2006 PSAC Field Hockey Championship Preview

BLOOMSBURG- Bloomsburg University will host the 2006 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Field Hockey Championships on Friday, November 3rd and Saturday, November 4th. The top-seeded Bloomsburg University Huskies will take on Mansfield on Friday at 4 p.m., while second-seeded Indiana (PA) will take on the number three seed, Shippensburg. The winners will play for the PSAC championship on Saturday at 5 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $2 for students. Students from PSAC schools are free with valid ID.

Bloomsburg is coming off a regular season in which they were a perfect 20-0, 14-0 in the PSAC. It was the fifth time in school history that the Huskies finished the regular season unbeaten. The Huskies have won 13 conference titles, the most of any school, with their last title coming in 2004 when they defeated IUP.

Jamie Vanartsdalen

The Huskies are led by sophomores Jamie Vanartsdalen (Huntington Valley/ Lower Moreland) and Samantha Kropa (Tunkhannock/ Lackawanna Trail), who rank second and third in the PSAC in scoring respectively. For the season, Vanartsdalen's has 58 points (24 goals, eight assists) just one point behind East Stroudsburg's Ashley Kocis. Already Vanartsdalen's 58 points is the second highest point total in school history. She needs just six more points to break the school record of 63 set back in 1991 by Denise Miller. In addition, Vanartsdalen was named PSAC Player of the Week three times during the season. Kropa has 48 points (22 goals, four assists) on the season and was also named PSAC Player of the Week once. Kropa's 48 points in a season rank fifth all-time in school history.

In the midfield, the Huskies are led by returning senior All-American Maribeth Brozena (Larksville/ Wyoming Valley West). Brozena has seven goals this season, including five game-winning goals for the Huskies. In goal, the Huskies have two-time senior All-American Tracey Hudak (Sweet Valley/ Lake-Lehman). Hudak has allowed just 17 goals this season for a conference-best goals-against average (GAA) of 0.94.

Maribeth Brozena

IUP (14-4, 10-3 in the PSAC) come into the playoffs winners of six straight games. IUP has yet to win a conference championship. They advanced to the finals in both 2000 and in 2004 but lost in the championship game each time.

IUP is lead by freshman Marlous Bijleveld and junior Liz Martini. Bijleveld leads the team in points with 34 (13 goals, eight assists), while Martini is second with 29 points (13 goals, three assists). In goal for IUP will be Lydia Dolly who has allowed 24 goals this season and has a GAA of 1.38.

Samantha Kropa

Shippensburg (15-4, 10-4), will be looking to defend its title after winning its first ever PSAC Championship last season. The Lady Raiders are led by senior Ashley Watt who has 185 points for her career and is the PSAC's career scoring leader, while ranking fourth in NCAA Division II history. For the season, Watt leads the team in points (18 goals, 10 assists). Two-time PSAC Player of the Week, Natalie Grazan will also be a factor for Shippensburg. Grazan ranks second on the team in points with 41 (17 goals, seven assists). Goalie Allie Rutland has allowed just 22 goals and has a GAA 1.36.

Mansfield (11-9, 7-7 PSAC) will be making its first ever appearance in the PSAC Playoffs. The Mountaineers come into the playoffs after breaking several team records during the regular season. The Mountaineers have scored 59 goals this season, setting a new record for goals in a season breaking the record of 47 set in 1999. They also tied the school record for wins originally set in 2001.

Tracey Hudak

The Mountaineers are led by junior Ryanne Higgins and freshman Breanne Tobin who are tied for the team lead in goals with 17. Higgins and Tobin are now tied for the second most goals scored in a season in school history. Higgins was also named player of the week for the period ending October 22. In goal for the Mountaineers will be sophomore Brianna DeLuca. DeLuca's has played every minute of every game and her six shutouts this season rank first all-time in school history. She has allowed 44 goals this season and has a 2.72 GAA.

Bloomsburg is 33-1-1 all-time versus Mansfield. They are 35-8-1 all-time versus Shippensburg and 33-5-1 all-time versus IUP. The Huskies swept the season series against all three teams.