University of Massachusets Athletics
Field Hockey Regular Season Ends Friday
October 27, 2016 | Field Hockey
Massachusetts hosts Lock Haven at 2 p.m. at the Gladchuk Sports Complex
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 18 | Massachusetts (10-7 overall, 5-2 Atlantic 10) vs. Lock Haven (9-7, 4-3) |
| Date | Time | Friday, Oct. 28 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Gladchuk Sports Complex; Amherst, Mass. |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 7-1. Last meeting: Lock Haven 2, UMass 0; Oct. 9, 2016 |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Sports |
| Watch | A-10 Digital Network |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Lock Haven |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
The UMass-Lock Haven Scouting Report
Massachusetts caps its regular season with a Fri., Oct. 28 contest at the Gladchuk Sports Complex against Lock Haven at 2 p.m. The Minutewomen are 10-7 overall this season and currently sit in third in the Atlantic 10 standings. Lock Haven enters at 9-7 and 4-3 in the Atlantic 10 with wins in each of the team's three league road games.
Lydia George is in the midst of a stellar senior season as the starting forward has 19 points, tied for the most on the squad, via six goals and seven assists; however, George was held scoreless over the previous three games. Sophomore Tamia Roach also owns 19 points via seven goals and five assists. The Bald Eagles feature a balanced approach up front as four additional Lock Haven players have at least 10 points on the season including Dana-Lee De Gannes (15), Colleen McCabe (14), Michelle Enck (14) and Alyscia Smith (14).
The defense is held together by Paige Stuppy in the cage. Stuppy sports a 1.24 goals-against mark and .780 save percentage with three shutouts in 16 games played and started. She has played 1131 of a possible 1176 minutes during her senior season, her second year seeing time in the cage.
Massachusetts is 7-1 all-time against Lock Haven but suffered its lone loss during the 2015 season in a 2-0 defeat at the Bald Eagles' home facility.
The Postseason Push
Massachusetts is fighting to make its 10th consecutive Atlantic 10 postseason berth in 2016 with one game left in the regular season. Massachusetts is 5-2 in league play, with the losses coming at Richmond and Saint Joseph's. UMass owns victories over Davidson, La Salle, Saint Francis, Saint Louis and VCU. A win over Lock Haven (9-7, 4-3) guarantees the Minutewomen at least the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Championship.
Scoring More And More
UMass field hockey has the top-scoring offense in the Atlantic 10 this season with 51 goals in 17 games played for an average of 3.0 per contest. Sarah Hawkshaw leads the way with 11 goals scored, followed by nine for Izzie Delario and six apiece from Melanie Kreusch and Nicole Miller. Hawkshaw's 11 goals ranks third in the conference and makes her one of only three Atlantic 10 players with 10 or more goals on the year.
Miller Time!
Senior forward Nicole Miller is having a career-year as a senior with a personal best 21 points via six goals and nine assists as a starter up front in all 17 games played. Miller leads the team in assists (9) and is tied for third in goals scored (6). She has the highest shots-on-goal percentage among players with at least 15 attempts as she put 21 of her 29 shots on-target (75.9 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 25 and is one 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 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 1,209 minutes between the pipes this season, Hazard has a 2.03 goals-against average and .620 save percentage. Her four shutouts this year ties Hazard first in the league in the category. She dropped her goals-against average to 1.41 in Atlantic 10 action, the second-best mark in the conference.
