QU Field Hockey Kicks Off 2015 with Road Trips to UMass Lowell and No. 13 Boston College This Weekend
8/26/2015 9:33:00 AM | Field Hockey
Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) at
UMass Lowell (0-0, 0-0 America East)
Friday, Aug. 28, 2015 – 1:00 PM
Wicked Blue Field – Lowell, Mass.
All-Time Series vs. UMass Lowell: 2-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2014 (L, 3-2) @ Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac Bobcats (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) at
No. 13 Boston College (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015 – 3:00 PM
Newton Campus Field Hockey Field – Newton, Mass.
All-Time Series vs. Boston College: 0-10
Last Meeting: Aug. 29, 2014 (L, 3-0) @ Quinnipiac
BACK-TO-BACK IN MASS. TO START 2015
The Quinnipiac field hockey team opens the 2015 season on the road as the Bobcats will make two trips up to Massachusetts to take on UMass Lowell on Friday, Aug. 28 and will follow that up with a showdown against No. 13 nationally-ranked Boston College on Sunday, Aug. 30. Two years removed from a MAAC Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats are eager to get back out on the field following an eight-win 2014 campaign.
ALL-TIME AGAINST UMASS LOWELL
The Bobcats suffered their first defeat at the hands of UMass Lowell last season when the River Hawks took down Quinnipiac, 3-2, in the closing minutes of last season's meeting from Hamden. Before the 2014 matchup, the Bobcats came away with victories in their first two meetings including a 3-1 road win on Sept. 17, 2013 and a 2-1 victory back before Quinnipiac entered the Division I ranks on Oct. 18, 1996.
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
After a strong six-win showing last season, UMass Lowell took a big step forward in 2014 and enters the 2015 campaign with much to be excited for as the River Hawks are postseason eligible for the first time at the Div. I level. Sophomore Christa Doiron is the River Hawks' top returning scorer after posting 13 points in her freshman year last season. Senior co-captain Sophie Watt started all 19 games last season at the midfield spot, finishing with three assists, on the way to earning America East All-Conference First Team honors. Kelsey Federico is expected to anchor the River Hawks in the cage in 2015 after earning America East All-Rookie honors with a league-high 133 saves.
ALL-TIME AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE
The Bobcats have never beaten the perennial field hockey powerhouse Boston College as they enter Sunday's meeting with a 0-10 all-time mark against the Eagles. In last year's meeting, the Bobcats were tied with the Eagles at halftime, 0-0, but three second half goals and a lopsided shot total proved too much to overcome as Boston College walked away with the 3-0 victory. In the year prior, the Bobcats nearly pulled off the upset as Boston College escaped with the 3-2 win from Newton, Mass.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Boston College spent the entire 2014 season as a nationally-ranked team as the Eagles finished the year with a 13-7 record and 3-4 mark in ACC play on the way to a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. After jumping out to a 7-1 start last season, including huge wins over UConn and at Syracuse, the Eagles stumbled once conference play started as they lost four of their next five games. A five-game winning streak to end the regular season was nullified in the ACC Tournament with a 5-2 loss to Syracuse and then a season-ending 2-1 loss to Penn State in the NCAA Tournament First Round. Preseason All-ACC midfielder Emily McCoy is the leading returner for the Eagles as she is coming off a 23-point season, scoring 10 goals and handing out three assists. Senior goalkeeper Leah Settipane also returns for one more year after putting together a strong season going 13-7 with a 1.75 GAA and .765 save percentage.
THE MAAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Quinnipiac field hockey team was tabbed as the favorites to win the MAAC, as voted on by the leagues' coaches in the 2015 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats also had three seniors in Megan Osanitsch, Savanna Reilly and Meghan McCullough earn All-MAAC Preseason honors.
MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Monmouth (48)
2. Fairfield (40)
3. Quinnipiac (32)
4. Rider (27)
5. Sacred Heart (24)
6. Bryant (15)
7. Siena (10)
THE GREAT WALL OF CONABOY
Quinnipiac benefitted greatly from one of the leagues' stingiest defenses in 2014 and the Bobcats will welcomes back their senior goalkeeper and two-time reigning MAAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year in Megan Conaboy. The NFHCA All-Mideast Region First Team selection and five time career MAAC Defensive Player of the Week posted another incredible season compiling an overall record of 8-11, 2.22 GAA, 128 saves (6th in NCAA Div. I), .744 save percentage (1st MAAC; 20th NCAA) and three shutouts while playing every minute in the cage for the Bobcats. Her MAAC play was even more stellar as she went 3-2 with a 1.43 GAA, .800 save percentage and two shutouts. She enters her final season ranked 4th all-time at Quinnipiac in career GAA (2.09) and wins (23) while tied for 3rd in shutouts (10).
SHUTOUT STREAK IN THE MAAC
Megan Conaboy's amazing shutout streak against MAAC competition was snapped at five games last season as the goalkeeper didn't allow a goal in 432:50 over the course of seven games against conference competition dating back to 2013. Conaboy's streak was the longest intraconference shutout streak in the history of Quinnipiac field hockey.
SAVING THE DAY
Conaboy's 22 saves were not only a career-high for the Bobcats' senior but the single-game saves total ranks as the most saves for any goalkeeper in a single-game last season. No other goalkeeper in all of the NCAA Div. I ranks tallied more than 19 saves in a game in 2014.
