Field Hockey Prepares for Playoffs

The EU Field Hockey team started the season with a record of 8-1, which also marked an 8-game winning streak. With overall record of 10-4 and a conference record of 4-1, the Eagles are tied for first place in the MAC Freedom Conference with FDU-Florham, their only conference loss. The Eagles will complete their scheduled conference games in the upcoming week and will presumably continue on to tournament play.

As of Oct. 21, the NCAA has ranked Eastern at #3 in the South Atlantic Regional Rankings. The Eagles are also ranked #19 nationally by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) as they broke into the top 20 on Oct. 6.

With only three freshmen, the Eagles have a solid group of returners and hasvebeen able to build on their experience playing together. Offensively, junior Jessica Kinzler leads the Eagles in scoring with a total of 6 goals thus far. Kinzler has also racked up a total of three game-winning goals. Sophomore Gina Miller and senior Danielle Frasca have five goals each, and Miller leads the team in assists with a total of four.

Sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Berger has a total of 95 saves this season, with a 0.798 save percentage. Against approximately 206 shots faced, the Eagles have only allowed 26 goals. Berger has had two shut-outs this season, including one against Stockton University on Sept. 5 and another against Misericordia on Oct. 3. Berger has earned MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week twice this season—once on Sept. 21 and again on Oct. 17.

The Eagles’ most significant loss came on Oct. 6  against then-undefeated College of New Jersey, who was ranked #1 by the NFHCA (they have since been bumped to #2). This game ended the Eagle’s 8-game winning streak and was the first time this season that the Eagles had gone scoreless. Following the loss, EU was able to come back and win a conference game against King’s College with a score of 3-2. Though unable to string a series of consecutive wins since then, the Eagles have proven resilient by following each loss with at least one win. In other words, EUFH has not had a losing streak of more than a single game.

On Oct. 31 the Eagles will play their last regular season game at 1 p.m. against Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. Arcadia has an overall record of 6-10 with losses against both DeSales and Alvernia, both of which lost to the Eagles earlier this season. The Eagles should be able to end their regular season with a victory and transition smoothly into playoffs.

Visit goeasterneagles.com for more information on EUFH post-season play.