BOSTON --Â Looking to capture its first-ever CAA championship, the Northeastern field hockey team travels to Newark, Del. this weekend for the 2013 conference tournament, hosted by Delaware.
The Huskies, the No. 3 seed in the league championship, will square off with No. 2 Drexel in the second semifinal on Friday night at 7 p.m. following the opening semifinal contest between No. 1 Delaware and No. 4 William & Mary. The winners of each semifinal game will then meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the conference championship and automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Northeastern in the CAA Championship
Northeastern is making its fourth straight appearance at the CAA Championship, and seventh overall. Here's a look at the Huskies' history at the conference tournament:
• Northeastern is 5-6 all-time in the CAA tournament, and 5-1 against current member schools. Drexel is the only current CAA team to beat NU in the tournament, the other 5 losses came at the hands of Old Dominion.
• The Huskies have appeared in six semifinal games, compiling a record of 3-3.
• Northeastern has never defeated a higher seed in the tournament, and has never lost to a lower seed.
• Northeastern has never won two games in the same tournament.
• NU has had 17 players named to the All-Tournament team, with 15 different players.
Crystal Poland (2010, 2012) and Carolyn Malloy (2010, 2011) are the only Husky players to make the team twice. No current Northeastern player has been named to the CAA All-Tournament Team.
A look at the Dragons
The 13-6 Drexel Dragons hold the No. 2 seed in the CAA tournament thanks to a conference record of 4-2. One of those two losses came at the hands of the Huskies, when NU defeated Drexel 1-0 on Oct. 11 at Dedham Field.
Northeastern is 15-6-1 all-time against Drexel, but has only faced the Dragons once in the CAA tournament. Drexel won that decision 2-1 in overtime in last year's CAA final. The overtime tournament-winner was scored by current Dragon Christina Conrad.
A pair of midfielder/forwards are tied for the team lead in points this season with 18. Conrad's came by a team-leading seven goals and four assists. Senior Elise DiDonato got there with five goals and a team-best eight assists.
Junior Jantien Gunter started all 19 games in the Drexel goal. She led the CAA with a .781 save percentage while compiling a record of 13-6. She was third in the conference with a 1.47 goal against average and second with five shutouts.
Last time out
Entering last weekend in a three-way tie for third place in the CAA standings, Northeastern earned a split with a victory at William & Mary on Friday before dropping a 2-0 decision at James Madison two days later.
On Friday, senior co-captain
Lindsay Bennett recorded a hat trick, and freshman
Becky Garner made six saves in goal to lead the Huskies to a 3-2 win against the Tribe. Bennett's game-winner came with 13:28 left in regulation for her 10th goal of the season.
With NU in sole possession of third place heading into Sunday, James Madison did everything it could to secure a playoff spot of its own, shutting out Northeastern 2-0. Despite the loss, the Huskies still clinched a spot in the playoffs due to league tiebreakers.
The fountain of youth
After the departure of its top two scorers from last season, including two-time All-American
Crystal Poland, Northeastern welcomed 11 freshmen to the 2013 squad. The group, made up of five forwards, three midfielders, two back and one goalkeeper is tied with Lock Haven, Michigan State and Sacred Heart for the most true freshmen in the nation.
The freshman corps 11 goals and 10 assists this season, which is 39.5% of the team's scoring.
Bennett named to Front Rush/NFHCA Senior Game
Senior co-captain
Lindsay Bennett will get to continue her career into late November when the Kansas City, Mo. native travels to Virginia Beach, Va. for the 2013 Front Rush/NFHCA Senior Game on November 23.
Bennett was one of 38 seniors invited to the game, which takes place during the 2013 Final Four, hosted by Old Dominion.
During her career in the Red and Black, Bennett has helped lead NU to a 45-38 record, four straight trips to the CAA tournament and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Bennett has appeared in 83 career games, including starts in 39 straight contests dating back to her junior year. She has 17 goals and 18 assists in her career, and was named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad as a junior in 2011.
Zweserijn among the league's best
Freshman
Emmy Zweserijn is off to a strong start to her career with the Huskies, and is second on the team with 18 points (seven goals, four assists) in her first 19 collegiate games. The Ziest, Netherlands native has tallied a point in seven of her 19 games this season, including a four-game point streak from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13. Zweserijn is among the league leaders in goals, shots and points this season.
