BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears have been picked to finish sixth in the 2011 Little East Conference (LEC) Field Hockey standings in a vote of the league’s 12 coaches. The Little East Field Hockey Preseason Poll was released today by conference Director of Media Relations, Jack Holleran.
UMass Dartmouth, the defending Little East champion, is the preseason favorite as the Corsairs garner 140 points and captured nine of the 12 first place votes. UMass was followed by Keene State University (129 pts), Plymouth State University (125 pts), University of Southern Maine (87 pts) and Fitchburg State University (86 pts). Bridgewater State (84 pts) and Western Connecticut State University (63 pts) rounded out the top seven teams.
Head Coach Erika Smith begins her sixth season at the helm of the BSU field hockey program. Smith has produced an overall record of 52-44 (.542) over her first five seasons including a 12-9 mark last year. The 2010 squad posted an 8-3 mark in Little East play and were seeded second in the conference tournament. The Bears advanced to the LEC title game for the first time in program history, dropping a 3-1 decision to UMass. Bridgewater also earned the top seed in the ECAC Division III New England Tournament and advanced to the finals.
The Bears will be led by the trio of senior defender Ashley Caouette (Blackstone, Mass.), senior midfielder Stephanie Lannon (Swampscott, Mass.) and junior midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.). All three players have started each of the past 38 games over the last two seasons.
Caouette has produced four defensive saves over the past two season including three in 2010. Lannon has four goals and six assists for 14 points in her career. Three of her four goals have been game-winners. Farland enters her junior season with 11 goals and six assists for 28 points. She tied for third on the team and goals and ranked four in scoring during the 2010 campaign.
Junior forward Beth Phillips (Worcester, Mass.) will also provide an additional veteran presence up front while junior midfielder Megan Cullinane (Lunenburg, Mass.) is expected to see plenty of playing time in the midfielder. Phillips appeared in 20 games a year ago and finished with two goals and a pair of assists, while Cullinane also played in 20 games and notched three goals and three helpers.
Junior Cassie Johansen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) and sophomore Kacie Sturgeon (Dartmouth, Mass.) will vie for the starting goaltending spot.
The roster will be bolstered by the addition of some outstanding incoming freshmen including defender Rachel Robinson (Quabbin HS), midfielder Jackie Doherty (Saugus, Mass.), and forward Emma Delaney (North Middlesex Regional HS). Robinson and Delaney were both Midland-Wachusett League All-Stars as high school seniors, while Doherty captured all-league honors in the Northeastern Conference.