be going well wide of the goal.  Anna Bottino was able to dive and redirect the ball with her stick, pushing it through traffic and past Pujade to make it 1-0.

Pujade broke up another Albany chance with 15 minutes to go in the first with a diving save that knocked the ball out to the top of the zone.  Leah Cofer was there to poke the ball away from a Great Dane, stopping any scoring chance.

With 12 minutes remaining, Pujade stood tall with a series of pad saves on a one-on-one chance.  Pujade slammed the pads together and stopped four chances in a row before a Pacific defender crashed in.

Albany made it 2-0 25 minutes into the game, scoring after two straight corners.  Bottino scored again, taking a shot from deep in the circle on the right side that slid past Pujade's pad and ended up in the back left corner of the goal.  Paula Heuser assisted on the goal.

Heuser added a third Albany goal early in the second half when a penalty stroke was awarded.  Pujade was able to guess right and dove to get a piece of Heuser's shot but it wasn't quite enough as the ball still dribbled in behind Pujade.

A one-on-one breakaway by the Great Danes was snuffed out by Pujade, who stood tall with 24 minutes to go.  Pujade rushed out of the cage and kicked the ball away just as it bounced ahead of an Albany stick to help Pacific get on the counterattack.

A penalty corner led to another Albany goal with 11:30 left in the game.  Pujade was able to save the initial shot but didn't have time to get back into position for the rebound, which Bottino fired home for her third goal of the game.

Albany's fifth goal came with 3:40 remaining.  Pujade and Pacific's defense put a stop to any Albany chance after a penalty corner but the effort ended with a second corner for the Great Danes.  Heuser took a shot from high in the circle that beat Pujade, making it 5-0.  Foiri Van Rijswijk assisted.

Head Coach Andy Smith said postgame, "I thought we were outplayed by a very good team.  I think they are extremely well coached and have some outstanding players and they were the toughest opponent we have played all season."

He continued, praising his team's 2015 campaign,"we have had a good season and we have laid some good blocks on which to build on.  I'd like to thank the seniors who have given everything over my first three years and it's fitting that we have won a championship in their final year."

The loss puts Pacific's record at 11-8 this year, tied for the most wins in program history with the 2004 and 2006 teams. 

The NCAA selection show will be tomorrow night at 7:00 pm. 

Make sure to follow Pacific field hockey on Twitter with the username @PacificTigersFH and on Instagram at pacifictigersfh.