Minutewomen Head West To Challenge Saint Louis, No. 9 Northwestern

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes
Game 15	Massachusetts (10-4 overall, 4-1 Atlantic 10) at Saint Louis (4-8, 0-5 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time [ET]	Friday, Oct. 13 \| 6 p.m.
Location	SportPort International; Maryland Heights, Mo.
Series History	Massachusetts leads, 14-0. Last meeting: Massachusetts 12, Saint Louis 0; Sept. 16, 2016
Live Statistics	Stat Broadcast
Live Video	None
Team Information	Massachusetts \| Saint Louis
Twitter	@UMassFH \| @UMassAthletics
Instagram	UMass Field Hockey

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Game Notes
Game 16	Massachusetts at No. 9 Northwestern
Date \| Time [ET]	Sunday, Oct. 15 \| Noon
Location	Lakeside Field; Evanston, Ill.
Series History	Massachusetts leads, 4-2. Last meeting: Northwestern 5, Massachusetts 0; Aug. 28, 2016
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Stats
Live Video	None
Team Information	Massachusetts \| Northwestern
Twitter	@UMassFH \| @UMassAthletics
Instagram	UMass Field Hockey

Setting The Scene
Ranked No. 24 in this week's NFHCA Coaches Poll, University of Massachusetts field hockey treks to the Midwest for a Friday evening showdown at Saint Louis before pausing Atlantic 10 play on Sunday at Northwestern. UMass enters the stretch up four spots to No. 18 in the NCAA RPI, the highest among Atlantic 10 clubs.

Recap In A Minute
A sweep against VCU (Oct. 6) and at Providence (Oct. 8) last weekend vaulted UMass to an overall record of 10-4 this season and 4-1 against Atlantic 10 competition. Camille Lecrone earned four saves to earn her first collegiate win in the VCU match, while four different Minutewomen found the cage to secure the 4-2 result.

Two days later at Providence, the Maroon and White picked up a 1-0 decision, receiving a second half tally from Sarah Hawkshaw on a nicely timed feed from Lucy Cooper. Emily Hazard also earned her seventh career shutout with seven stops, getting help in front from the backline of Shauna Rankin-Byrne, Georgie McTear and Melanie Kreusch.

Cooper Collects Atlantic 10 Weekly Recognition
After notching a goal against VCU and assisting on both game-winning tallies last weekend, Lucy Cooper was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the period ending Oct. 8. The native of Karori, New Zealand now boasts 17 points on five goals and seven assists, leading all Minutewomen freshmen.

Glad To Be At The 'Chuk
Massachusetts boasts a perfect 7-0 record this season within the confines of the Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex and also won its final four matches on the home pitch in 2016. That 11-game streak is tied for the third-longest active run across the country, with Connecticut (34) topping the list and North Carolina (25) sitting second. Atlantic 10 rival Saint Joseph's boasts the other 11-game run to share the No. 3 slot with the Minutewomen.

UMass' seven consecutive home victories to open 2017 was last accomplished in the 1993 campaign, when the squad went 9-0 in Amherst during the regular season.

Back-To-Back Like Jordan '96, '97
UMass field hockey won the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship with a 2-1 victory over Saint Joseph's in the title game on Sat., Nov. 5. It marked the second consecutive season and fourth in the last five years the Minutewomen claimed the league's crown.

The 2016 title was the team's 16th with the Atlantic 10, more than all other current or former league members combined (13). UMass also went back-to-back in 1992 and '93, won six straight from 1996-2001, claimed the 2007-08 crowns and again won back-to-back in 2012 and '13.

HAWK-SMASH
Then-junior midfielder and forward Sarah Hawkshaw won the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player Award with seven points over the two-game slate, split between three goals and one assist. She ended the year with a team-high 16 goals scored, also a single-season career best. The Dublin, Ireland, native is the program's active leader in goals scored with 39 and points recorded with 89.

Hawkshaw now ranks among the program's all-time scoring leaders. She is seventh in both career goals and in points scored. Next on the list for goals is Jenn Salisbury (1990-93) and Megan Donnelly (1982-85) with 41. Former Minutewoman Katie Kelly (2007-10) is sixth in points with 93.

Immediate Impacts
Two of Massachusetts' top four scorers through 14 matches are freshmen in Lucy Cooper and Georgie McTear. Cooper, a native of New Zealand, has 17 points via five goals and seven assists. McTear adds eight points through three goals and two helpers. Both have started all 14 games–Cooper at forward and McTear split between midfield and defense.

The Vet In Net
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Emily Hazard is in her second season as a starter in the cage for the Minutewomen. Though 14 games, Hazard holds a 1.60 goals-against average and .722 save percentage with 52 stops and 20 tallies allowed in 876 minutes of action. She started 13 of 14 contests and posted four shutouts–three individual and one combined with freshman goalkeeper Camille Lecrone.

Massachusetts Among The NCAA Leaders In...
Massachusetts field hockey ranks among the top 25 teams in the NCAA in two team categories through 14 games of the 2017 season, including winning percentage (13th; .714) and shutouts per game (19th; 0.29).

Weinberg Named UMass Field Hockey Head Coach
University of Massachusetts Director of Athletic Ryan Bamford announced Barb Weinberg as the ninth head coach of the field hockey program on Dec. 15, 2016. Weinberg joins Massachusetts after serving as Wake Forest's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2014-16 seasons. The Demon Deacons advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice and won the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference title during her tenure.

Weinberg made assistant coaching stops at American University (2013-14), the University of Maryland (2010-13) and the University of Iowa (2008). During her time with the Terrapins, the team captured back-to-back NCAA titles in 2010 and 2011.

A 2005 Iowa graduate, Weinberg was a two-time All-American, three-time All-Big Ten performer and two-time team captain for the Hawkeyes (2000-04). She was a member of the U.S. Women's National Team from 2005-10, making 19 international appearances in that span. Weinberg also served as the alternate goalkeeper for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Welch Joins Staff As UMass Field Hockey Assistant Coach
University of Massachusetts field hockey head coach Barb Weinberg announced the hiring of Ed Welch as an assistant coach on July 27. Welch joins the Minutewomen staff to guide the UMass offense following a tenure with the Canterbury Hockey Club in Canterbury, England, as the Ladies 1st XI Head Coach.

As the leader of the Canterbury Ladies Hockey Club 1st XI, Welch guided the squad in Women's Premier Division action, as well as to a sixth place finish in European Cup play, European hockey's premier club event, held in the Netherlands. His role included planning and executing team training sessions, match day preparations and coaching and postgame video review. He also served as a liaison for Great Britain and England Hockey's "High Performance" programs with a focus in assisting with training and development of prospective national team athletes.

Next Up
UMass will enjoy a three-game homestand to wrap up the regular season, beginning with a Fri., Oct. 20 matchup against Saint Joseph's. That game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at the Gladchuk Field Hockey Complex.

UMass Field Hockey On Social Media
Follow University of Massachusetts field hockey on social media throughout the season via Twitter (@UMassFH), Instagram (@UMassFieldHockey) or Facebook (UMass Field Hockey).

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