Live Stats    I    Live Audio (vs. AIC)    I    Live Audio (vs. Assumption)    I    2012 SRU Statistics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team will look to begin its 2013 season with back-to-back home wins this weekend. Standing in the way are American International College (Saturday at 12 p.m.) and Assumption College (Sunday at 1 p.m.).
 
Live stats: The Slippery Rock sports information office will provide live statistics and a live Internet audio broadcast of both games at the links above. Live updates will also be available via the official SRU Athletics Twitter page (@Rock_Athletics).
 
Records: Slippery Rock is coming off an 8-10 season in 2012, tied for the fourth best record in program history. The Rock has not played yet this fall.
 
American International is coming off a 3-15 season in 2012, finishing tenth in the Northeast-10. The Yellow Jackets have not played yet this fall.
 
Like Slippery Rock, Assumption is coming off an 8-10 season in 2012, finishing in a tie for fifth in the Northeast-10. Assumption opens the 2013 season at Seton Hill Saturday (Sept. 7) before visiting The Rock
 
Scouting The Rock: Slippery Rock looks to build upon an impressive season from 2012. The Rock finished the season as the No. 9 team in Division II according to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, after being ranked in the top 10 for a school record seven consecutive weeks. Eight of The Rock's 10 losses came against teams that saw at least a No. 3 national ranking during the 2012 season.
 
Among the challenges for The Rock will be replacing last year's senior class, which included the team's leader in shots and assists, Ally Banks, and one of the most decorated players in Slippery Rock history, Gabrielle Malishchak. Malishchak ranked eighth all-time in career points (39), ninth all-time in career goals (14), fourth all-time in career assists (11) and sixth all-time in career games played (73). In 2012, she was named a Synapse Sports first team All-American, a NFHCA second team All-American and All-PSAC-West first team.
 
The Rock's upperclassmen look to lead a young team that includes nine freshmen and eight sophomores in 2013. Junior Lindsay Brown and seniors Meghan McKinney and Rebecca Williams look to do just that by bringing valuable experience. Brown, entering her final season, started in all 18 games last year and tied for the third on the team in points (10) and fourth in goals (4). McKinney appeared in all 18 games last season and was a vital part of The Rock's defensive success, playing both midfield and defensive roles. Williams played in all 18 games last season, recording career-highs in shots (13), shots on goal (11), assists (1) and points (7).
 
Slippery Rock will lean heavily on returning starters Allison Shade, Kelsey Gustafson, Baylee Childress and Kaili Simmons. Shade, a redshirt junior, led the team in points (15), goals (7) and game-winning goals (4) in 2012. Entering her junior season, Gustafson was named to the All-PSAC-West Division first team and as a Synapse Sports second team All-American last year. Childress, now a sophomore, tied for the lead in defensive saves (5) last season. Her play landed her on the All-PSAC-West second team, in addition to being named the PSAC-West Freshman of the Year and the Synapse Sports National Rookie of the Year. Simmons enters her junior season after transitioning to a midfielder in 2012.
 
Slippery Rock was picked to finish seventh in the loaded PSAC, which features six of the top 10 nationally ranked programs, including five of the top six.
 
The Rock was 4-4 at home in 2012.
 
Slippery Rock Netminders: Entering her junior season, Courtney Lee started in all 18 games for The Rock in 2012. Lee posted an 8-10 record as a sophomore, allowing an average of 1.41 goals against and made 105 saves for a .808 save percentage. Lee was named to the All-PSAC-West second team in 2012.
 
Scouting the Yellow Jackets: American International looks to improve on a disappointing campaign in 2012. The Yellow Jackets face a tough test after losing two of their top three points leaders and four of their top six goal scorers, however, they return eight players with extensive starting experience.
 
Coming off a strong freshman season, Erica McLean returns for her sophomore season after finishing second on the team in points (10), tied for second in goals (3) and first in assists (4).
 
Entering her junior season, Jenna Masionis finished the 2012 season fourth on the team in points (8), tied for second in goals (3) and tied for third in assists (2). As a freshman in 2011, she was named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team and as a womensfieldhockey.com All-American.
 
The Yellow Jackets were 0-7 on the road in 2012.
 
Yellow Jackets netminders: Returning goalkeeper, Kori Huffman, is entering her junior season for the Yellow Jackets. In her first season at AIC, Huffman started all 18 games, posting a 3-15 record, a 3.70 goals against average and made 159 saves for a .704 save percentage.
 
Scouting the Greyhounds: Assumption looks to continue their upward momentum after posting the second largest turnaround in NCAA Division II last fall. The Greyhounds finished the 2011 season at 1-14 before posting an 8-10 mark in 2012.
 
The Hounds return nine of their top 10 scorers from last season, led by second team All-Northeast-10 selections Paige Anderson and Kiley Colucci. Anderson led the team with 31 points on 12 goals and seven assists, along with six goals and a team-high eight assists for 20 points by Colucci. In addition to her All-Northeast-10 accolades, Colucci earned a spot on the Northeast-10 and the womensfieldhockey.com National All-Rookie Teams.
 
The Greyhounds were 3-5 on the road in 2012.
 
Greyhounds netminders: Lauren Neilan, entering her junior season, made 16 starts for the Hounds in 2012. She posted a 7-9 record as a sophomore, allowing an average of 2.55 goals against and made 115 saves for a .728 save percentage.
 
Heather Philbrick, now a senior, started two games for Assumption in 2012. She finished with a 1-1 record, allowing an average of 2.27 goals against and made 15 saves for a .750 save percentage.
 
Head Coaches: Julie Swiney, the reigning PSAC-West Coach of the Year, enters her fourth season at the helm for Slippery Rock. She led The Rock to back-to-back six-win seasons in 2010 and 2011, before matching the fourth best record in school history with eight wins in 2012. After not reaching the PSAC playoffs since 1987, Swiney led The Rock to its first playoff berth in 2011 and again in 2012. Before coming to Slippery Rock, Swiney served as American International's head coach from 2006-2009. A 2003 graduate of The College of William and Mary, Swiney was a three-year starter in field hockey for the Tribe. She led the Tribe to a Top-20 national ranking in each of her three seasons and a pair of appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Swiney earned her degree in marketing from William & Mary in 2003 and her Master's in education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2005.
 
In her first season as head coach for AIC, Chrissy Needham guided the Yellow Jackets to a 3-15 record in 2012. Before arriving at AIC, Needham was the head coach at Division III Kenyon College (Ohio) for two years, leading the team to a 17-22 overall record during that span. She was also the assistant field hockey coach at Division I UMass from 2007-09, where she helped the team to two Atlantic-10 titles and NCAA tournament berths in 2007 and 2008. She earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Connecticut in 2001 and her Master's from UConn in 2002.
 
The Greyhounds will again be under the direction of head coach Annie Lahey, who enters her third season at Assumption in 2013. Lahey was named as the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year in 2012 after recording the second-biggest turnaround in NCAA Division II. Lahey came to Assumption from Wachusett Regional High School, where she served as the program's varsity head coach from 2005-2011. Lahey graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in 2002, before earning her Master's from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2004.
 
Series:
 
American International: SRU is 2-1 all-time against the Yellow Jackets. Their last meeting came a year ago when SRU won 6-1 at AIC.
 
Assumption:  In the first-ever match between Assumption and Slippery Rock last season, The Rock went on the road to win 3-1.
 
Next Up: Slippery Rock welcomes Mansfield University Sept. 11 for a 4 p.m. game at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. This matchup will not count towards PSAC standings.