Field Hockey's Opening Weekend Highlighted By Visit From No. 12 James Madison
8/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
KENT, Ohio -- The Kent State field hockey team kicks off its 34th season with two games on its home turf, battling Saint Louis Friday (Aug. 28) and James Madison Sunday (Aug. 30). Game time is set for 1 p.m. for both contests at Murphy-Mellis Field.
Coming off their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season title since 2005 and their first MAC Tournament championship since 2002 the Golden Flashes had one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2008. The 2009 team is looking to win back-to-back MAC titles for the first time since the program won three straight from 1998-2000.
Led by two-time MAC Coach of the Year Kathleen Schanne, the Golden Flashes are loaded once again and ready to make another championship run. The 2009 squad features 10 starters among its 12 returning letterwinners. In addition 90 percent of the offense is back from a team that produced 61 goals and led the league in scoring margin last season. The Flashes received 40 votes in favor of entering the 2009 Kookaburra/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Preseason Poll, released earlier this week.
Sophomore Debbie Bell (Hamilton, New Zealand/Waikato) returns after a MAC Freshman of the Year campaign in which she tallied 21 goals and accumulated 46 points to lead the Flashes in both categories. Junior Rachel Miller (Bathurst, Australia/MacKillop College) dished out a team-high 14 assists and was second on the team in goals (12) and points (38). She adds the role of team captain to her list of responsibilities in '09. Goalkeeping junior Caroline Suitch (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) remains Kent State's last line of defense after starting all 22 games in net and making 89 saves last year.
KSU opens the regular season at home for the second straight year as the Billikens come to town. The contest marks the debut of Saint Louis Head Coach Lauren Bruce after serving as an assistant coach for SLU the past three seasons. Saint Louis looks to overcome an '08 campaign in which they went winless in Atlantic 10 play (0-6) and won four games (4-13 overall record). Kent State owns a 9-3 lead in the all-time series against Saint Louis.
Sunday's game will be a great early season test to see how the Flashes stack up nationally with 12th-ranked James Madison stopping by. The Dukes hold the advantage in the all-time series, 6-3. Sixth-year Head Coach Antoinette Lucas' 2008 squad posted the best winning percentage in program history, going 18-3. The Dukes went 8-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play, won its third straight CAA title and earned its third straight NCAA appearance. JMU led the nation in goals against average and shutouts per game while ranking second in save percentage and turning in the third-best winning percentage in Division I. The Dukes will have to make up for the loss of their two biggest offensive weapons from '08, though, in Lauren Walls (14 goals, 35 points) and Melissa Stefaniak (11 goals, 32 points). JMU opens the regular season in Columbus, Ohio Saturday with a matchup with Ohio State.
Kent State's weekend home stand is followed up with its biggest road trip of the season by far as the Flashes fly west to California next week for contests at Pacific (Sept. 3), California (Sept. 5) and Stanford (Sept. 6).
