Flashes Open 2007 Season at Buckeye Invitational
8/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Looking for a pair of victories, the Kent State University field hockey team travels to Columbus this weekend to open its 2007 season at the Buckeye Invitational. In two neutral site games, the Golden Flashes will take on Bucknell Saturday (Aug. 25) at 2:30 p.m. and Delaware Sunday (Aug. 26) at 11:30 a.m. at Ohio State's North Turf Field.
The Golden Flashes are 2-0-1 all-time against Bucknell -including two season openers- but have not played the Bison since 1989. KSU will be taking on Delaware for the first time in school history Sunday.
"I'm so so excited to see this group play together," said Head Coach Kathleen Schanne. "I'm really pleased with what we've been able to accomplish during this preseason period and we're itching to get on that field Saturday and go for it.
"We have two tough opponents and we have two games that we are just to going to go after at full speed. We're looking for some early season success to carry momentum into our home opener with Ohio State."
• Bucknell, Delaware and Kent State all received votes in the 2007 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Preseason Poll released on Aug. 21.
• Kent State closed out its 2006 season at the MAC Tournament in Athens with a 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Central Michigan and a 3-1 loss to Ohio. Returning starters Jess Coil and Natalie Barrett were each named to the All-Tournament Team as the Golden Flashes advanced to the MAC semifinals for the 10th consecutive season.
• The Golden Flashes return a pair of players from the 2006 All-MAC Team. Senior Charlotte Muller earned first team all-conference honors for the second straight season and Stephanie Bernthal claimed a spot on the second team.
• The 2007 season marks the second year for the current Kent State coaching staff. Head Coach Kathleen Schanne (Providence '97) along with assistants Rich Sutton and Katy Tran welcomed their first recruiting class this summer, a group of nine freshman who are expected to make an immediate impact.
• The Mid-American Conference coaches picked Kent State to finish fourth in the 2007 standings, according to a preseason poll. Ohio was chosen to repeat as MAC champions.
• Delaware was picked finish sixth in Colonial Athletic Association preseason coaches poll. The Blue Hens finished the 2006 campaign 7-12 and 3-5 in the CAA. The Blue Hens return 12 letterwinners and nine starters from 2006. Offensively, Delaware will be led by forward Casey Howard, who scored nine goals in 2006 and earned All-Region honors.
• Bucknell was ranked fourth in the Patriot League's preseason coaches poll. The Bison went 7-10 last season, but outscored their opponents. The Bison return 17 letterwinners and seven starters from last season. Three of the Bison's top five scorers return from last season.
| Game Notes in PDF |
