University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Saint Francis
Virginia Road Trip Sends UMass to VCU, Richmond
October 06, 2016 | Field Hockey
Minutewomen continue A-10 slate with two weekend games
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 12 | Massachusetts (6-5 overall, 2-0 Atlantic 10) at VCU (3-7, 1-3) |
| Date | Time | Friday, Oct. 7 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Cary Street Field; Richmond, Va. |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 5-1. Last meeting: UMass 6, VCU 0; Oct. 16, 2016 |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | VCU |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
The UMass-VCU Scouting Report
Massachusetts plays its first Atlantic 10 road game with a Fri., Oct. 7 trip to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Va., at 2 p.m. The Minutewomen lead the all-time series, 5-1 and have won the most recent five meetings.
VCU is 3-7 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic 10 games. The program owns wins over Appalachian State, Davidson and Longwood but fell in its last four contests straight to drop from 3-3 to its current record. Those losses include A-10 games against La Salle, 3-1; Lock Haven, 2-1 and Saint Joseph's, 3-2.
Emily McNamara is in the team lead for points with 17 via six goals and five assists. It is nine more than McKenzie Bowler, who is second with eight points on three goals and two assists. Chessa Kownurko played all 722 minutes in net over the opening 10 games to the tune of a 3.00 goals-against average and .696 save percentage.
VCU defeated the Minutewomen in a non-conference meeting, 1-0 on Oct. 28, 2001. The sides did not meet again until VCU joined the A-10 prior to the 2012 season and Massachusetts has owned the series since with a 17-2 advantage in goals scored.
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 13 | Massachusetts at Richmond (5-6, 3-2) |
| Date | Time | Sunday, Oct. 9 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Crenshaw Field; Richmond, Va. |
| Series History | Richmond leads, 15-12. Last meeting: UMass 3, Richmond 0; Nov. 7, 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship Game; Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch Live | Spider TV |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Richmond |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
The UMass-Richmond Scouting Report
Massachusetts concludes the weekend road trip to Virginia with a Sun., Oct. 9 tilt at the University of Richmond at Noon. The Spiders enter the game at 5-6 overall and 3-2 in Atlantic 10, including losses in two of their last three games.
Richmond defeated La Salle, 2-1 in its last game to end a two-game losing streak that included defeats at Saint Joseph's, 4-3 and against Lock Haven, 2-1 in triple overtime.
The Spiders, which do not have a Friday game, lead the all-time series with the Minutewomen, 15-12. After a three-game win streak for Richmond spanning the 2014 campaign and the regular season meeting in 2015, Massachusetts won the last tilt, 3-0, during the most recent Atlantic 10 Championship Game.
Senior forward Emma Johansson is the leader on Richmond's offense with nine points in the opening 11 games. She is also the active leader among Spiders with 47 points via 20 goals and seven assists. A balanced scoring group, 13 Spiders have at least one point on the year.
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.
Three Minutewomen Tabbed A-10 Preseason All-Conference
Senior Izzie Delario and juniors Sarah Hawkshaw and Melanie Kreusch collected Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team. It marks the second consecutive season this trio of Minutewomen appeared on the preseason all-conference team.
Delario led the squad in points (26) and assists (12) as a junior during 2015, when she was named a NFHCA Third Team All-American.
Kreusch paced the Minutewomen in goals (11) and only finished one behind Delario in the points column. The 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player begins her junior season with 49 career points on 21 goals and seven assists.
Hawkshaw, the team's starting center midfielder, poured in nine goals and assisted on two more as a sophomore for a personal-best 20 points on the year. She returns as an NFHCA All-Region and Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection one season ago.
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.
