The Maroons finished 3-11 last season and will look to improve on that mark this fall. They will open again this fall at the Drew Fall Fest on Aug. 30-31 against Swarthmore and Drew, respectively.

 

“Home Sweet Home” will be the slogan for the field hockey team the rest of the season as they play 10 of their next 13 games at Donald J. Kerr Stadium. It is six more home dates compared to four last season.

 

The women will have only four more road trips the remainder of the season, which starts with three-straight home games against Franklin & Marshall (Sept. 6), Johns Hopkins (Sept. 7) and Shenandoah, one of their three wins last season, on Sept. 13.

 

ODAC play will open at home against Randolph-Macon (Sept. 20) and defending conference champion Eastern Mennonite (Sept. 26). Their first ODAC road trip will be at Virginia Wesleyan on Oct. 4. Their final two road contests come against Bridgewater (Oct. 17) and the season-finale at Lynchburg (Oct. 25). The Maroons fell to the Eagles, 2-1 in overtime last season.

 

Second-year head coach Lacey Pustizzi hasn't softened her schedule in her sophomore campaign, pinning up her team against eight teams with winning records, all of them ranked in the top-15 in their respective regional polls last year. Catawba, which is a NCAA Div. II school, will host the Maroons on Sept. 17.

 

The Maroons lost eight seniors from the 3-11 squad last year, but have a solid core of returners. Seniors Kristen Santella, Heather Paul and Emily Horner will lead the young but talented group in 2008. Santella led the team in defensive saves last season while Horner started all 14 games in the backfield. Jessica Perkins returns after a solid freshman year, leading the team in assists with six. 

 

Mariah Vietri scored three goals last season and will be looked to tack on more goals this fall.   Megan Maier will return her experience and leadership to the midfield this season while Shawna Poole will return to the backfield. She has a calm head on her shoulders and is a solid leader. Mary Kate Cummings will be leaned on more to score more goals as she will be moved from midfield to attack this season. She will be under the radar which should give her time to adjust to her position early in the season. 

 

Lee Sheldon and the two freshman goalkeepers highlight the incoming class. Sheldon, a state champion as a defender, will make a huge impact right away at the midfield position and should be able to handle the responsibility this fall. Goalkeepers Cristina Schicilone and Lauren Dukes will compete for the starting spot in the cage this fall. Coach Pustizzi is very impressed with their efforts this pre-season and are very fast learners. They are very different in style, but very strong in the cage.