 Field Hockey Opens 2010 Season With Two Contests in Ohio
Aug. 25, 2010
THIS WEEK: The Saint Louis field hockey team begins the 2010 season with two games in Athens, Ohio. The Billikens face Radford Saturday, August 28, in a noon (CT) contest. SLU takes on Ohio in a 1 p.m. (CT) start Sunday, August 29. The games in the Buckeye state will be a homecoming for senior goalie Katherine Deem, who hails from Fairview Park, Ohio. ABOUT RADFORD: The Highlanders were 11-10 overall, 5-1 in the NorPac Conference. Last season, Courtney Poole was the leading scorer for Radford with 11 goals, while Madonna Wadoloski had three goals and a team-high 10 assists. Jennifer Wisniewski started all 21 games last season and posted a 2.10 GAA with 123 saves. Head coach Jeff Woods begins his 25th season at Radford. ABOUT OHIO: The Bobcats were 12-9 overall, 8-2 in the Mid-American Conference. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament but were eliminated by Atlantic 10 representative Richmond in the opening round. Katherine Ballard is the squad's leading returning scorer with nine goals and one assist for 19 points. Courtney Seiders registered nine of the team's wins and posted a 1.89 GAA with 89 saves. Neil Macmillan is starting his fifth season as Ohio's head coach. HOME OPENER: The Billikens host Missouri State in the home opener Friday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. at the Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, Mo. The game is the first of six straight home contests for the Billikens. RETURNING PLAYERS: Ten players return to the squad from a season ago. Katherine Deem, Natalie Gamez, Kelsey Shultz and Kelsey Traynor lead the senior class, and juniors Nicole Kent and Alex LaBarge finish up the squad's upperclassmen. The sophomore class features Caitlin Brenner, Lexie Lindblad, Lauryn Smith and Morgan Threatt.
NEW FACES: The Billikens feature 11 newcomers - Caiti Brownell, Shelby Dittmar, Laken Gehris, Natalie Hood, Chelsea Hower, Tori Lycett, Megan Rogers, Jane Tomic, Brooke Weaver, Kat Wollenberg and Eunice Yoon. COACHING STAFF: Head coach Lauren Bruce begins her second season at the helm of the Billikens. She spent three years as a SLU assistant before being promoted to head coach prior to the 2009 season. Bruce is a 2005 graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Joining her on the bench is first-year assistant Kate Lipton. HONOR ROLL: Last season, Nicole Kent (Pewaukee, Wis. / Arrowhead) earned second-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors, and Lexie Lindblad (St. Louis, Mo. / Ursuline) was voted to the All-Rookie team. |
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