Murtagh collects win No. 350 at Northeastern
NU's 5-0 win against Dartmouth on Sept. 13 marked a milestone in the illustrious career of head coach
Cheryl Murtagh, who secured her 350th career victory at Northeastern. Murtagh is 371-217-13 in 28-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, including a 354-202-10 mark on Huntington Ave. Murtagh began the 2013 campaign ranked eighth in the nation in career victories among active Division I head coaches.
Hall call
Late November will also be a special weekend for head coach
Cheryl Murtagh, who will be inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame.
"It is extremely humbling to receive such recognition," Murtagh said. "It makes me reflect on my time in coaching and how much I appreciate the opportunity Northeastern has given me to coach so many incredible young women. I am very thankful to the NFHCA for the honor."
Murtagh will be joined in her class by the late Catherine Brown, former head coach at Ohio University and a former umpire, and Linda Dirga, former head coach at Pomperaug High School in Connecticut.
"Cheryl's commitment to excellence is seen in her teams accomplishments on the field as well as in the classroom—numerous NCAA tournament appearances, multiple Academic All-Americans, and more than 350 career wins," said athletic director
Peter Roby. "All of us at Northeastern congratulate Cheryl on this latest honor."
In her 25 full seasons in Boston, Murtagh has given the Huskies plenty to be proud of, both on and off the field. She led Northeastern to 10 America East titles in her first 15 seasons, twice stringing together four-consecutive conference championships. Under Murtagh, the Huskies have reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times, including three Final Four appearances. An eight-time Northeast Region Coach of the Year, Murtagh entered the 2013 season with a 364-205-13 (.637) career record, which is tops of any female coach in NU history and eighth all-time among Division I coaches.
No place like home
The 2013 season marks the start of a new chapter in Northeastern history with the team's new facility in Dedham, Mass. The state-of-the-art field gives the Huskies a permanent home for 11 games this season and beyond. The facility also provides brand new locker rooms.
"The quality of our practices is so much better," said head coach
Cheryl Murtagh. "We hope it will have an immediate impact on the program and a long- term impact on the success of the team."
A look at the field: No. 1 Delaware
Delaware is 14-4 on the season, claiming the top seed in the CAA tournament with a perfect 6-0 conference record. The Blue Hens and Huskies have never faced each other in the CAA tournament, but NU holds a 17-5-0 all-time record against Delaware in regular season action. Delaware defeated host NU 3-0 in this season's meeting on Oct. 27.
Delaware is characterized by a high-powered offense and a stingy defense. The Blue Hens lead the CAA with 59 goals and boast three of the league's top 10 point-getters. Sophomore midfielder Michaela Patzner leads the CAA with 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. She is tied for the league lead with five game-winning goals. Freshman midfielder Esmee Peet sits fifth in the CAA with 14 points off of 10 goals and four assists, while first-year forward Meghan Winesett is tied for eighth with 7-8-22 totals.
The defense has been strong for Delaware, not allowing its goaltender to be tested very often. With senior keeper Sarah Scher playing every minute this season, the Blue Hens are first in the CAA in shutouts (six) and goals against average (1.39) while sitting in sixth out of seven teams with just 80 saves. Scher averaged only 4.39 saves per game over the course of the season.
A look at the field: No. 4 William & Mary
William & Mary holds the No. 4 seed in the CAA tournament with a 3-3 conference record. Northeastern is 8-5 all-time against the Tribe and won the lone CAA tournament meeting in the 2006 quarterfinal.
Two of the CAA's top 10 scorers can be found on the William & Mary roster. Sophomore forward/midfielder Pippin Saunders is tied for sixth in the league with 23 points on seven goals and nine assists, while senior forward is tied for eighth with 10-2-22 totals.
Redshirt sophomore Cate Johnson has gotten the majority of the starts in goal with 14 in 17 appearances, but sophomore Meredith Savage has seen plenty of work as well with 12 appearances and four starts. Johnson is 7-4 and has compiled a 2.00 goals against average and a .700 save percentage with one shutout across 838:04. Savage has posted a 2.77 goals against average and a .585 saver percentage in 429:06 while going 1-6.
