Owls picked second in LEC preseason field hockey poll

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – For the first time in program history, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has been projected to win the Little East field hockey regular-season championship outright, according the 2010 preseason coaches’ poll. The Corsairs received nine of the 12 first-place votes and 140 total points to snap No. 2 Keene State College’s five-year strangle hold as the preseason favorite. UMass Dartmouth and the Owls shared the top position in the 2007 preseason survey.

Keene State College and Framingham State University were the only two other teams to eclipse the 100-point barrier in the annual poll. The Owls earned two first-place tallies and 128 total points, while the Rams received the final first-place nod and 115 points. 

Plymouth State University (90), University of Southern Maine (86), Bridgewater State University (77), Fitchburg State University (76), and Westfield State University (63) are predicted to finish fourth through eighth, respectively to fill out the conference championship tournament bracket.

Head Coach Nicole Castonguay led UMass Dartmouth to its first Little East field hockey championship and appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2009. The Corsairs sported an overall record of 15-7, marking the third highest single-season win total since UMass Dartmouth joined the conference in 1998. The Corsairs finished in a four-way tie atop the final regular-season with a 9-2 Little East record to earn the second seed in the conference tournament.  Castonguay and her charges overpowered their competition on the way to the championship round, defeating their oppositions by an aggregate score of 9-0. UMass Dartmouth edged top-seeded Keene State 3-2 in overtime to raise the program’s first Little East trophy and earn a berth into the national tournament.

 The Corsairs are projected to boast the most explosive offense as UMass Dartmouth welcomes back its top five scorers from a year ago. In 2009, the Corsairs ranked third in the conference circuit in goals scored (55). Two-time All-Little East, first-team senior forward Stephanie Kinchla (Falmouth, Mass.) will pace the UMass Dartmouth scoring attack. As a junior, Kinchla ranked among the offensive leaders in goals (2nd, 22), game-winning goals (2nd, 6), and points (2nd, 49). The Corsairs open the 2010 schedule on the road at MIT on Sept. 4.        

Under the direction of Head Coach Amy Watson, the Owls reached the championship round of the conference tournament for the seventh-straight season a year ago. Keene State (18-6) earned a share of its seventh regular-season title, and posted its fourth consecutive season with 18 victories.  The Owls made the program’s seventh appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship as the top seed.

Keene State will also sport a potent attack as the Owls return four of their top five scorers from the top-scoring offensive unit. The junior trio of Aislynn Sherry (Rehoboth, Mass.), Jacki Benson (Hampstead, N.H.), and Elizabeth Coffin (Sugar Hill, N.H.) each recorded at least 21 points in 2009. Sherry set the standard among her classmates with 24 points, including a league-best 12 assists.  Keene State will host Western New England at 6 p.m. on Sept. 1 in its 2010 opener.

The Little East sponsors a single round-robin conference schedule with each team playing 11 matches. The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings will earn a berth into the 2010 Little East Field Hockey Championship Tournament. The top four seeds earn home field advantage in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, Nov. 2 with the winners advancing to the semifinals two days later.  The highest remaining seed out of the semifinals winners will host the championship round on Saturday, Nov. 6 with the conference champion representing the league in the NCAA Division III Tournament.  

Completing the preseason poll in projected order of finish are Salem State University (60), Western Connecticut State University (46), Worcester State University (32), Eastern Connecticut State University (18).

In 1989, Eastern Connecticut State University, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (Southeastern Massachusetts University), Plymouth State University (College), Rhode Island College, and the University of Southern Maine each formed the Little East Conference. Western Connecticut State University joined the conference in 1993, while Keene State College completed the present eight-team membership in 1997.