<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0aBCCR_0vlXjvnW00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0aBCCR_0vlXjvnW00" width="1920" height="1080" ></figure>Friday, September 27 | Stonehill | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 3:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEOOPENING STICK VS STONEHILLFriday's match between Saint Francis and Stonehill marks the third meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2022 season. The Red Flash has won both meetings, including the inaugural meeting in Loretto in 2022.THE WORD ON STONEHILLStonehill comes into the contest 1-6 after falling 3-0 at Maine on Sunday. It will be the Skyhawks' first league game of the season. Tyra Stark leads the team with three goals for six points. Emma McGrory is second on the team with a tally and two assists for four points, while Makayla Strickulis has also rattled the cage. Shannon Conte has 39 saves, a 2.06 goals against average, and a .722 save percentage.THE LAST TIME WE MET STONEHILLFour players scored to lead Saint Francis past Stonehill 4-0 on October 22, 2023, on the road in Massachusetts. Marie Sattler had a pair of assists, while Claudia Ortiz, Eva Valentini, Julia Breneman, and Olivia Muffitt scored against the Skyhawks. Madison Waldspurger added an assist on Muffit's tally. Mia DiGenova made two saves, and Amber Bryan had a stop, with each cage minder playing for 30 minutes, while Shannon Conte turned away 11 shots.ABOUT LAST WEEKENDBehind two goals and an assist off the stick of Consu de Castro, Saint Francis defeated Queens of Charlotte 3-0 on Friday. Sofia Marciano notched her first career goal off a penalty corner started by de Castro and a hold by Dolores Zavaleta. The Red Flash wrapped up the weekend with a 1-0 loss against former Atlantic-10 foe Davidson on Sunday. Mia DiGenova made five saves in the two matches.NEXT TIME OUTSaint Francis will have a bye on Sunday before returning to Sacred Heart (October 4) and Drexel (October 6). The Red Flash returns to Loretto to host Rider on October 11.NEC HOME OPENERSSaint Francis is 6-9 in home openers in the Northeast Conference but is 6-4 in its last 10 home openers and 4-1 in its previous five inaugural NEC games at home. Saint Francis posted a 5-2 record in home openers from 2013 to 2019 as a member of the Atlantic 10, so the Red Flash is 11-11 all-time in home openers and winners of nine of its last 12.STARTING THE LEAGUE STRONGSaint Francis is looking to start the NEC slate 2-0 for the fourth time in program history and for the second straight year. Along with last year's team opening the year 2-0, the 2007 and 2012 teams also opened the NEC slate with two wins. Including the Atlantic-10, the squad would be 2-0 to start a league schedule for the sixth time after the Red Flash won the first two games in 2014 and 2017 as a member of the A10.THROUGH FOUR WEEKENDSSaint Francis has started the season 5-3 for the fourth time in program history, joining the 2012, 2017 and 2018 teams. With a win, the team can match a 6-3 start by the 2016 team for the second-best mark through nine games in program history, with only the 2014 team that went 8-1 ahead of the pace. A loss, and the Red Flash will continue its third-best start at 5-4 behind the 2014 and 2016 teams."OKAY, WE WON A GAME YESTERDAY. IF WE WIN TODAY, IT'S CALLED TWO IN A ROW. AND IF WE WIN TOMORROW, IT'S CALLED A WINNING STREAK."Saint Francis had its four-game winning streak stopped at Davidson on September 22. It was the sixth time in program history the team had won four consecutive matches for the first time since 2022. The 2014 also won four in a row to go along with a program record eight gamer. In addition, the 2012 and 2016 teams both won six consecutive. The Red Flash has posted a three-game winning streak every season it has played since 2012. Last year's team won three consecutive twice. FIRST WIN AS A HEAD COACHHead coach Mackenzie Allessie won her first game in her collegiate head coaching debut in a 3-2 double-overtime win against Ball State on August 30, her first game in Loretto with a 1-0 win against Georgetown on September 8 and her NEC opener 3-1 against Mercyhurst on September 15.&nbsp;Allessie's predecessor, Maria Bettiana Ceretta, is the only head coach in program history to turn that trick, or even win her first game as a head coach, home game or conference game. Ceretta knocked out her first collegiate win and win at home with a 4-0 decision against Central Michigan on August 25, 2017. She won her first Atlantic-10 game with a 1-0 win against UMass at home on September 22, 2017. Allessie can become the first head coach in program history to win her NEC debut and also the first coach to win her first conference game on the road in her first attempt at a conference game and the second to win her first conference road game after Stacy Bean won her first conference road game she coached in against Siena on October 12, 2008 (Bean lost 1-0 to Lock Haven two days prior at home in her first NEC coached game).&nbsp;SCORING LEADERSSenior Dolores Zavaleta leads the team with eight goals and 15 assists for 31 points in her career. Junior Madison Waldspurger is second on the team with eight tallies and 10 assists for 26 points in her career. Sophomore Consu de Castro (nine goals, three assist, 21 points), are the only players that have posted more than 10 points in their career. De Castro (six goals, two assist, 14 points), Zavaleta (two goals, two assists, six points) and Waldspurger (one goal, three assists, five points) lead the team in scoring this season.ALL-TIME LISTSSenior Dolores Zavaleta has eight goals and 15 assists for 31 career points. She can move into the program's all-time career Top-10 assist list with four helpers and into the Top-10 for points with eight more points. Sophomore Mia DiGenova had 19 saves in the season-opening win against Ball State to rank fourth in single-game history in saves. A WINNING HAND: TWO OF A KINDSophomore Consu de Castro has three career two-goal performances in her career to become the eighth player in program history with that mark. She can become