Loretto, Pa – The Saint Francis field hockey team (4-13, 1-5 A-10) concludes its season this weekend with two home conference matchups, on Friday against Lock Haven (9-7, 5-2 A-10) and on Sunday against Saint Louis (0-15, 0-7 A-10).
Scouting Lock Haven
Heading into the weekend, Lock Haven is second in the A-10 and would clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Red Flash. The Bald Eagles are on a two-match win streak, coming off two 4-0 shutout wins against Wagner and Saint Louis.
The Bald Eagles offense is led by freshman Jazmin Palma, who has 15 points on five goals and five assists. Lock Haven's only other double-digit points scorer thus far is freshman Amy Stevens, who has five goals and two assists for 12 points. In total, Lock Haven has seen 12 players register at least a point.
On defense, 15 of 16 matches have been started by sophomore goalkeeper Joaquina Orlandini, who has compiled an 8-7 record and has saved 47 of 67 shots faced for a 1.26 goals against average.
Series History: Lock Haven leads 8-7
The Red Flash will look to even the series on Friday. Saint Francis has won the past six matches against the Bald Eagles and seven of the past eight. Last season, Saint Francis beat Lock Haven 2-1 with help from a Kate Viera (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) goal. Overall, Lock Haven is outscoring Saint Francis in the series, 38-23.
Scouting Saint Louis
The Red Flash will host Senior Day on Sunday against the Billikens. This season, Saint Louis is winless, with an 0-15 record and an 0-7 A-10 record. The Billikens have struggled on offense this season, being outscored 51-8.
The leading scorer for the Billikens is sophomore Emily Wastell, who has three goals for six points. Right behind her with five points is freshman Megan Rice, who has two goals and an assist. Eight players total have registered a point for Saint Louis.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sasha Sander has started every match for the Billikens. She has made 80 saves against 131 shots for a 61% save percentage.
Series History: Saint Francis leads 6-0
Saint Francis has defeated Saint Louis in all six previous matchups. Last season, the Red Flash beat the Billikens 3-2 with help from a Taylor Nesmith (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) goal. These teams have met each year since 2013, with Saint Francis outscoring Saint Louis 19-3 in the series.
Senior Day
The match on Sunday will honor the six seniors of this year's team: Claudia Marzec (Whitinsville, Mass./Moses Brown School), Celeste Azzari (Woolwich Twp., N.J./Kingsway Regional), Taylin Lehman (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin), Taylor Nesmith (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), Kelli Connolly (Laurel Springs, N.J./Camden Catholic) and Livvy Webb (Easton, Md./Saints Peter and Paul).
Claudia Marzec (Whitinsville, Mass./Moses Brown School) – Marzec has made 32 appearances in goal for her career and has started all 17 matches this season. She ranks first across NCAA Division I in saves per game at 9.64 and total saves with 164. Marzec made a career-high 16 saves on Sept. 15th at Miami (OH) and has stopped 10 or more shots in seven matches this season.
Celeste Azzari (Woolwich Twp., N.J./Kingsway Regional) – Azzari has appeared in 54 matches in her career and all but one match this season. She scored her first career goal as a sophomore on Oct. 15th, 2017 at Hofstra.
Taylin Lehman (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) – Lehman has appeared in 75 matches in her career, including every match this season. She ranks fourth across NCAA Division I in defensive saves with 6. Lehman's first career goal came on Sept. 22nd versus Central Michigan, and she has set career highs this season in goals with two, assists with two and points with six. Lehman was also named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2016.
Taylor Nesmith (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) – Nesmith has appeared in 64 matches in her career including every match this season. She scored her first career goal as a freshman on Oct. 16th, 2016 against VCU. Nesmith was named to the 2018 A-10 All-Academic Team. This season, Nesmith leads the Red Flash in goals with seven, ties for the lead with four assists, and leads with 18 points, which are all personal career-highs.
Kelli Connolly (Laurel Springs, N.J./Camden Catholic) – Connolly was forced to sit out this season and the majority of her sophomore season due to injury, but she appeared in 38 matches in her career. She scored her first career goal as a freshman in a two-goal match on Aug. 29th, 2016 against Missouri State.
Livvy Webb (Easton, Md./Saints Peter and Paul) – Webb has appeared in 75 matches in her career, including every match this season. She scored her first career goal as a freshman on Oct. 28, 2016 against La Salle. This season, Webb has set career-highs in goals with two, assists with three and points with seven.