NCAA Div. I Single-Game Saves 2014
| Rank | Player | School | Saves | Opposition | Date |
| 1. | Megan Conaboy | Quinnipiac | 22 | Penn State | 9/7/14 |
| 2. | Shannon McSweeney | Brown | 19 | Providence | 10/13/14 |
| T3. | Jantien Gunter | Drexel | 18 | Maryland | 9/13/14 |
| Lauren Bernard | Longwood | 18 | Kent State | 10/26/14 |
SAYING GOODBYE
Quinnipiac lost some scoring from last season's team as graduated senior Danielle Allan finished her career as the team-leading scorer in 2014. A three-time All-Conference selection, Allan finished her career with 76 career points (3rd all-time at Quinnipiac), 29 goals (4th all-time) and 18 assists (tied for 5th all-time). The Bobcats also lost a couple of key contributors in Lea Dietrichs (14 points in 2014) and Gemma Cirera (six points). As a team, Quinnipiac will need to overcome the loss of 50 percent of its goal scoring from last season, 47.4 percent of the assists and 49.4 percent of the points.
SUPPORT IN THE BACK
Two-time co-captain Megan Osanitsch enters her final season looking to supplant herself as one of the top defenders in program history. Currently on-pace to break the all-time games played record at Quinnipiac, Osanitsch leads the team having started 58 consecutive games. The 2014 All-MAAC First Team selection was the only field player to log all 1390 possible minutes of playing time last season. Osanitsch comes into her final season with 61 career games, three goals, four assists, 10 points, three game-winning goals and two defensive saves while serving as the Bobcats' main defensive center back for two straight seasons.
HALEY'S COMET
Joining Osanitsch on the back line is the Bobcats' third co-captain in senior Haley Swartz who played 1359 out of a possible 1390 minutes in her junior season. Swartz finished second on the team with three defensive saves and has played 19 games in three straight seasons.
THE HAMDEN HAMMER
Hamden's own Savanna Reilly produced at a strong level at the forward spot last season as she notched a career-high 13 points while ranking second on the team with six goals. All six of Reilly's goals in 2014 came across the last 13 games of the season while she was the only goal scorer for the Bobcats in three games against ranked opponents this season. Reilly's 2014 campaign earned a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team while her success has carried into 2015 as she earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
McCULLOUGH MAKIN IT HAPPEN
Senior Meghan McCullough comes into her senior year after a career-year in 2014 where she started all 19 games and registered career-highs in goals (three), points (seven), shots (17) and shots-on-goal (10) while she also tallied her first career game-winning goal, penalty stroke tally and defensive save last season. She received her first career All-Conference recognition, earning a spot on the All-MAAC Preseason Team in 2015. Not only is McCullough the team's second-leading active career scoring leader but she also owns the longest active starting streak (24) among the team's non-defenders.
KING OF THE DEFENSIVE SAVE
Quinnipiac was announced as the 2014 NCAA Div. I statistical champion for defensive saves as the Bobcats notched 13 in 19 games throughout the 2014 season. Angie King played a big role in the Bobcats' statistical success as she ranked 2nd in the MAAC and 9thoverall in Div. I with her five defensive saves in 2014. In all, seven different Bobcats picked up at least one defensive save, a total that tied with Missouri State for the most among any team in the nation.
VIVA LA FEDERICO
A player to watch up top is sophomore Michelle Federico, the program's first NFHCA National All-American in high school, who is transition from playing defense in 2014 to now a forward spot for 2015. The local product out of Cheshire High School scored 20 goals and tallied 13 assists in her senior season on way to being named 2013 Connecticut State High School Player of the Year. Federico totaled three points (one goal, one assists) in 16 games as a defender last season and will be a key component to the team's attack in 2015.
SETTING THE BAR HIGH FOR BARLOW
The Bobcats' main speed option at the midfield spot last season, Dayna Barlow, will be another player to watch as she is the team's returning leader in assists (three) from last season. After starting all 19 games in 2014, Barlow added one goal and one defensive save as she made contributions both on the offensive and defensive end for the Bobcats.
FRESH FACES
Helping to replace the significant offensive firepower lost from last season's team will be a healthy crop of eight freshmen, who'll all look to make an immediate impact on Coach Becca Main's squad. Combined with the team's seven sophomores, Quinnipiac's 15 total true underclassmen rank 2nd in the MAAC behind only Fairfield's 16 total freshmen and sophomores.
THE HEAD COACH
One of the nation's most visible faces in the sport of field hockey, Quinnipiac head coach Becca Main has elevated the Bobcats into multifaceted and well-rounded program. Now entering her 21st season in 2015, Coach Main has built the Bobcats into an annual power, first in the Northeast Conference and now in the newly formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. A formidable regional opponent for years, Main's program continues to ascend to new heights as the Bobcats won the inaugural MAAC Championship in 2013 and have advanced to the conference postseason tournament in 18-of-20 seasons as a program.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
A huge showdown looms for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats head up to Storrs where they'll meet the two-time defending NCAA Champions UConn for a Friday night showdown at 6 PM. On Sunday, Quinnipiac will host Yale for the 2015 home opener at 2 PM from the QU Field Hockey Turf Complex.
