University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Philly-Bound Field Hockey Faces Saint Joseph's, La Salle
October 20, 2016 | Field Hockey
Minutewomen challenge Hawks on Friday, La Salle two days later
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 16 | Massachusetts (9-6 overall, 4-1 Atlantic 10) at Saint Joseph's (11-5, 6-0) |
| Date | Time | Friday, Oct. 21 | 3:00 p.m. |
| Location | Ellen Ryan Field; Merion Station, Pa. |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 31-4. Last meeting: UMass 5, Saint Joseph's 2; Nov. 6, 2016 |
| Live Statistics | NeuLion |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Saint Joseph's |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
The UMass-Saint Joseph's Scouting Report
University of Massachusetts field hockey and Saint Joseph's meet at Ellen Ryan Field in Philadelphia, Pa., for the Hawks' 2016 Senior Day on Fri., Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. Saint Joseph's, at 6-0 in Atlantic 10 games, is first in the conference currently while UMass, with its one loss, sits second.
Massachusetts is 31-4 all-time against Saint Joseph's, including an improbable come-from-behind victory over the Hawks during the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship. Down, 2-0, at Saint Joseph's Ellen Ryan Field in the 50th minute, the Maroon and White reeled off five consecutive goals, including three from Melanie Kreusch, for the 5-2 win.
Anna Willocks is the dominant scorer on Saint Joseph's this season with 21 goals and seven assists for 49 points. She leads the team in shots (85), shots on goal (48) and game-winning goals (8). Kerri Turk is a distant second in points (15) and goals (7). Amelia Deibler and Victoria Kammerinke combine for a 1.84 goals-against average and .714 save percentage in the team's 1,143 minutes of action this season. Kammerinke sees the majority of play with a 1.71 goals-against average and .713 save percentage over 858 minutes.
After an up-and-down start to the year that led Saint Joseph's to a 4-3 mark through seven games, the Hawks own wins in seven of their previous nine decisions. Four of Saint Joseph's six Atlantic 10 victories have come during one-goal games, including over Richmond, 4-3; VCU, 3-2; Saint Francis, 2-1 and Lock Haven, 2-1.
Lynn Farquhar is in her third season as the head coach at Saint Joseph's after assistant coaching stints at Delaware, James Madison, Richmond and Syracuse. She is 29-23 overall entering the game against the Minutewomen.
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 17 | Massachusetts at La Salle (7-7, 4-2) |
| Date | Time | Sunday, Oct. 23 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Location | DeVincent Field; Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Series History | UMass leads, 20-1. Last meeting: UMass 5, La Salle 0; Oct. 23, 2015 |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Watch Live | Atlantic 10 Digital Network |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | La Salle |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
The UMass-La Salle Scouting Report
UMass field hockey ends its Philadelphia road trip with a Sun., Oct. 23 contest at La Salle's DeVincent Field with a 1 p.m. game. La Salle, which does not have a Friday contest before facing the Minutewomen, is 7-7 overall and 4-2 in conference games.
Massachusetts is 20-1 all-time versus La Salle with the lone loss coming in the 2003 season. Since then, UMass claimed victory in all 12 meetings, including a 5-0 triumph at the Gladchuk Sports Complex on Oct. 23 of last season.
A low-scoring team that depends on its defensive ability, Kendall Kreider's 14 points on six goals and two assists put Kreider first on the team in scoring. Devin Muracco is the only additional Explorer with double-figures through 14 games as she sports 11 points (four goals, three assists). Rachel Hartman backstops the defensive effort to the tune of a 1.91 goals-against average and .777 save percentage through 989 minutes between the pipes.
La Salle's two Atlantic 10 losses came against Saint Joseph's, 2-0 and Richmond, 2-1. The Explorers downed Lock Haven, 1-0; Davidson, 2-1; VCU, 3-1 and Saint Louis, 3-2 for their four conference victories.
One of the longer-tenured field hockey coaches in the Atlantic 10, Michelle Marks Salmi is in her eighth season at the helm of the program. She is 56-76 all-time with La Salle and had her best season in 2014 when the team went 11-7 overall and 5-3 in Atlantic 10 action.
The Postseason Push
Massachusetts is fighting to make its 10th consecutive Atlantic 10 postseason berth in 2016 with three games left in the regular season. Massachusetts is 4-1 in league play, with the lone loss coming at Richmond. UMass owns victories over Davidson, Saint Francis, Saint Louis and VCU. The team still has to face Saint Joseph's (6-0 in Atlantic 10), La Salle (4-2) and Lock Haven (4-3).
Scoring More And More
UMass field hockey has the top-scoring offense in the Atlantic 10 this season with 45 goals in 15 games played for an average of 3.0 per contest. Izzie Delario and Sarah Hawkshaw lead the way in scoring with nine goals each, tying the teammates for third in the league.
Miller Time!
Senior forward Nicole Miller is having a career-year as a senior with a personal best 17 points via five goals and seven assists as a starter up front in all 15 games played. Miller leads the team in assists and is tied for third in goals scored. She has the highest shots-on-goal percentage among players with at least 10 attempts as she put 20 of her 26 shots on-target (76.9 percent).
