Friday, October 4 | vs. Sacred Heart | New Haven, Conn. (Yale University) | Johnson Field | 1:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
Sunday, October 6 | at Drexel | Buckley Field | Philadelphia, Pa. | Buckley Field | 11:00 a.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO $
 
OPENING STICK VS SACRED HEART
Friday's match between Saint Francis and Sacred Heart marks the 21st meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2001 season. Each team has won five matches in the last 10 meetings. The Red Flash defeated the Pioneers 3-0 in 2022 for the series' only win on the road for Saint Francis. Sacred Heart won both meetings last season, with the Pioneers winning 2-0 in Loretto in the regular season finale to clinch a spot in the NEC Tournament and then won 1-0 in overtime in the NEC Semifinals. 

THE WORD ON SACRED HEART
Sacred Heart comes into the contest 3-6 overall and 2-0 in NEC play after defeating Merrimack 2-1 in a shootout on September 27. Friday's game will be the Pioneers' first NEC home game this season. Celia Benson leads the team with two goals and an assist for five points, while Aine Kearney and Amelia Pellegrini each have two goals for four points on the year. Samantha Maresca has 57 saves, a 1.87 goals against average, and a .760 save percentage this year. 

THE LAST TIME WE MET SACRED HEART
Isabelle Chamberlain scored with 59 seconds left in double overtime to propel Sacred Heart past Saint Francis 1-0 in the NEC Semifinals on November 3, 2023. Amber. Bryan made three saves for the Red Flash, while Samantha Maresca turned away five shots for the Pioneers.

OPENING STICK VS DREXEL
Sunday's match between Saint Francis and Drexel marks the seventh meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2006 season. It will be the fourth straight year the two teams will face off, and the sixth time the game will take place in Philadelphia. Since the series' renewal in 2021, each game decided by one goal, including a 2-1 win by the Red Flash in 2021.

THE WORD ON DREXEL
Drexel, who will travel to Towson on Friday, comes into the weekend 6-3 after defeating Rider 4-0 on Sunday. Anna Castaldo (four goals, one assist) and Pien Elsen (three goals, three assists) lead the Dragons with nine points apiece, while Valentine Van Hellemont is third on the team with three markers for six assists. Halle Geiger has 21 saves, a 1.85 goals against average, and a .700 save percentage.

THE LAST TIME WE MET DREXEL
Drexel scored twice in the first 19 minutes to earn a 2-1 win against Saint Francis on September 24, 2023. Eva Valentini posted the goal for the Red Flash in the 38th minute, while Eline Di Leva and Val Van Hellemont registered the two goals for the Dragons. Mia DiGenova made three saves, Amber Bryan made one stop in 30 minutes each for Saint Francis, and Megan Hadfield recorded one save for Drexel.

ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
Dolores Zavaleta has been clutch this season, notching her third game-winner to propel Saint Francis past Stonehill 2-1 on September 27. After Stonehill tied the game at one off a penalty corner, the game did not stay at a standstill for long after Zavaleta rocketed a shot into the cage 93 seconds after the Skyhawks tied the game to give the Red Flash a 2-1 lead with three minutes remaining. Stonehill did not register another scoring opportunity in the contest. Grace Reed added her first goal of the season. Mia DiGenova made five saves and has allowed a goal or less in her last six contests.

NEXT TIME OUT
After this weekend, Saint Francis returns to Loretto to host Rider on October 11.

STARTING THE LEAGUE STRONG
Saint Francis is looking to start the NEC slate 3-0 for the second time in program history and first since winning the first five league games in 2012. The Red Flash are looking to be 3-0 for the fourth time in team history after winning the first three games in the Atlantic 10 in 2017 and 2018. The squad won the first two games in the NEC in 2007 and 2023 and the Atlantic 10 in 2013 and 2014 before losing the third conference game of the season. 

THROUGH FIVE WEEKENDS
Saint Francis has started the season 6-3 for the second time in program history after nine games, joining the 2016 team. Only the 2014 team that started 8-1 has recorded a better start. With a win on Friday, the Red Flash would be 7-3 for the first time in program history, and a loss would drop the squad to 6-4 for the sixth time in program history (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018). With a sweep of the weekend, Saint Francis would be 8-3 for the first time in program history. A split would put the Flash at 7-4 for the fifth time in program history (2012, 2016, 2017, 2018). A victory on the weekend would still allow the team to be off to its second-best start in team history, following the 2014 team, which was 10-1 after 11 matches. 

CLUTCH PERFORMANCES
Philadephia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos may have bad timing when he hit home runs, but senior Dolores Zavaleta has the perfect timing when she scores a goal. Seven of her nine career goals have been game-winning, including three times this season. Also, her moments of glory in 2024 have been the deciding goal in the season opener, home opener, and NEC home opener. Four of the senior's game deciders have come at DeGol Field. Six of the seven game-winners have come in the fourth quarter or later. Zavaleta also has three game-winners against Georgetown in her four meetings with the Hoyas. Sophomore Madison Waldspurger has three game-winners, sophomore Consu de Castro has two game-deciders, while freshman Cruz Canepa and sophomore T Ciaccia have a game-winner. However, in the fourth quarter or later, Zavaleta is the only one with a game-winner in a one-goal game.

"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. 
 
SCORING LEADERS
Senior Dolores Zavaleta leads the team with nine goals and 15 assists for 33 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 assists, 21 points) are the only players that have posted more than 10 points in their career. De Castro (six goals, two assists, 14 points), Zavaleta (three goals, three assists, nine points), and Waldspurger (one goal, three assists, five points) lead the team in scoring this season.

ALL-TIME LISTS
Senior Dolores Zavaleta has nine goals and 15 assists for 33 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 six 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 KIND
Sophomore 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 the 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 precisely 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, marking 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 she is one of 13 players with two games with multiple assists in a game. Like the success with multiple goals in the same game by one player, Saint Francis is 43-7 in games when a player has numerous assists.

FIRST WIN AS A HEAD COACH
Head coach Mackenzie Allessie can become the second head coach in. team history to start league play 3-0 with a win on Friday. Allessie's predecessor, Maria Bettiana Ceretta, won her first three league games in the Atlantic 10 in 2017. Allessie also 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, her NEC opener 3-1 against Mercyhurst on September 15 and her NEC home opener 2-1 against Stonehill on September 27. 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 won 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. Stacy Bean is the only other head coach to win her NEC debut on the road at Siena on October 12, 2008 (Bean lost 1-0 to Lock Haven two days prior at home in her first NEC-coached game). 

NEC HONORS
Senior Dolores Zavaleta and sophomore Mia DiGenova were named NEC Prime Performers on October 1. Zavaleta posted the game-winning goal against Stonehill, and DiGenova made five stops against the Skyhawks on September 27.

Sophomores DiGenova and Consu de Castro 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, 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 had registered a game-winner against the Hoyas.

DiGenova was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the season's first weekend. The sophomore had 19 saves in a 3-2 double-overtime win against Ball State on August 30, the fourth most in single-game program history. She added eight stops against Miami (Ohio) two days later. She was selected as NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time 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 named NEC Prime Performers for the week. 

Castro, DiGenova, and Zavaleta have three NEC Prime Performers this season, while Canepa and Waldspurger have each taken home the honor once.

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Junior 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-NEC
Saint 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 YEAR
Seniors Amber Bryan and Riley Kromer have come back for their sixth season.

NEW TO THE 'LO
Along 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 PLAY
Along 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 COACH
Head 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 61 goals and 45 assists for 167 points in two seasons at Ohio State and three seasons at Penn State. 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. 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.