#5 Field Hockey Travels to #9 East Stroudsburg for Saturday Afternoon Showdown
COMING OFF OT WIN AT BENTLEY, MERRIMACK LOOKS FOR 2-0 START SATURDAY
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After posting a thrilling, overtime victory on the road against No. 8 Bentley University on Thursday night, the No. 5 Merrimack College field hockey team looks to start the season 2-0 when it travels to ninth-ranked East Stroudsburg for a Saturday afternoon battle at Whitenight Field.
The Basics
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 | 1 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (1-0) | East Stroudsburg (0-0)
Location: Whitenight Field | East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Last Time Out
After allowing host Bentley to tie the contest at three goals apiece with three minutes to play in regulation, Merrimack soared out of the gate in the sudden-death overtime session, reeling off three shot attempts over the first four minutes.
Then, in the 76th minute of the contest, senior Jessica Otis (Pittsford, N.Y.) put a shot on net that Bentley netminder Katie Kelley turned aside. But waiting to pounce was sophomore Christine Zubkus (Dover, N.H.), who had already assisted on Merrimack's third goal of the game, and the sophomore midfielder buried the loose ball into the boards to send the Warriors off in walk-off fashion.
Last Season vs. East Stroudsburg
With the match tied at 2-2 after 35 minutes of play, 2012 alum April Daugherty tallied two goals in a three-minute span, propelling the Merrimack field hockey team to a 4-3 road win over ninth-ranked East Stroudsburg on Sept. 2, 2012.
After both teams went into the break tied at two goals apiece, the Wakefield, R.I., native untied the contest with her second goal at 52:30, as the senior ripped home a shot on a penalty corner. Just over three minutes later, Daugherty doubled the lead on an unassisted strike to round out her offensive performance.
The 4-2 advantage would hold until Lauren Ventrella scored on an assist from Ally Roth with just less than 10 minutes to play, cutting the deficit to a goal in the process. But 2012 alum Kerri Bergquist turned in a 13-save performance to preserve the lead and seal the victory for the Warriors.
The Warriors:
- Outshot Bentley by a 17-10 margin in the season opener Thursday
- Aside from Zubkus, sophomore Katrina Squeri (Chelmsford, Mass.), freshman Hannah Magerman (Franklin, Mass.) and junior Candace Waldie (North Andover, Mass.) also found the boards on Thursday
- Sophomore Madison Davis (San Jose, Calif.) turned in a two-save performance for the win in her first collegiate appearance
The ESU Warriors:
- Are playing for the first time in 2013 after going 6-12 with a 1-9 conference mark last year
- Looking to replace three All-PSAC East selections, including first team pick and second team All-America midfielder Mallory Pope, and six overall starters from last year's team
- Senior Brielle Kessel, named to the All-PSAC East second team last year, tallied a goal and four assists last year, while Becky Gagliardi, Alexis Good and Desiraye Mack round out the midfield core
- Ally Roth (10g, 8a) and Jessica Lawville (12g, 3a) represent two of the team's lead returning scorers from last fall, while Rebecca Smith is the only returning starter on the backline
- Freshman Madelyn Craver will enter the year as a starter after ESU graduated Sarah Dobrosky in 2013
- The Warriors, coming off consecutive seasons below .500 after having at least a .500 record each year from 1987-2010, will look for their second PSAC Tournament appearance since 2002 after being picked sixth of 11 schools in the conference's preseason poll
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