Conference

Three Straight for Bryant’s Boissoneau:  Bulldogs’ junior Elise Boissoneau (Ashburnham, MA/St. Bernard's Central) has scored a goal in three consecutive games, the longest current streak in the NEC.

 

Very Unlinke Lock Haven:  Defending Northeast Conference champion Lock Haven dropped back-to-back games this past week.  After an overtime road loss to Cornell, the Haven were shut out at home by Kent State.  It was the first time in more than two years that the Lady Eagles dropped two straight  games.  The Haven still has one streak in tact.  It has not lost to a NEC opponent since 2006.

 

Three Weeks, Three Awards:  Rider has had representation in each of the season’s first three installments of the Northeast Conference weekly awards program.  Current NEC Rookie of the Week Ellie LaBar (Oaklyn, Collingswood) is one of three Broncs to bring an honor home to Lawrenceville.  Freshman Jackie Adams (Medford Lakes, NJ/Shawnee) claimed rookie honors (Aug. 31) for her opening-week efforts and sophomore Megan Pisani (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro) won NEC Player of the Week (Sept. 8) accolades for tallying 14 points in three victories.

 

NEC Preseason Prognostication:  Lock Haven stands as the unanimous favorite to capture a fourth consecutive Northeast Conference field hockey crown.  The Lady Eagles garnered eight first-place votes to finish atop the NEC's preseason coaches' poll for the fifth year in a row.  After coming up one victory shy of the NEC Tournament title each of the previous two seasons, Rider garnered the lone remaining first-place vote and finished second in the annual survey of the league's nine head coaches.  Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart, who along with Lock Haven and Rider comprised last season's NEC Championship field, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the voting.  Saint Francis (PA) claimed fifth place followed by Monmouth in sixth and Robert Morris in seventh.  Poised for its inaugural season of NEC competition, Bryant was tabbed for eighth place while Siena rounded out the preseason prognostication in ninth.  The team picked first in the poll has gone onto win the past four NEC crowns.  The 2004 Quinnipiac Bobcats were the last preseason favorite to walk away empty-handed.  Lock Haven, picked third, finished atop the regular season standings that season, and Rider, selected second, won the tournament.

 

The Bulldogs suffered a pair of losses in their 0-2 week, stumbling against Harvard, 4-2, before squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat to Brown. … Junior Elise Boissoneau (Ashburnham, MA/St. Bernard's Central) scored in both contests, continuing her streak. She has a goal in each of the Bulldogs' last three games. … Sophomore Aly Czerniak (Holyoke, MA/Smith Academy) collected three points (1G, 2A) on the week, scoring just 45 seconds into the game against Brown. …  Sophomore Courtney Landi (Kingston, NY/Kingston) also scored a goal this week. … Senior goalie Kundayi Mawema (Harare, Zimbabwe/Dominican Convent) was again solid between the posts, making 19 saves (.731 save percentage) in 140 minutes of action.

 

For the first time in over two years the Lock Haven lost two straight games. The Lady Eagles fell on the road at Cornell, 2-1, in overtime before dropping a home contest to Kent State, 2-0. … Kent State is the first team to shut out The Haven since American did so in last year's NCAA Play-in. … On the year, senior Suzann Hobart (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) is leading Lock Haven's offense with four goals and one assists (9 points).  Sophomore Kristi Shepps (Willow Street, PA/Penn Manor) isn't far off the pace and has seven points (3G, 1 A). … Lock Haven travels to Colgate (Sept. 18) before hosting La Salle (Sept. 20).  The Lady Eagles are 5-2 lifetime against Colgate and a perfect 7-0 vs. LaSalle.  Lock Haven beat both teams in 2008.

 

Monmouth returned from its New England trip with two straight losses. The Hawks opened up the weekend with a 4-2 setback against Brown (Sept. 12) before a 7-1 loss at the hands of #10 Boston College (Sept. 13). … Senior Enza Mazza (Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional) notched a goal and assist against Brown to reach a ninth-place tie on Monmouth's all-time points list. … Junior Ashley McPeek (Hazlet, NJ/St. John Vianney) scored the Blue and White's lone goal against BC while goalie Melissa Katz (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) recorded a career-high 15 saves. … MU continues the season's longest road trip in Virginia where it will face Richmond (Sept. 19) and VCU (Sept. 20).