sixth player in program history with four two-goal performances with her next trick. In addition, the sophomore is the seventh player in program history to post two matches with multiple goals in a single season. It was the 57th time in team history a player posted exactly two goals in a game and the 70th time in team history a player had a multi-goal performance. The Red Flash is 61-9 when a player has at least two tallies in a game. De Castro also became the 12th player in team history with five points in a game and marked the 20th time a player posted five or more points in a match. The five points rank 13th in single-game history. Junior Madison Waldspurger is the only other player on the road with two contests with at least two goals in a game and the only player to register a hat trick, which ranks seventh in points in single-game program history. Waldspurger and senior Dolores Zavaleta are the only players to have a pair of games with multiple assists and is one of 13 players that have two games with multiple assists in a game. Similar to the sucess with multiple goals in the same game by one player, Saint Francis is 43-7 in games when a player has multiple assists.NEC HONORSSophomore Consu de Castro and Mia DiGenova were named NEC Prime Performers on September 23. de Castro registered five points on two goals and an assist against Queen of Charlotte on September 20 in a 3-0 win, while DiGenova had five saves in the two games on the weekend. De Castro leads the team with three Prime Performers, while DiGenova and senior Dolores Zavaleta each have a pair of honors.De Castro, freshman Cruz Canepa, and junior Madison Waldspurger were named NEC Prime Performers on September 16. Canepa and de Castro each had a goal and an assist, while Waldspurger added a goal. Zavaleta was named an NEC Prime Performer for the second straight week after scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win against Georgetown on September 8. It was the third time in her career that she has registered a game-winner against the Hoyas.DiGenova was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the first weekend of the season. The sophomore had 19 saves in a 3-2 double-overtime win against Ball State on August 30, which were the fourth most in single-game program history. She added eight stops against Miami (Ohio) two days later. It is the second time in her career that she has been selected as NEC Defensive Player of the Week after taking home that honor and NEC Rookie of the Week honors on September 9, 2023. DiGenova is one of six players in program history with at least three major weekly awards. DiGenova, de Castro (two goals against Ball State) and Zavelta (game-winner against Ball State) were also named NEC Prime Performers for the week. COLLEGIATE FIRSTSJunior Emilee Myers notched her first collegiate assist on the game-winning goal against Ball State on August 30 and had her first career tally against Mercyhurst on September 15. Freshmen Cruz Canepa and Josefina Sayal Aguirre notched and sophomore T Ciaccia norched their first career goal against Mercyhurst on September 13 and Canepa followed that up with her first career assist against the Lakers two days later. Sophomore Grace Reed and freshman Anna Commero also recorded their first career helper in the first match against Mercyhurst. Freshman Sofia Marciano recorded her first career tally against Queens of Charlotte on September 20.RETURNING ALL-NECSaint Francis returns 2023 All-NEC second-team performers Amber Bryan and Madison Waldspurger, while senior Dolores Zavaleta returns for her final year after earning second-team honors in 2021. STICKING AROUND FOR ANOTHER YEARSeniors Amber Bryan and Riley Kromer have come back for their sixth season.NEW TO THE 'LOAlong with head coach Mackenzie Allessie and assistant coach Alexa Rastigue, junior Emilee Myers, sophomore Brooklyn Widdess and freshmen Cruz Cánepa, Hannah Capo, Anna Commero, Madilyn Donmoyer, Kylee Hager, Josie Ickes, Sofia Marciano, Gates McAllister and Josefina Sayal Aguirre have joined the team in 2024. Myers played at La Salle for two seasons, while Widdess comes to Loretto have one season at Coverse College.TOO MANY ANTHEMS TO PLAYAlong with 17 players from the United States, head coach Mackenzie Allessie has four players from Argentina (Consu de Castro, Sofia Marciano, Josefina Sayal Aguirre, Dolores Zavaleta), two players from Canada (Gates McAllister, Brooklyn Widdess), and one from Spain (Cruz Cánepa) for the 2024 season.ABOUT THE COACHHead coach Mackenzie Allessie enters her first season as head coach after a successful five-year collegiate career at Ohio State and Penn State. She tallied&nbsp;61 goals and 45 assists for 167 points in two seasons at Ohio State and three seasons at Penn State.&nbsp;A five-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American and five-time NFHCA All-Region first-team selection, she helped the Nittany Lions to the NCAA national semifinals for the first time since 2007 and a share of the Big Ten Championship in 2022. Allessie, named to the All-Big Ten first team in all five seasons, was named the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year during the 2021 spring season after posting 15 goals and five assists in 16 games for Ohio State.&nbsp;Allessie helped the United States to the bronze medal in the Pan American games in 2019 in Chile after becoming the youngest player named to the United States National Team in 2018. She registered the most goals scored by a member of Team USA during those 2019 games. She was also named to the United States National Team in 2022.</div></body>

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Saint Francis Field Hockey Returns To The 'Lo For NEC Home Opener Against Stonehill On Friday

Friday, September 27 | Stonehill | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 3:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO. Friday's match between Saint Francis and Stonehill marks the third meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2022 season. The Red Flash has won both meetings, including the inaugural meeting in Loretto in 2022.