Field Hockey Team Preparing for NCAA Championships

BLOOMSBURG--The Bloomsburg University field hockey team will begin its quest for the program's 16th national championship and fourth straight on Friday when it faces Shippensburg in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II championships being hosted by Stonehill College in Easton, MA. Start time is set for 2 p.m.

In the other semi-final game, Stonehill will face UMass-Lowell at 4:30 p.m. with the winners meeting on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the national championship. You can follow the action on the web at www.ncaa.com.

The Huskies have won three straight NCAA Division II championships and six of the last seven titles. Bloomsburg is also looking to win four straight national championships for the second time in school history (1996-99 being the first time the feat was accomplished). Of the Huskies 15 national titles, 12 have come while Bloomsburg has been competing in Division II, while two have come as a Division III program and one from the former AIAW association.

Bloomsburg, 20-1, is ranked number one in the country in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll. The Huskies are on a 17-game winning streak and two weeks ago captured the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Lady Raiders.

Leading the Huskies in scoring is sophomore Amanda Riley (Tannersville/Pocono Mountain East) who is tops in all of Division II with 2.67 points per game (56 in 21 games) and in goals per game (24 in 21 games). Riley finished the regular season by being named the PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Week three straight times. Another offensive threat for the Huskies is senior Breanne Tobin (Perkasie/Pennridge) who has scored 18 goals and has four assists, while senior Maggey Bloskey (Danville/Danville) has 13 goals and 11 assists.

Maggey Bloskey

Bloskey has quietly put together a great career for the Huskies and is now 11th all-time in school history with 43 goals and is 10th in career points with 104. In the recent past Bloskey has been a thorn in the side of Shippensburg. In last year's NCAA semi-finals Bloskey scored all three goals for the Huskies, including the game-winner in overtime against Shippensburg, while two weeks ago she scored the game-winning goal again in overtime to give Bloomsburg the PSAC title.

Aubrey Carman

On defense the Huskies are led by midfielder Chelsea Due (Pen Argyl/Pen Argyl) who scored eight goals and assisted on four others this season, along with All-PSAC East performers Aubrey Carman (Dallastown/Dallastown) and Betsy Renn (Herndon/Line Mountain). In goal is senior Caitlin Koczynski (Yardley/Neshaminy) who is second in Division II with a goals against average of 0.79.

Bloomsburg has faced two of the three teams in the 2009 final four this season. The Huskies beat Stonehill 4-0 in an early season matchup and have taken both meetings with Shippensburg this season.

The 2009 tournament will also have extra meaning for the Huskies as it will be the last one for retiring Bloomsburg coach Jan Hutchinson. The veteran coach will step down from coaching following the 2010 softball season. She goes into the tournament with a field hockey coaching mark of 589-75-20.

Shippensburg is 20-2 on the season and reached the final round by defeating East Stroudsburg 3-0 in the opening round of the playoffs to earn the second NCAA postseason victory in program history. Kristina Taylor and Ashley Taylor netted goals while goalie Amanda Houser added nine saves in the net for the Lady Raiders.

Stonehill, 17-4 on the year, is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance, is the North Region's top seed for the first time. The Skyhawks also earned NCAA bids in 2005 and 2006, reaching the semifinals in 2005 before being defeated by eventual champions UMass Lowell, 2-1, at Shippensburg.

UMass Lowell is 17-5 on the year and reached the final four with a 5-2 win at Bentley University. Junior Katie Enaire led the River Hawks with two goals and an assist in the win.