Sept. 17, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. - Coming off a pair of 1-0 wins on the road last weekend, the UMass field hockey (4-1) returns home to the friendly confines of Garber Field this weekend for two games against in-state conference rivals. On Saturday, the Minutewomen host Northeastern (4-2) at 2 p.m., and on Sunday, they take on #9 Boston College (6-0) at 3 p.m.

Both games can be watched live on UMass All-Access at UMassAthletics.com. Free live stats will also be available on Gametracker.

Last Weekend In Albany
Junior captain Katie Kelly scored with 23:08 left in the game to lead UMass to a 1-0 victory over Albany in the rain last Friday afternoon at Alumni Field. The Minutewomen defense, led by goalie Alesha Widdall's five saves, came up huge as they were outshot, 18-9, and outcornered, 23-5.

Led by a Makaela Potts first half goal and a defense that refused to break, UMass defeated #12 James Madison by a score of 1-0 last Saturday afternoon at UAlbamy's Alumni Field. Alesha Widdall made three saves in goal as the Minutewomen won by way of a shutout for the second straight day. Potts' goal, her second of the season, came in the 15th minute. After the Minutewomen were awarded their first penalty corner of the game, Cher King pushed out to Nikki Panciocco, who in turn set up Potts for her shot that found its way inside the left post.

Up To No. 11
Coming off a pair of 1-0 shutout victories on the road last weekend, the UMass field hockey has climbed to No. 11 in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. Head coach Justine Sowry's Minutewomen, who were ranked 17th in the preseason poll and 15th last week, haven't been ranked as high in nine years.

The last time UMass was ranked as high in the poll was when it came in at #8 in the Nov. 7, 2000 poll. UMass reached a high of #7 on Oct. 3 of that season.

Widdall Takes Home Hardware
After posting back-to-back 1-0 shutouts last weekend, sophomore goalkeeper Alesha Widdall was recognized with several weekly awards. On Monday, she was named UMass/Dinn Bros. Athlete of the Week, the third straight week a field hockey player won the award. The 2008 All-American was also named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week and ECAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Welcome Back
This weekend will be a homecoming of sorts for two UMass field hockey legends that now coach for their alma mater's in-state rivals.

Northeastern associate head coach Zowie Tucker was a standout goalkeeper for UMass from 1997 to 2000, earning All-Conference honors three times. As a senior, Tucker was a second-team All-American, leading UMass to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. She was named A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player in 1999 and to the All-Tournament team three times. For her career, Tucker posted a 59-30 record with a 1.29 goals against average and 24 shutouts.

Boston College head coach Ainslee Press was star for UMass during the 1992 season, leading the Minutewomen to one of the program's four Final Four appearances. Press received her master's degree from UMass after playing for the University of Toronto. In her one season with UMass, Press scored 25 goals, the third highest single-season total in UMass history, and was named A-10 Player of the Year and to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

Scouting Northeastern
Northeastern comes into Saturday's game playing its best field hockey of the season. After dropping their first two games of the season (2-1 vs. Syracuse and 1-0 at Stanford), they have won four straight contests over California, Quinnipiac, Boston University, and Providence. The Huskies have posted at least three goals in each of those four games.

On Wednesday, the Huskies traveled to Providence and defeated the Friars, 3-2, on a Kaela Barker goal with just 23 seconds remaining. The Minutewomen defeated the Friars by one goal as well, 1-0, in the season opener on Aug. 29 at Garber Field.

The Huskies defeated the only other common opponent they and the Minutewomen share. On Sept. 13, NU defeated BU, 4-3, at Sweeney Field. UMass' lone loss of the season was to the Terriers, 3-2 in overtime, on Sept. 4.

Freshman Crystal Poland and junior Pam Aldridge lead the Huskies' offense with three goals each. Northeastern has used a balanced offensive attach with seven goal scorers, five of which have either two or three goals on the season.

Lizzie Priest has played every minute in goal for the Huskies. The redshirt-freshman has a 1.75 GAA and a .694 save percentage.

Series With The Huskies
UMass holds a slight 17-16-3 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1974. The Huskies had won seven games in a row, dating back to a 1999 UMass win, before the Minutewomen snapped the streak at Sweeney Field last season.

Last Time Vs. NU
Katie Kelly scored a goal with 38 seconds left in the first half and then scored again with just over 10 minutes left in the second half to lead UMass to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Northeastern at Sweeney Field on Sept. 7. The Huskies scored first, but Erin Parker set up Kelly's goal late in the first half and the sophomore forward scored unassisted in the second half to give UMass its first win over the Huskies since Oct. 31, 1999. Alesha Widdall made five saves in goal for UMass to earn her third-straight victory.

Scouting Boston College
Boston College comes into the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Eagles are off to a perfect 6-0 start with wins over Vermont, William & Mary, Quinnipiac, Holy Cross, Boston University, and Monmouth. They have outscored their opponents, 32-8, and rank third in the country in scoring. BC has climbed to

The Eagles host #1 and defending national champion Maryland on Friday at 1 p.m. before heading to Amherst for Saturday's game. The Eagles outscored the Terps, 2-1, in a preseason exhibition game.

The BC offense is led by the nation's leading scorer at 1.67 goals per game, Chelsey Feole. The senior forward has 10 goals and four assists on the season. Kate Gillis and Janna Anctil have six and five goals, respectively, with five assists each.

Senior Kristine Stigas has seen the bulk of the minutes in goal for the Eagles. She has all six wins on the season with a 1.83 GAA and .680 save percentage. Sophomore Nicole Barry has seen 30 minutes of action in goal and stopped all four shots she has seen.

BC's one common opponent with UMass is Boston University, who the Eagles defeated, 4-3, in overtime on Sept. 12. The Minutewomen's lone loss is to the Terriers, a 3-2 overtime game on Sept. 4 in Amherst.

Series With The Eagles
UMass leads the all-time series with BC, 19-6. The Eagles have won the last five meetings, dating back to 2001, a 2-1 Minutewomen win at Garber Field.

Last Time Vs. BC
The Minutewomen and Eagles met last year in the season opener in Chestnut Hill. UMass didn't trail at any point and carried a 2-1 lead into the final 10 minutes of the game, but two late scores by #13 Boston College gave the Eagles a 3-2 victory over the Minutewomen on Aug. 29. Jill Powers scored UMass' first goal and Erin Parker scored the second.

Looking Ahead
The Minutewomen are back on the road next weekend. They first head north to Burlington, Vt. to take on the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. Then on Sunday, they travel south to Hamden, Conn. to play Quinnipiac at 3 p.m.