Assists A-Plenty
A pair of current Minutewomen rank in the top-10 all-time in program history for assists in seniors Izzie Delario and Cliodhna Loughlin. Delario owns 37 career assists, the fourth-most among all Minutewomen and four from surpassing Holly Hockenbrock (1990-93) in third with 40. Loughlin sits ninth with 24 and is two behind Judy Strong (1978-81) and Kate Putnam (1995-99) tied for seventh.
Clipping The Eagles
University of Massachusetts field hockey took a 3-2 overtime game at No. 9 Boston College on Sun., Sept. 25. It marked the highest-ranked team downed by the Minutewomen since the squad defeated No. 7 Virginia, 4-3, in overtime during the NCAA Tournament First Round on Nov. 16, 2013. UMass rallied from down one goal on two occasions against the Eagles as BC led 1-0 following a 23rd-minute goal and 2-1 in the 42nd minute. Sarah Hawkshaw provided the game-tying tally at the 54:23 minute mark to force overtime. Anne Dijkstra ended it with her first goal of the year in the 82nd minute as Dijkstra forced a turnover near the Boston College circle, dribbled in and shot into the right side for the sudden victory.
Gunning For The Goals Record
University of Massachusetts field hockey dropped 12 goals on Saint Louis in a shutout win at the Gladchuk Sports Complex on Fri., Sept. 16. It reset the program record for goals scored in a single-game. Previously, UMass scored 11 on two occasions, including one performance accomplished by the current seniors during their freshman year. The Minutewomen had 11 at Saint Louis in a shutout of the Billikens on Sat., Oct. 12, 2013 and also posted 11 at Smith College on Oct. 25, 1979.
Offensive Firepower On Full Display
University of Massachusetts field hockey posted eight goals at UMass Lowell on Sun., Sept. 4. It marked the most offense by the Minutewomen since a 9-1 win over Saint Joseph's on Oct. 20, 2013 – a span of 53 games between the eight-goal outing.
Melanie Kreusch and Nicole Kuerzi each posted two-goal games while Izzie Delario, Sarah Hawkshaw, Celina Hocks and Nicole Miller scored once apiece. Delario and Cliodhna Loughlin also had three assists each while Hocks added two and Katie Clark earned her first collegiate point via an assist.
Keeping The Kennedy Cup
The University of Massachusetts and UMass Lowell started a new tradition during 2013 in tandem with UMass Lowell's elevation to Division I: the Kennedy Cup. Through four meetings, the Minutewomen have not relinquished the game trophy.
The Maroon and White blanked UMass Lowell during the inaugural game, 6-0 on Sept. 3, 2013. One year later, Massachusetts traveled to the River Hawks for a 3-1 victory on Sept. 14, 2014. Last season, offensive fireworks were displayed through the 4-3 UMass win on Sept. 11. This year, the Minutewomen controlled the tempo en route to an 8-0 victory.
The Kennedy Cup is named in honor of University of Massachusetts and UMass-Lowell alumnus, John F. Kennedy, who is a strong supporter and graduate of both institutions.
Robertson Returns To Her Alma Mater
1988 University of Massachusetts graduate Amy Robertson returned to her alma mater to serve as the UMass field hockey interim head coach for the 2016 season. Robertson previously held an assistant coach position with the Minutewomen from 1992-96 and was a standout defender from 1984-87.
Robertson led the Indiana University field hockey program for 15 seasons from 2000-14, accumulating 134 victories and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure. She oversaw the team's elevation from club level to NCAA Division I varsity status in 2000 and led the program to the Elite Eight during its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005.
She also served as an assist at Iowa (1989-91) and Wake Forest (1997-99) prior to her 15-year tenure at Indiana. Over the previous three decades, Robertson accumulated 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and more than 350 victories as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach.
The Quicker Goal Picker-Upper
Senior forward Nicole Miller provided the Minutewomen their first goal of the season in three of her four campaigns with the program, including her freshman, sophomore and senior years.
Miller scored unassisted less than 15 minutes into her first collegiate game, a 2-1 win over Maine on Aug. 20, 2013. As a sophomore, she totaled both goals in a hard-fought 3-2 loss to No. 1 Maryland. Two years later, Miller returned to her first-game form with a tally at New Hampshire in the 2016 opener.
Fresh Face In The Cage
University of Massachusetts field hockey features a new starter in the cage for the first time since the 2012 season in redshirt junior Emily Hazard.
Hazard, a Highlands Ranch, Colo., native saw limited time behind previous starter Sam Carlino over the last two seasons. She entered the year with 24 minutes, 15 seconds in the cage and a career 2.89 goals-against average.
Through 1,063 minutes between the pipes this season, Hazard has a 2.04 goals-against average and .608 save percentage. Her four shutouts this year ranks Hazard first in the league in the category. She dropped her goals-against average to 1.20 in Atlantic 10 action, the second-best mark in the conference.
