Friday, August 30 | at Ball State | Muncie, IN | Briner Sports Complex | 12:00 p.m. 
Sunday, September 1 | at Miami (Ohio) | Oxford, OH | Miami Field Hockey Complex | 12:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS 
 
OPENING STICK VS BALL STATE
Friday's meeting between Saint Francis and Ball State marks the fourth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2017 season. The two teams will meet in Indiana for the second-straight time after last year's meeting in Loretto was postponed due to lightning. Ball State leads the all-time series 2-1, including a 2-1 win in Loretto in 2021. The Red Flash's last win was a 4-0 decision in 2018.

THE WORD ON BALL STATE
Ball State is coming off a 7-11 season. The squad lost its top-two scorers, but returns Paloma Rengifo, who ranked third on the team with three goals and two assists for eight points. Emma Hilton (one goal, seven assists, nine points) and Rachel Bohn (three goals, one assist, seven points) also return to have Ball State return three of its top seven scorers from 2022. Starting goalkeeper Hannah Johnstown also returns after posting 128 saves, a 3.15 goals against average and a .762 save percentage in 2022.

THE LAST TIME WE MET BALL STATE
Ball State scored 37 seconds into overtime on a penalty corner to edge Saint Francis 2-1 on September 5, 2021. Paloma Rengifo, who scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute, assisted Kerrianne McClay's decisive tally in the extra session.  Eva Valentini tied the game with 10 seconds left in regulation. Chloe South made five saves for the Red Flash, while Hannah Johnston had one stop for Ball State.

OPENING STICK VS MIAMI (OHIO)
Sunday's match against Miami (Ohio) marks the seventh meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2012 season. All seven meetings have occurred on the road.

THE WORD ON MIAMI (OHIO)
Miami (Ohio) is coming off a 15-8 season and returns six of its top seven scorers, including Claudia Garcia Negrete (16 goals, four assists, 36 points), Carlie Servis (nine goals, eight assists, 26 points) and Paula Pena Martinez (six goals, four assists, 16 points) who each finished last season with over 10 points. While the Red Hawks have experience back on the offensive end, they will be looking for a new cage dweller. Sophomore Jessien Guana is the only experience goalkeeper back in 2023, but she only played 18 seconds in her first season.

THE LAST TIME WE MET MIAMI (OHIO)
Miami (Ohio) defeated Saint Francis 3-1 on September 2, 2023. Dolores Zavaleta scored off a Madison Waldspurger assist in the 51st minute for the Red Flash. Riley Mazzalupi, Paula Martinez Pena and Claudia Garcia Negrete each found the cage for the Red Hawks, while Carlie Servis had two assists on the afternoon.
 
NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis continues its road trip to start the season at Towson on September 6. The Red Flash will make its 2023 DeGol Field debut against Georgetown on Sunday, September 8. 

FOR STARTERS
Saint Francis begins its 24th season in program history on the road at Ball State on Friday. It is the second time in the last three years the Red Flash's opening road trip will be at Ball State and Miami (Ohio) after also turning the trick in 2022. The squad begins the year on the road for the 16th time in team history. Mackenzie Allessie became the fifth head coach in program history earlier this year and looks to become the second head coach to win her inaugural game as head coach following her predecessor Maria Bettiana Ceretta, who defeated Central Michigan 4-0 on August 25, 2017 at home. Allessie is the third head coach to make her Red Flash debut on the road, joining Martin Romeril (at Radford) and Stacy Bean (at Kent State). 

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.