CAA FIELD HOCKEY WEEKLY REPORT - SEPT. 2
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Lauren Walls - James Madison
Sr. - F (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional)
Walls had a hand in four of the six goals as JMU rolled over St. Louis 6-1 in the Ohio Invitational Tournament last Saturday. She began her senior season with her first career hat trick and added an assist to reach her career-high seven points. Walls and the Dukes also beat #20 Ohio 1-0 to start the season 2-0.
CO-ROOKIES OF THE WEEK:
Genna Kovar - Hofstra
Fr. - F/M (Hapton Bays, N.Y./Hampton Bays)
Making her first collegiate start, Kovar scored her first NCAA goal to help the Pride to a 2-1 overtime win over Rider University.
Carolyn Malloy - Northeastern
Fr. - F (Windham, N.H./Salem)
In her first collegiate appearance, Malloy had four shots on goal and scored her first collegiate goal in the Huskies 3-0 win over Northwestern.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
TWO CAA TEAMS NATIONALLY RANKED: James Madison and Old Dominion were ranked in the STX/NFHCA Preseason Poll released on August 26. James Madison received a No. 7 ranking, while Old Dominion was placed at No. 8. Delaware (19), Northeastern (18), Hofstra (15) and William & Mary (2) also received votes in the poll. A new poll will be released on September 3.
TEAM NOTES:
DELAWARE (0-2 overall, 0-0 in CAA): Delaware started its season 0-2 for the first time since 2000 after close losses to #10 Michigan (3-2) and #12 Duke (2-0). Florence Sijbrandij and Rachel Schexnayder each had a goal in the second half in a comeback attempt versus Michigan. Noelle Diana became the first Blue Hen freshmen to start in goal during the season opener since Megan Alen in 2003. Nikki Rhoades posted 10 saves in goal against No. 12 Duke. That marked her fourth time reaching double-digits in saves and her first time since 2006. The Blue Hens had not opened their season facing two top-15 opponents in over 15 seasons. Delaware returns to action on Saturday when it hosts No. 20 Ohio at the Blue Hen Classic.
DREXEL (2-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): Drexel started the season strong on a West Coast swing as it knocked off Stanford, 3-1, and California, 2-1 in overtime. Both teams had received votes in the STX/NFHCA Preseason Poll released on August 26. Five different Dragons recorded goals on the week, including Susan Ciufo, Kim Tunell and Jennifer Bolger, who each had a goal and an assist. All three goals against Stanford were scored off of penalty corners in the first half. Amanda Kicera scored the game-winning goal off a pass from Cuifo less than two minutes into overtime to defeat Cal. Colleen McAndrew recorded 10 saves in that contest. Drexel was only the third unranked team since 2006 to defeat the Golden Bears. Drexel is back in action on Friday as it hosts Rutgers.
HOFSTRA (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): The Pride began their season with a 2-1 overtime win against Rider University, moving head coach Kathy DeAngelis just one victory away from the 100th of her career. It was the first time since 2003 that Hofstra and Rider had met, with that contest also ending in a win for the Pride in overtime. Genna Kovar scored her first collegiate goal in the second half putting the Pride on top, but Rider managed to score with eight minutes left to tie the game. Charlia Warner scored the game-winning goal just over two minutes into overtime unassisted off a breakaway. Hofstra travels to the University of Albany where it will face Siena on Friday night.
No. 7 JAMES MADISON (2-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): Seventh-ranked James Madison earned a pair of victories at the Ohio University Invitational, defeating Saint Louis 6-1 on Saturday, and No. 20 Ohio 1-0 on their home turf on Sunday. Lauren Walls tallied seven points against SLU, recording her first career hat trick. Amy Daniel picked up her first career points with a goal and an assist, while Melissa Stefaniak added two assists. Junior Meghan Bain scored the game-winning goal versus Ohio in the 15th minute. Kelsey Cutchins earned her first shutout of the season and the 11th of her career with three saves. This was the fourth consecutive year that JMU has opened its season with two wins. The Dukes hit the road this week for a key contest at No. 3 Wake Forest.
NORTHEASTERN (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): Northeastern began the season with a 3-0 victory over Northwestern. Sophomore Pam Aldridge recorded the game-winning goal and also had an assist on the final goal. Freshmen also played a large role in the victory as Carolyn Malloy and Katie Ruth each tallied a goal for NU. Malloy’s second-half goal marked her first goal in collegiate play. Goalkeeper Colleen Duffy made seven saves to record her first shutout of the season. Northeastern returns to action on Thursday, hosting Providence.
No. 8 OLD DOMINION (0-2 overall, 0-0 in CAA): The 8th-ranked Lady Monarchs opened their season with a pair of losses at Ursinus College. Old Dominion fell 2-0 to No. 6 Penn State on Saturday, while being defeated 5-0 by No. 18 Syracuse on Sunday. Those two teams were the first of eight top-20 ranked schools that the Lady Monarchs will face this season. Both games saw the Lady Monarchs play to 0-0 halftime scores before allowing goals in the second half. Goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll tallied 19 saves for the Lady Monarchs, including a career-high 13 against the Nittany Lions. OlDU continues its tough schedule on Friday in College Park, Md. against No. 2 Maryland.
TOWSON (1-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): Towson opened its season at Robert Morris, collecting a 2-0 win last Friday. Stephanie Kisic scored her first collegiate goal to give Towson an early lead. She later assisted on Kristie Blumer’s second-half goal. Goalkeeper Whitney Clugston recorded her first career shutout in her second collegiate start in the goal. Towson’s home opener is scheduled this Friday against Ball State.
VCU (2-0 overall, 0-0 in CAA): VCU opened the season with a pair of one-goal road wins over Fairfield (2-1 in ot) and Monmouth (1-0). Rosan van Eijkelenburg scored the winning goal off a free hit from Flore van Dessel against Fairfield. Flore van Dessel also came up big against Monmouth, setting up Marle van Dessel for the game-winner on a penalty corner. Laura Baker recorded 15 saves during the two games. VCU is 2-0 to open the season for the first time since 1998 when it notched wins over Villanova and Georgetown. The Rams travel to Davidson on Saturday.
WILLIAM & MARY (0-2 overall, 0-0 in CAA): The Tribe got off to a 0-2 start last week, dropping contests to No. 11 Virginia (5-0) and Providence (2-1). Goalkeeper Carrie Thompson made her first two NCAA starts and collected 10 saves, eight of which came against Virginia. Rebecca Wagner scored William & Mary’s lone goal for the week against Providence, which marked her fourth career goal. Courtney Farino collected her first career defensive save. The Tribe welcomes Columbia to Williamsburg on Saturday.