Oct. 27, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. - The No. 19 UMass field hockey concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday when it hosts Dartmouth under the lights at Garber Field at 6 p.m. The Minutewomen are coming off an impressive 10-1 win at Saint Louis as they begin their regular season-ending three-game homestand.

Wednesday's game can be watched live on UMass All-Access at UMassAthletics.com. Free live stats will also be available on Gametracker. The 6 p.m. start time is a change from a 5 p.m. start that was originally scheduled.

Last Time Out
Katie Kelly tallied a career-high eight points on two goals and four assists to lead #16 UMass field hockey (10-7, 1-3 A-10) to a 10-1 rout over Saint Louis (1-14, 0-4 A-10) on Sunday afternoon at the Anheuser-Busch Center. The 10-goal outburst was the second-most in program history and comes 30 years to the day of the Minutewomen's record 11 goals against Smith College in 1979.

Makaela Potts scored two goals and assisted on two others. Freshmen Kate Heineman and Anniek Scholten also registered the first multi-goal games of their careers, with Scholten's goals being her first two in a UMass uniform.

Cher King added a goal and an assist, while Jaime Bourazeris scored once and Kim Young assisted on a goal.

UMass dominated in every facet of the game, outshooting the Billikens, 31-3, and drawing 13 penalty corners to Saint Louis' three. Billikens goalkeeper Katherine Deem kept the result from being more lopsided, recording 14 saves.

Alesha Widdall made one save in the first half and held the Billikens scoreless. Sarah Williams relieved her, playing the whole second half, allowing one goal.

Kelly Honored By A-10
Field hockey junior forward Katie Kelly was recognized for an outstanding week on the field by being named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday. The Minutewomen's captain shattered her career-high with eight points on two goals and four assists in a 10-1 rout over Saint Louis on Sunday. She shares this week's honor with Saint Joseph's Theresa Testa.

This is Kelly's first A-10 Player of the Week honor of the season and second of her career. She also won the award on Sept. 8, 2008 for a three-goal week.

Scouting Dartmouth
Dartmouth comes into Wednesday's game 7-7 overall and 3-2 in Ivy League play. After a 1-5 start, the Big Green has gone 6-2 in the last month to get back to .500.

The Minutewomen and Big Green have five common opponents this season: Providence, Boston University, Vermont, Syracuse, and Yale. UMass went 3-2 against that group, while Dartmouth posted a 1-4 record.

Kelly Hood is the big offensive threat for the Big Green. The sophomore forward has 14 goals on the season to go along with seven assists for 35 points. Rebecca Sobel is second on the team in scoring with seven goals to go with six assists. Meghan Everett has added six goals of her own.

Kelly McHenry and Virginia Pelsch are the top playmakers for Dartmouth, with 13 and 10 assists, respectively.

Sophomore Meaghan Vakiener has seen the bulk of the action between the pipes. She is 6-6 on the season with a 3.17 goals against average and a .723 save percentage.

Dartmouth is the third Ivy League school UMass has played this season. The Minutewomen have defeated both Harvard and Yale by identical 1-0 scores.

Series Vs. The Big Green
UMass leads the all-time series against Dartmouth, 20-9-1. UMass defeated the Big Green last season to snap a three-game losing streak against the Hanover, N.H. school.

The last time Dartmouth visited Garber Field, on Oct. 24, 2007, the Big Green came away with a 1-0 victory.

Last Season Against Dartmouth
A first half goal by Jill Powers and a second half goal by Katie Kelly led UMass field hockey to a 2-0 over Dartmouth in the inaugural game at Chase Field on Sept. 5, 2008. Freshman Alesha Widdall made three saves in goal to earn her second-straight shutout and Erin Parker and Makaela Potts assisted on the two goals, which both came off penalty corners.

The Minutewomen earned 11 corners on the day to Dartmouth's five. UMass also controlled the game in shots, 18-8, with Potts leading the way with four. Ashley Hines led the Big Green with three shots.

Looking Ahead
After hosting Dartmouth on Wednesday, the Minutewomen remain home to close the regular season with two crucial A-10 Conference games. On Friday, La Salle takes on the Minutewomen at 3 p.m. and on Sunday, UMass hosts West Chester at noon on Senior Day at Garber Field.