Live Stats  (Both Games) |   Video (Aquinas) |  Video (American Int'l)

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team will begin its 2018 campaign with back-to-back games in Springfield, Massachusetts Sunday against Saint Thomas Aquinas College and Monday against American International College.

Both contests are slated for 1 p.m. start times at Ronald J. Abdow Field, the home facility of American International.
 

Slippery Rock Opening Weekend
Date	Opponent	Location	Live Links
Sept. 2 (1 a.m.)	St. Thomas Aquinas	Springfield, Mass.	Stats  |  Video
Sept. 3 (1 p.m.)	American International	Springfield, Mass.	Stats  |  Video

ALL-TIME SERIES
SRU owns a 5-3 series lead against American International in what has become a yearly staple in Slippery Rock's non-conference schedule. SRU defeated the Yellow Jackets, 4-1, a season ago for its third win over American International in the last four years.
 
Sunday will be just the second meeting all-time between Slippery Rock and St. Thomas Aquinas. SRU won the first game between the two schools, 2-0, in 2016.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• PSAC Preseason Poll: Seventh
• 2017 Overall Record: 10-9
• 2017 Home Record: 6-3
• 2017 Away Record: 3-6
• 2017 Postseason: PSAC Tournament (First Round)
• Head Coach: Julie Swiney | Ninth season at SRU (57-92)  |  13th overall (73-150)
 
SLIPPERY ROCK NOTES
• Last season was one of the most impressive seasons in program history. Slippery Rock posted 10 victories for its highest win total in the last 30 years, qualified for the PSAC Tournament for first time since 2014 and spent time ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's Top 10 poll. 
 
• While Slippery Rock is tasked with replacing five key starters from a season ago, including All-PSAC honorees Kayla Mack and Kailee Krupski, it does returns six starters from last year's team as well as five others that appeared in at least 16 games in 2017.
 
• Head coach Julie Swiney, the second winningest coach in Rock field hockey history, returns for her ninth season in charge of the program. In addition to overseeing a program that has won five national team GPA awards, Swiney has guided SRU to previously unforeseen success for a program that had won just 27 games in the 11 years preceding her arrival. In her first eight years at The Rock, Swiney has won 57 games and made four appearances in the PSAC Tournament.
 
• Swiney is no stranger to American International as she was the program's head coach for four seasons (2006-09). She also recruited current AIC head coach Rhonwen Peters, who played for Swiney for three years.
 
• One of the keys to The Rock's great run a year ago was a defensive unit that held opponents to just 1.89 goals per game, the third lowest total by a Rock team dating back to 1998. Offensively, SRU's 34 goals a year ago were the sixth highest total in program history.
 
• Sophomore forward Kayla Ulrich was an offensive force for Slippery Rock. She netted a team-high 11 goals and passed out two assists on the way to producing a Rock-best 24 points. Her goal total was not only a program freshman record but also the sixth highest single-season total in Rock history overall. Ulrich had her standout freshman campaign rewarded by being named to the All-PSAC Team and receiving Synapse Sports Rookie All-America honors.
 
• While Slippery Rock does return Ulrich it will be without the services of its other two leading goal scorers from a season ago in Brittany Morgan (six goals) and Krupski (five goals). Helping to ease the loss with be the duo of forward Courtney Page and midfielder Abby Mckay, the pair scored two goals apiece as freshmen a year ago. Also back for The Rock is senior midfielder Hannah Downing who was a perfect 3-for-3 in penalty stroke attempts as a junior.
 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Murphy split time with the now-graduated Nicole Bream and concluded her inaugural season with a 6-4 record, 58 saves (.734), a 2.09 goals against average and two solo shutouts while playing a Rock-goalie high 703:45 minutes.
 
• Senior defender Liz Wolfe ranked 13th in the nation with four defensive saves while also providing The Rock with one goal and two assists offensively. She'll begin 2018 ranked fourth in Rock history in career defensive saves with 13.
 
• Wolfe and Downing will enter the season with a pair of impressive streaks. Wolfe has started 43 straight games dating back to the end of her freshman year. Just as impressive is Downing, who has made 39 consecutive starts. Others with double-digit consecutive start streaks include Ulrich (19), senior midfielder Sam Geroski (19) and junior defender Jordan Barnes (19).
 
• Ulrich scored twice and Wolfe added another goal while senior midfielder Hannah Simone and junior midfielder Brenna McGovern-Lind each added one assist in The Rock's win over American International last season. Murphy played the second half in goal for The Rock and did not allow a goal in 35 minutes of playing time.
 
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS PRIMER
• 2017 Overall Record: 6-11
• 2017 Home Record: 3-4
• 2017 Away Record: 3-7
• 2017 Postseason: N/A
• Head Coach: Genesis Pacheco  | First season
 
SPARTAN NOTES
• After tying for the team lead with five goals apiece as freshmen in 2017, the talented duo of Meghan McCarren and Arielle Rodriguez are back to lead the Spartans in 2018.
 
• Jacqueline Dowling also returns for her senior season after leading Saint Thomas Aquinas in total points with 12 on four goals and four assists a year ago. Rounding out the Spartans' key offensive returners are Taylor Hickey (four goals), Briannah Thorne (three goals) and Alexandra Vippolis (three goals).
 
• Sophomore goalkeeper Suzanne Clarke started 17 games as a freshman last season, finishing the year 5-10 with a .674 save percentage and a 3.84 goals against average.
 
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PRIMER
• NE10 Preseason Poll: 10th
• 2017 Overall Record: 2-16
• 2017 Home Record: 2-7
• 2017 Away Record: 0-9
• 2017 Postseason: N/A
• Head Coach: Rhonwen Peters | Second season (2-16)
 
YELLOW JACKET NOTES
• American International returns four of their top five goal scorers from a season ago in junior Chelsea Davis (three goals), junior Jenny Holmquist (three goals), senior Meghan Brock (two goals) and Devyn O'Connor (two goals).
 
• Davis also passed out two assists to tally a team-best eight points all the while leading NCAA Division II in defensive saves with 11.
 
• Madi Dube will serve as the Yellow Jackets' goalkeeper in 2018. As a freshman in 2017, Dube appeared in one game, a 7-1 victory against New Haven. 
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock closes out its season-opening three-game road trip 2 p.m. Sept. 8 at Belmont Abbey College.
 
 


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