STORYLINE
The Bloomsburg University field hockey team returns to the field on Sunday at Steph Pettit Stadium to begin the 2019 campaign and will face Bellarmine in a non-conference clash at noon. The Huskies are looking to build off of a solid 2018 campaign in their quest to return to PSAC championship glory. Meanwhile, the Knights have one game under their belt in 2019 as they dropped a 4-0 decision at third-ranked East Stroudsburg on Saturday.
ALL-TIME SERIES
It has been all Huskies against the Knights as Bloomsburg is undefeated against Bellarmine all-time with seven victories in seven meetings. Last season, the Huskies traveled to Louisville and came away victorious with a 5-0 win over the Knights.
Erica Krebs (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) scored twice while
Ali McKay (Dover, Del./Polytech),
Alyssa Broadt (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg), and
Madilyn McKay (Dover, Del./Polytech) had single tallies to pace the offense.
PRESEASON POLLS
The Huskies will open the 2019 season ranked ninth according to the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Coaches' Poll. Shippensburg, the defending three-time national champion, received 22 first-place votes and was tabbed as the preseason favorite. West Chester corralled two first-place nods and is ranked second while East Stroudsburg claimed the other first-place vote and is third. Millersville and Pace rounded out the top five.
In the PSAC preseason coaches' poll, Bloomsburg was picked to finish sixth behind Shippensburg, West Chester, Millersville, East Stroudsburg, and Kutztown.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
Bloomsburg went 11-7 overall and advanced to the PSAC Quarterfinals in 2018. It was the Huskies' fourth consecutive season with at least ten victories and the eighth postseason appearance in nine seasons under head coach
Nikki Hartranft. The 11 wins marked the 37th time in the last 38 seasons - dating back to an 8-5-3 record in 1980 - that the Huskies have recorded double-digit victories. Three of Bloomsburg's top five scorers are back on the roster this season. Senior
Tesa Hoffman (Freeburg, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) paced the Huskies with five goals and five assists for 15 points despite missing the final six games of the year due to injury. Hoffman was an All-PSAC Third Team selection - her first athletic postseason honor. She entered with two goals and one assist in her first two seasons combined before her breakout season in 2018. Also back are seniors
Ali McKay (Dover, Del./Polytech) (five goals, three assists) and
Willow Perkins (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) (five goals, two assists) who finished third and fourth, respectively, on the team in scoring last year. McKay has notched at least 12 points in each of her first three seasons while Perkins posted career-highs in goals, assists, and points in her first full season as a starter. Sophomores
Madilyn McKay (Dover, Del./Polytech),
Foto Tsioles (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West), and
Arden Morgans (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) each scored a pair of goals last season and will be looked upon for an additional offensive spark this season. In goal, both juniors
Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) and
Hannah Barnard (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) return to the Huskies' roster in 2019. Sheply was an All-PSAC Third Team honoree last season after going 7-6 with a 1.33 goals-against average and three shutouts. Barnard was 4-1 with a pair of shutouts and a 1.04 goals-against average.
SCOUTING BELLARMINE
The Knights finished the 2018 season with an 8-9 overall record and will be under the leadership of first-year head coach Devanny Boisvert. Boisvert will have a vast majority of her offensive output from the previous season returning for the 2019 campaign. Bellarmine scored 30 goals last year and 29 of those were recorded by players on this year's team. Junior Mandi Isom is the top returning scorer with eight goals and two assists in 2018. Lindsay Reynolds was next scoring six goals and three assists. Merit Harris added four goals and five assists and Jillian Fazio also reached double digits in the 2018 season after scoring five goals and adding an assist. The Knights also have experience in goal as both Breanna McWhorter and Heather Gregory are back. McWhorter went 2-3 with a 2.64 goals against average in 11 games (three starts) while Gregory posted a 6-6 record and a 3.15 goals against average in 15 games (14 starts).
UP NEXT
The Huskies travel to West Chester on Wednesday, September 11, to face the Golden Rams in out-of-conference play. The Rams are ranked second in the country according to the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches' Poll and are also tabbed to finish second in the PSAC. The game is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. Bloomsburg does not return home until September 18 when they take on East Stroudsburg at 4:00 p.m. at Steph Pettit Stadium.
