University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Richmond
A-10 Field Hockey Championship Sends UMass to Virginia
November 03, 2016 | Field Hockey
Minutewomen face No. 2 seed Richmond in semifinal action on Fri., Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 19 | No. 3 seed Massachusetts (11-7 overall, 6-2 A-10) vs. No. 2 Richmond (8-10, 6-2) |
| Date | Time | Friday, Nov. 4 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Cary Street Field; Richmond, Va. |
| Tournament Information | Atlantic 10 Championship Central |
| Series History | Richmond leads, 16-12. Last meeting: Richmond 4, UMass 2; Oct. 9, 2016 |
| Live Statistics | NeuLion |
| Watch | A-10 Digital Network |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Richmond |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
UMass-Richmond Preview
UMass and Richmond meet for the second time on the season and for the fifth consecutive year in the Atlantic 10 Championship with a Fri., Nov. 4 contest at VCU's Cary Street Field in the tournament's semifinal round. Previously, the Minutewomen and Spiders dueled in the championship game from 2012-15, with Massachusetts the victor in 2012, 2013 and 2015 and Richmond triumphant in 2014.
Richmond is 8-10 overall and 6-2 on the season and earned the No. 2 seed in the A-10 Championship by virtue of its 4-2 victory over the Minutewomen during the regular season. Emma Johannson's 13 points on six goals and an assist led Richmond on the offensive end during the 18-game regular season, while Katrina Balatgek added 12 via five goals and a pair of helpers. Amanda Hoyt is the only goalkeeper with minutes played on the season. She owns a 2.26 goals-against average and .652 save percentage with a pair of shutouts.
The winner of the contest will advance to face either No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's or No. 4 Saint Francis (Pa.), marking the first instance of a non-UMass vs. Richmond finale since the 2011 campaign.
| University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes | |
| Game 20 | No. 3 seed Massachusetts (12-7 overall, 6-2 A-10) vs. No. 1 Saint Joseph's (15-5, 8-0) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Nov. 5 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Cary Street Field; Richmond, Va. |
| Tournament Information | Atlantic 10 Championship Central |
| Series History | UMass leads, 31-5. Last meeting: Saint Joseph's 3, UMass 2 (OT); Oct. 9, 2016 |
| Live Statistics | NeuLion |
| Watch | A-10 Digital Network |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Saint Joseph's |
| @UMassFH | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Field Hockey | |
UMass-Saint Joseph's Preview
UMass and Saint Joseph's meet in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game for the first time since the 2007 season with a Sat., Nov. 5 contest at VCU's Cary Street Field. The squads have met in the Atlantic 10 Championship on seven prior occasions, with Massachusetts the victor in each. The sides also met in 1992, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2015. The Minutewomen also lead the all-time series, 31-5, but fell during the last meeting, 3-2 in overtime at Saint Joseph's on Oct. 21, 2016.
Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year Anna Willocks owns the most points in the conference with 60 on 24 goals and 12 assists. She also accounts for nine of the team's 15 game-winning goals and has a team-high 104 shots and 57 on-target attempts. The next highest level of individual production on the squad comes from A-10 Rookie of the Year Pepa Serrano, who is tied with Willocks in assists (12) and second in points (22), shots (54), on-target attempts (26) and game-winning tallies (3).
Saint Joseph's is 15-5 overall on the year and earned a win in each of its eight Atlantic 10 games. The Hawks are currently on a six-game winning streak, including their 2-1 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) in the Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinal Round.
UMass in the Atlantic 10 Championship
The University of Massachusetts field hockey program enters the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship with an all-time record of 37-11 in the tournament. The Minutewomen own 15 all-time Atlantic 10 championships, including wins in 1988, 1992-93, 1996-2001, 2007-08, 2010, 2012-13 and 2015. Massachusetts is 22-4 in the semifinals (84.6 win percentage) and 15-6 in the championship round (71.4).
The More They Score, The Better
The scoring trio of Izzie Delario, Nicole Miller and Sarah Hawkshaw accounts for nearly half of all the points UMass has scored this year (49.3 percent; 73 of 148). At least one of the three has a point in every game UMass scored in during the regular season (16 of 18). The team is 7-2 when at least two of the three record a point.
Topping The Offensive Charts
UMass field hockey has the top-scoring offense in the Atlantic 10 this season with 54 goals in 18 games played for an average of 2.96 per contest. Sarah Hawkshaw leads the way with 11 goals scored, followed by nine for Izzie Delario and seven by 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 24 points via seven goals and 10 assists as a starter up front in all 18 games played. Miller leads the team in assists and is third in goals scored. She has the highest shots-on-goal percentage among players with at least 12 attempts as she put 26 of her 33 shots on-target (78.8 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 1,279 minutes between the pipes this season, Hazard has a 2.03 goals-against average and .630 save percentage. Her four shutouts this year ties Hazard first in the league in the category. She dropped her goals-against average to 1.48 in Atlantic 10 action, while her three clean sheets in league play rank first among all conference goalies.
