Friday, September 6 | at Towson | Towson, Md. | Towson Field Hockey Complex | 3:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO $
Sunday, September 8 | Georgetown | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 12:00 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
 
OPENING STICK VS TOWSON
Friday's match against Towson marks the sixth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2009 season. The Red Flash lead the series 3-2 after winning the last three matchups from 2015-17. Saint Francis has won two of the three meetings in Maryland against the Tigers. The Loretto program will be playing on the Towson campus for the second-consecutive season after defeating Georgetown 3-2 last season at Towson.

THE WORD ON TOWSON
The Tigers come into their home opener 0-2 after dropping two games in North Carolina to Appalachin State (3-0) and Davidson (1-0) on Friday and Sunday. The Red Flash will also play Davidson later this season. Anouk Westerink leads the team with three shots after the first two games. Tessa Scheenstra has 18 saves, a 2.00 goals against average and a .818 save percentage. Sarah Hatfield paced the team with nine goals and three assists for 21 points in 2023, while Scheenstra posted 127 saves, a 3.17 goals against average and a .702 save percentage in the cage.

THE LAST TIME WE MET TOWSON
Brianna Govia posted the game-winning goal off a pass from Hannah Rutherford at 55:47 for the decisive score in a 2-1 win against Towson on September 3, 2017. Taylor Nesmith got the scoring started for the Red Flash at 36:10. Beira Ho tied the game at 53:41 before Govia rattled the cage for the decisive score two minutes later. Elizabeth Dyer made three saves for Saint Francis, while Emilee Woodall had 11 stops for Towson.

OPENING STICK VS GEORGETOWN
Sunday's match between Saint Francis and Georgetown marks the 13th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2004 season. Four of the last six matches have been decided in overtime with the Red Flash winning four of those contests in that stretch. With a win, the Red Flash can even the all-time series at seven games apiece.

THE WORD ON GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas, who will travel to Lock Haven on Friday, come into the weekend 0-1 after its season opener at Davidson was cancelled before falling 3-0 to Applalachian State on September 1. Elena Leahy had a team-high two shots against Appalachian State, while Ella Fahey turned away 21 shots. Sophie Towne is Georgetown's top returning scorer after posting five goals and five assists for 15 points, while Fahey had 103 saves, a 4.00 goals against average and a .701 save percentage.

THE LAST TIME WE MET GEORGETOWN
 Olivia Muffitt  registered the eventual game-winning goal in the 55th minute to power Saint Francis past Georgetown 3-2 on October 1, 2023 in Towson. Marie Sattler registered an assist on the final two goals of the afternoon, while Julia Breneman and Dolores Zavaleta also hit the back of the cage on the afternoon. Sophie Towne tallied a goal and an assist, while Vivenne Trumpbour also hit the cage. Amber Bryan made four saves for Saint Francis and Ella Fahey turned away six scoring chances for the Hoyas.

ABOUT THE OPENING WEEKEND
Saint Francis opened the season 1-1 after a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win against Ball State before falling at Miami (Ohio) 5-0 on September 1. Consu de Castro posted two goals against the Cardinals with Dolores Zavaleta registering the game-winning goal in the 80th minute to give head coach Mackenzie Allessie her first career collegiate coaching victory. Mia DiGenova made 19 stops including 12 in the final 35 minutes to allow the Red Flash a chance to come back and tie the game and win in overtime. The 19 saves are the fourth most in single-game program history. 
 
NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis will start a two-game series against Mercyhurst with games on September 13 and 15. The first match will be played at DeGol Field, but will be considered a non-conference match. The two teams head up to Erie, Pa., for the first Northeast Conference game of the year and the Lakers first-ever conference game on Sunday at 10 a.m.

NEC HONORS
Sophomore Mia 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, Consu de Castro (two goals against Ball State) and Dolores Zavelta (game-winner against Ball State) were also named NEC Prime Performers for the week. 

FOR STARTERS
Saint Francis is 1-1 to start a season for the fourth time in program history (2013, 2016, 2017, 2024). With a win on Friday, the Red Flash would be 2-1 for the third time in program history (2012, 2016). If Saint Francis wins both games this weekend, the squad will be 3-1 for the fourth time in program history and for the second-consecutive season (2012, 2016, 2023), while a split and the Red Flash would be 2-2 for the fourth time in team history (2013, 2017, 2018). With the season-opening 3-2 double-overtime win at Ball State on August 30, Saint Francis won the inaugural game of the year for the sixth time in program history (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2023, 2024). It was also the first time the first game of the year was not decided in regulation.

HOME OPENERS
Saint Francis is 8-14 all-time in home openers, but are 8-5 since 2011 in the inaugural game of the year in Loretto. The Red Flash defeated Queens of Charlotte 6-0 in last season's home opener to end a four-game losing streak in the first home contest of the year. Saint Francis is looking to win back-to-back home openers for the third time in program history after the team won four straight from 2011 to 2014 and consecutive openers in 2016 and 2017. Georgetown will be the squad's home opener for the second time in three years. 

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Junior Emilee Myers notched her first collegiate assist on the game-winning goal against Ball State on August 30. Myers was making her Red Flash debut after playing two seasons at La Salle.

FIRST WIN AS A HEAD COACH
Head 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. She became the second head coach to win her Red Flash coaching debut, but the first to turn the trick on the road. Allessie's predecessor Maria Bettiana Ceretta also won her first game with the Flash, but that game was played at DeGol Arena. Allessie can join Ceretta as the only head coaches in program history to win in their Loretto debut with a win against Georgetown on Sunday. 

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.