2010 CAC Field Hockey Preview

http://www.cacsports.com/sports/fh/2010-11/releases/2010_CAC_Preview

York, Pa. - The No. 1-ranked Salisbury field hockey team won the 2009 NCAA Championship, its fourth in the last seven seasons, and extended its streak of Capital Athletic Conference titles to 15, extending back to 1995.

The Sea Gulls went undefeated against CAC competition for the third-straight year, and seventh time in the last eight years, on the way to reaching the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in the last seven years.

The road to another CAC title should get tougher for the Sea Gulls in 2010 as most of the conference teams will combine a strong returning nucleus with a quality list of newcomers.  The addition of Frostburg State to the conference will add another quality program battling for a playoff berth.

The 2010 campaign beings with six non-conference games on September 1.  The first CAC match of the season features the two teams that played in the 2009 title contest – Mary Washington at Salisbury.  The eight CAC teams will be battling for six berths in the conference playoffs, which begin Sunday, Oct. 31, and culminate with the crowning of the 2010 champion on Saturday, Nov. 6.

St. Mary's third-year head coach Katie Lange will count on the enthusiasm and leadership of her team captains, Allie Skiest and Blair Lusby, to help guide the Seahawks through a tough and competitive schedule in hopes of returning to the CAC final for a third time and take a shot at the league's NCAA automatic bid. 

Lauriann Parker (13 G, 5 A), last year's CAC Rookie of the Year, and Susan Smith (2 G, 2 A) will combine to provide the offensive punch up front while Skiest (1 G, 4 A), a two-time all-conference selection, and Samantha Locke (3 G, 1 A) will control the midfield and aid in transition.  Lusby will anchor a defensive unit that last year notched three shutout victories.

The Seahawks will be one of the six teams kicking off the 2010 campaign on September 1 as the team travels to Towson to take on Goucher College.  St. Mary's has won 10 straight against the Gophers, including last season's 1-0 victory following the game-winning goal from Skiest.  Goucher's last victory came on October 16, 1999 as the Gophers notched a 3-2 win at Seahawk Stadium.

Here is a glimpse at the other seven CAC teams heading into the 2010 season:

FROSTBURG STATE begins a new chapter in its field hockey program this fall as Jennifer Johnstone takes over as head coach. FSU returns its top four scorers in seniors Brooke Tapman, Breanne Russell and Lindsey Frost and junior Chelsea Smith. The Bobcats, which won the Independent Tournament last fall, opened the 2009 season with a 6-2 start and will look to repeat that start in their first season as a member of the CAC.

Eight returners and nine newcomers comprise the HOOD field hockey roster as the Blazers embark on their fourth season in the CAC. Last season, Hood posted its highest win total since 2005. Starting goalkeeper and senior Anne Marie Hantman returns after posting a .753 save percentage last fall. Head coach Staci Brennan takes the reigns for her ninth season at the helm.

Leading the way for MARY WASHINGTON are all-region seniors Heidi Sheehan and Emma Jones. Sheehan gained all-state first team honors after posting four assists and seven defensive saves from her defender position, and Jones, the team's leading scorer a season ago, caged 15 goals and seven assists in moving into the top 10 in career points, career goals, and goals in a season. Also returning to prominent roles in 2010 are senior defender Nicole Conti, who earned all-conference honors in 2009 with a team-high nine defensive saves, and senior goalkeeper Chrissy Bowdren, who begins her fourth season as starter in the UMW cage.

SALISBURY is set to defend its 2009 national and CAC championship, relying upon junior first-team All-American Tara McGovern to lead a defense that limited opposing teams to 0.52 goals per game in 2009. Junior forward Caitlin Walker will look to pace the offense after registering 18 points in her sophomore season.

STEVENSON looks for its fourth consecutive appearance in the CAC tournament under newly-appointed head coach Erika Blozie. In her two previous seasons as an assistant, she helped lead the Mustangs to 16 wins, the second-most of any two-year period in school history. The Mustangs (6-12, 2-4 CAC in 2009) are led by returning All-CAC Second Team selections, seniors Natalie DiPaolo and Kara Zimmerman. The team also returns four of its top five scorers from last season.

WESLEY returns 21 student-athletes, including four All-CAC team members, from a team that won a dozen games for head coach Tracey Short in 2009.  Brooke Tadlock earned all-region honors for the second straight year and enters her senior season with 37 career goals and 85 career points.  Amanda Fisher leads the defense after being named all-conference in each of the last two years. Sarah Johnson was the All-CAC second team goalkeeper in 2009, finishing second in the league in saves.  All-CAC second teamer Abigail Hill also returns, as the Wolverines return nine of their top 10 scorers.

Following its most successful season in recent memory, YORK embarks on the 2010 campaign as a new-look squad. The Green and White lost three of their school-record-setting five All-Capital Athletic Conference performers from 2009, including four-year starting goalkeeper Claire Rekitzke. However, the Spartans do welcome back senior standouts Katie Dawkins and Allison Roush, who were 1-2 in scoring for the Green and White last year and second-team All-CAC selections. Juniors Colleen O'Rourke and Brittany Simmons bring added experience and leadership to a young squad.