 

Senior midfielder Bonnie Shea (Walpole, MA) was force on offense for the Bobcats during what was an 0-2 week.  Shea totaled a team-high three points (1G, 1A).  She scored the Bobcats only goal in a 3-1 loss to Northeastern (Sept. 13), which was the school she played for prior to transferring to Quinnipiac. She assisted on Quinnipiac's first goal of the game against Columbia.  … Lauren Hartnett (Walpole, MA) had a goal and an assist in two games, too. She now has seven career goals and 23 career points, making her the program's active leading scorer. … Junior Megan McCreedy (White River, South Africa) had a pair of assists this week.  McCreedy's eight career assists are the second most among all active Bobcats. ...  Jenna Grossman (Flanders, NJ) stopped 12 of 15 shots against Northeastern. The reigning NEC Goalkeeper of the Year has 13 double-digit save outings.

 

Rider continued its torrid start, posting a 1-0 road win at Hofstra (Sept. 13) in its only action of the week. … Sophomore Virginia Egusquiza (Getxo, Spain) scored 22 minutes into the game off a perfect give-and-go from freshman Ellie LaBar (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) for Rider's only goal. … The victory was Rider's first over Hofstra since the 1994 season. … Senior goalie Lyndsie Johnson (Gibbsboro, NJ/Eastern) recorded her second shutout in the last three games. She Johnson has a goals-against average of 0.80. … Rider received votes in last week's NFHCA poll and was ranked 34th entering the Hofstra game, one spot behind league favorite Lock Haven.

 

Robert Morris dropped its lone game of the week, a 2-1 decision at Bellarmine (Sept. 8). ...  Sophomore Sam Hayden (Louisville, KY/Assumption) notched her first career goal against Bellarmine.  The unassisted tally gave the Colonials a quick 1-0 lead. ... The Colonials end their nine-day hiatus at home against Ohio (Sept. 18).

 

The Pioneers defeated visiting Bucknell, 4-3, in overtime to earn their first win of the season.  The victory came after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of cross-town rival Fairfield. … Against Bucknell, senior Whitney Russo (Waterville, ME/Waterville) scored the game winner from eight yards out 10:47 into the extra frame off a penalty corner from Hannah Robinson (Watertown, MA/Watertown). It was Robinson's second assist of the game. … Junior goalie Kim Stow (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) made 15 saves, including three in overtime, to earn the win. ... Midfielder Dana Luhrs (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) had a pair of goals and an assist to help the Pioneers end their five-game losing streak. Her first tally of the season came off a penalty corner midway through the first half to cut the  Bison's 2-0 lead in half.  Her second goal tied the score three minutes into the second half. Later, Luhrs assisted on the goal by Kim Pobutkiewicz (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore) that tied the game at 3-3 just 4:06 before the end of regulation. … Freshman Lindsay Kasten (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) had the lone SHU goal against Fairfield. ... Sophomore Chelsea Carlson (Peterborough, NH/Contoocook) leads the Pioneers in scoring with a pair of goals and two assists. ... The Pioneers face Maine and Boston U. this week.  

 

Saint Francis is still looking for their first win after falling to Radford, 3-1, in Virginia.  … Julia Moore (Jarrettsville, MD/North Harford) scored her second goal of the season, and now leads the team in scoring.  Freshman Tia Dudukovich (Port Matilda, PA/State College Area) tallied her first collegiate point by registering an assist on Moore's goal.  … Goalkeeper Sara Dittmann (State College, PA/State College Area), who made 13 saves on the day, boasts a .736 save percentage and a 3.50 GAA. … The Red Flash host Lehigh (Sept. 16).

 

The Saints lost all three games last week. … Senior goalie Renee Clavette (Danville NH/Timberlane Regional) registered a career-high 22 saves, but it was not enough in a 4-0 loss to Cornell.  Clavette totaled 50 saves over the three games during the week. … The Saints met Longwood in a neutral site in Philadelphia.  The teams were tied at 2-2 at the end of regulation, but the Lancers scored a sudden-victory goal with just one second left in overtime. … Senior captain Caroline Hunnewell (Lebanon, NH/Lebanon) and junior Brittany Moran (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) recorded their first two goals of the season, which were both assisted by senior captain Andrea Caso (Carmel, NY/Carmel), against the Lancers. … The Saints were again shutout by host LaSalle, 4-0, to complete the weekend. Siena returns to action for its lone game of the current week when they conclude a four-game road trip at Holy Cross