University of Massachusets Athletics
#17 Field Hockey Closes Regular Season At Providence
October 31, 2008 | Field Hockey
Oct. 31, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The 17th-ranked UMass field hockey team (14-3, 6-0 A-10) closes the regular season on Saturday when it travels to Providence to take on the Friars in a 1 p.m. non-conference game. The contest against the Big East foe will serve as a tune-up for next weekend's Atlantic 10 Championship in Philadelphia, where they Minutewomen will be the No. 1 seed.
UMass carries its best record since the 2000 season into Saturday's game. The Minutewomen are currently on a seven-game winning streak and have won 11 of their last 12. With 14 wins, they have matched their win total from last season, when the Minutewomen reached the NCAA Tournament.
UMass Invades The Ocean State
The Minutewomen are one of three UMass teams playing games in Rhode Island on Saturday. The football team will be in Kingston to take on the Rhode Island Rams at 1 p.m. and the Mass Attack hockey team will be in Providence to play the back end of a home-and-home series with the Friars at 7 p.m.
Widdall Wins UMass Weekly Honor
For her exploits in goal last weekend, Alesha Widdall was named UMass Dinn Bros. Co-Athlete of the Week along with men's swimmer Joey Sbordon on Monday. The freshman goalkeeper played the first 60:30 of UMass' 4-0 shutout victory over Saint Joseph's on Friday. She followed that up with a four save performance on Sunday in UMass' 2-1 double-overtime win over Temple on penalty strokes. Widdall helped seal the victory with three stops in the stroke-off. She is now 11-3 on the season and leads the A-10 in goals against average and save percentage.
Minutewomen Ranked
UMass' play this season has drawn the attention of the field hockey community. After starting the season by being the highest "other receiving votes" school for three out of four weeks in the STX/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the Minutewomen broke into the rankings on Sept. 29, taking over the No. 17 spot. It was the first time UMass had been ranked since the final poll of the 2000 season. The Minutewomen have occupied that 17th position for five-straight weeks now.
Back On Top
UMass is not only in first-place in the A-10 standings, but atop the conference in most statistical categories. Of the 14 stats the conference ranks the teams in, UMass is first in 12. The only two the Minutewomen don't lead in (saves, saves per game) can be attributed to the fact that UMass has allowed the fewest shots.
Katelyn Orlando leads the conference in scoring (13 goals) and is tied for first in points (27). She combines with Katie Kelly (8 goals) and Jill Powers (8 goals) to give UMass three of the top nine scorers.
Erin Parker is tied for the A-10 lead in assists (7) while Mary Shea is fifth (6). Makaela Potts leads the A-10 in shots (54). Alesha Widdall has dominated in goal with top marks in save % (.778), GAA (1.02), and shutouts (4).
UMass' team goals against average of 1.01 ranks sixth in the nation, while individually, Widdall's 1.02 mark ranks seventh nationally.
Series History
This will be the 25th meeting between UMass and Providence in field hockey in a series that dates back to 1982. The Minutewomen hold an 18-6 advantage, but the Friars have won four-straight, three of which went to overtime. UMass' last win over PC was on Oct. 11, 2000, a 1-0 quadruple-overtime victory on penalty strokes.
Scouting Providence
The Friars come into Saturday's game with an 11-8 record and 3-3 mark in the Big East. They are coming off two-straight road victories, at Brown and at Georgetown, piling up six goals in each game.
The Providence offense is led by junior forward Nellie Poulin. She leads the team with 15 goals, 31 points, and 59 shots. Five of her goals have been game-winners. Sophomore midfielder Julie Ruggieri is second on the team with eight goals, as the Friars have five player with at least five goals on the season. Junior midfielder Adrienne Marois is the top play-maker for PC with 10 assists.
Junior Rachel Chamberlain has played every minute in goal for the Friars. She sports a 1.55 goals against average with a .760 save percentage.
Providence has two wins over ranked opponents this season. It defeated #13 Boston College, 2-1, in double-overtime on Oct. 1 and downed #16 Rutgers, 2-0, on Oct. 11.
PC is coached by Diane Madl, in her seventh season. The 1989 Connecticut grad has a 75-66 record and led the Friars to last season's Big East Championship game.
Looking Ahead
After the Minutewomen close the regular season at Providence on Saturday, they will go on to the Atlantic 10 Championship in Philadelphia on Nov. 7-8. UMass will defend its 2007 conference tournament title as the No. 1 seed. Richmond, who UMass defeated 3-1 on Oct. 10 will be the No. 2 seed. Saint Joseph's and Temple, with identical 3-2 conference records, will play on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner will get the No. 3 seed and face Richmond, while the loser will get the No. 4 seed and face UMass in the first round.
