Friday, September 16 | at Drexel | Philadelphia, Pa. | Buckley Field | 4 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO $
Sunday, September 18 | at Villanova | Conshohocken, Pa. | Proving Grounds | 12 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO $

OPENING STICK VS. DREXEL
Friday's match between Saint Francis and Drexel marks the fifth meeting in the all-time series and fourth match played in Philadelphia. The Red Flash won its first game in the series last season with a 2-1 win in the first matchup since the 2008 season.
 
THE WORD ON DREXEL
The Dragons come into the match 2-3 after falling 2-1 to Yale on Sunday. Eline Di Leva leads the team with two goals and an assist for five points. Amber Brouwer and Avery Powell each have found the back of the cage twice this season for four points. Megan Hardfield has 31 saves, a 3.03 goals against average and a .660 save percentage this season.
 
LAST TIME WE MET DREXEL
Julia Breneman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) scored the decisive goal to lead Saint Francis to victory after she scored in the 50th minute to lead the Red Flash past Drexel University 2-1 on September 17, 2021. Breneman, gave the Red Flash a 2-1 lead when she snuck past the Drexel netminder on the right side at the 48:39 mark. Eva Valentini tied the game at 1 at the 10:43 mark after the Dragons grabbed the early 1-0 edge in the third minute. Chloe South made eight saves on the afternoon, including turning away seven shots in the final 57 minutes and two stops after Breneman's decisive score to help secure the victory. The eight saves are the second-most for South this season

OPENING STICK VS. VILLANOVA
Sunday's match between Saint Francis and Villanova marks the fourth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2013 season. The Red Flash won the last two meetings in the series in 2014 (2-1) and 2015 (3-1) to take a 2-1 edge in the series. The match will be played away from Loretto for the third time.
 
THE WORD ON VILLANOVA
The Wildcats, who will play at Providence on Friday, come into the contest 4-1 after defeating Penn 2-1 on Sunday. Amanda Middleman leads the team with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Meghan Mitchell is second on the team with three tallies and four assists for 10 points, while Anne Drabbe is third with a goal and a team-best six assists for eight points. Claire Borman has started four games and played 210 minutes with 11 saves, a 1.71 goals against average and a .647 save percentage.

LAST TIME WE MET VILLANOVA
Kyra Castano posted a pair of goals while Shannon Pereira added a goal and an assist to lift Saint Francis past Villanova 3-1 on October , 2015. Catie Ward posted the Wildcats tally. Samantha Zeiders made five saves for the Red Flash, while Erika Miller turned away eight shots for Villanova.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Saint Francis University field hockey team fell to Georgetown University in overtime 1-0 in non-conference field hockey action on Sunday. Amber Bryan and Chloe South each had four saves on the afternoon. Julia Breneman, Eva Valentini and Madison Waldspurger  registered two shots apiece.

NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis will play four of the next five games in the Keystone State, but will only have one home game in that stretch. The four-game road trip continues at James Madison on September 23 and at Lock Haven on September 25. The Red Flash return to DeGol Field and open up Northeast Conference play against Rider on September 30.

WEEKLY LEAGUE HONORS
Eva Valentini was named the Northeast Conference Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week for the week of August 29-September 5. It is the second time in her career she has earned the league's top weekly honor. Valentini and Francesca Primomo were also named Prime Performers for the Week. Valentini posted a goal and two assists for four points in the week and her points all came at the right time for the Red Flash. She registered a goal and an assist in the final 1:50 of regulation against Brown to help force overtime on Friday. She assisted Chloe Butz to start the run and cut the margin to 3-2 in the final two minutes and then tied the game with her second goal of the season with 22 seconds left in regulation. The 2021 All-NEC second-team performer then dished out an assist on the game-winner against Holy Cross on Sunday in overtime to Primomo. 
 
AS VALENTINI GOES
Sophomore Eva Valentini has registered a point in 13 of the 25 games she has played in her career. The sophomore has posted a point in 13 of the 17 games the Red Flash has scored a goal in her career, while the team has been shutout seven times in her career.
  
RETURNING ALL-NEC PLAYERS
Saint Francis begins its second year back in the Northeast Conference and also returning are All-NEC second-team performers Claudia Ortiz and Eva Valentini. Valentini led the team with eight goals and six assists for 22 points while Ortiz ranked second with six tallies and four assists for 16 points.
 
NEW TO THE LO'
Freshmen Chloe Butz and Madison Waldspurger both joined the team for the 2022 season. Both players made their collegiate debuts in the starting lineup at Ball State on August 26. Butz had her first collegiate goal against Brown on September 2. Assistant coach Danielle Baumgardner also joined the staff and started in the spring of 2021.
 
ABOUT THE COACH
Head coach Maria Bettiana Cerretta begins her sixth season as the field hockey head coach at Saint Francis. Earlier this year, she became an American citizen.