Field Hockey Picked Fourth in Little East Poll

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears have been picked to finish fourth in the 2012 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.

Keene State College, the defending Little East champion, is the preseason favorite as the Owls garnered 136 points and captured seven of the 12 first place votes.  Keene State was followed by UMass Dartmouth (129 pts.), Plymouth State University (124 pts), Bridgewater State (96 pts.) and the University of Southern Maine (84 pts.). Western Connecticut State University (74 pts.) and Worcester State University (70 pts.) rounded out the top seven teams.

Head Coach Erika Smith begins her seventh season at the helm of the BSU field hockey program.  Smith has produced an overall record of 65-51 (.560) over her first six seasons including a 13-7 mark last year.  The 2011 squad posted a 7-4 record in Little East play and earned a spot in the ECAC Division III New England Tournament for the second straight season and third time in the last five years.

The Bears are led by Little East Second Team All-Star, senior midfielder Shelby Farland (Fiskdale, Mass.).  Farland enters her junior season with 68 points on the strength of 28 goals and 12 assists.  She set career highs in all three categories a year ago with 17 goals and six assists for 40 points. 

Other key returners from the 2011 squad include senior defenders Mattie Burke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Olivia Galvin (Mashpee, Mass.), senior midfielder Megan Cullinane (Lunenburg, Mass.), senior forward Beth Phillips (Worcester, Mass.) and senior goaltender Cassie Johansen (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.).

Burke started and played in 19 games last season, while Galvin started all 20.  They each garnered a defensive save.  Cullinane has appeared in 53 games over her first three season totaling nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.  Phillips has eight goals and ten assists for 26 points in 30 career games.  Johansen started all 20 games between the pipes in 2011 posting a record of 13-7 with 92 saves, a 1.96 goals against average and a .713 save percentage.

Junior forward Demi Miskiv (Centerville, Mass.) joins the Bears after transferring from Little East rival Framingham State.  Miskiv amassed 11 goals and five assists for 27 points in 35 games over two seasons with the Rams.

The roster will also be bolstered by the addition of some outstanding incoming freshmen including midfielders Jen Arnold (Dennis-Yarmouth HS) and Mary Roche (Arlington, Mass.) and forward Kelsey Kiely (Mansfield, Mass.).  Arnold was a captain on the Dennis-Yarmouth field hockey team which posted a record of 15-3-2 and captured the Atlantic Coast League title.  Roche was a four-year varsity player at Arlington High School and also captained the squad.  Kiely garnered Sun Chronicle All-Scholastic honors while competing at Mansfield High School.

The Bears open the 2012 season on Sunday, September 2^nd as they entertain Thomas College at noon. Little East Conference play gets underway on Friday night, September 7^th when Bridgewater hosts Keene State College at seven.