Field Hockey | 10/16/2025 10:11:00 AM

Friday, Oct. 17| Sacred Heart | Loretto, Pa.  | DeGol Field | 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Oct. 19 | Mercyhurst | Loretto, Pa.  | DeGol Field | 12:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video

OPENING STICK VS SACRED HEART 
The upcoming match on Friday between Saint Francis and Sacred Heart marks their 22nd encounter since the series began in 2001. The Pioneers lead the all-time series with 15 wins, but the Red Flash has won three of the last five matchups in the series.

THE WORD ON THE PIONEERS   
Coached by Sydney Van Der Merwe, the pioneers are led by their leading scorer, Ines Braithwaite, who leads the team with five assists and 13 points. In the Cage, Sacred Heart is defended by junior goalkeeper Brianna Cooper, who carries a save percentage of .714 on the season with one shutout.

THE LAST TIME WE MET SACRED HEART
The last time we played Sacred Heart was just last season, when Saint Francis shutout the Pioneers 2-0. Madison Waldspurger and Consu de Castro were responsible for both the Red Flashes' two goals, while Mia DiGenova recorded the shutout. 

OPENING STICK VS MERCYHURST 
The upcoming Sunday game between Saint Francis and Mercyhurst is their sixth meeting since the series started in 2021. The Red Flash currently leads with three wins in total, having also won the last two matches last year.

THE WORD ON THE LAKERS
Coached by Katie Gerzabek Salem, the Tigers have a 5-7 overall record on the year. So far this season, forward/midfielder graduate student Ella Kaufman has been the driving force in the lineup, leading the team with four goals and ten points.

THE LAST TIME WE MET MERCYHURST
The last time we played Mercyhurst was just last season, when Saint Francis beat the Lakers 3-1 in Erie. In that match against defeating the Lakers in Loretto two days prior, T Ciaccia, Madison Waldspurger, and Emilee Myers all recorded a goal while Cruz Cánepa notched her first career assist.

NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis hits the road one last time for a wrap-up of regular-season play in a critical weekend series against NEC foes New Haven and Fairfield. 

THANK YOU, SENIORS! 
Saint Francis would like to thank seniors Chloe Butz, Emilee Myers, and Grace Reed for their hard work and dedication to Saint Francis and the field hockey program during their time in Loretto.

FORT DIGENOVA 
Junior goalkeeper Mia DiGenova has recently become the cornerstone of the Red Flash field hockey team, helping them achieve an 11-3 record and share first place in the NEC standings with Fairfield. Over the past weekend, she contributed two additional wins, including a shutout against Rider University, bringing her season total to seven wins. Earlier this season, Saint Francis did not allow a goal for 290 consecutive shutout minutes spanning six games. The streak began with 1:27 left in its game against LIU on September 19. After shutouts against Saint Louis (September 21), Stonehill (September 26), Merrimack (September 28), and Wagner (October 3), the streak ended 48:34 into the game on Sunday against Lock Haven.

SOFIA "ROCKY" MARCIANO 
Sophomore midfielder Sofia Marciano has become one of Saint Francis's most dangerous players on the field. Since the start of the 2025 season, she has scored 13 goals and provided two assists. Her offensive skills were especially showcased on September 28, when she set a new program record by netting six goals in a 7-0 victory over Merrimack. This achievement was the second-highest single-game goal total in NCAA history. Additionally, with her overtime goal on Sunday against Towson, Marciano moves into third place in program history for most goals in a single season, tied with Autumn Pellman. She is also now the second player in team history to score 13 goals in one season.

ON THE CHARTS 
Senior Madison Waldspurger has 17 goals and 15 assists in her career for 49 points. The 49 points move her into a tie for seventh place on the program's all-time list and can become the seventh player in team history with 50 points with her next registered point. She can join the Top 7 in goals with two more tallies, and with four assists, can join the Top 5 in assists. With Mia DiGenova's shutout last weekend, she places herself second all-time for the most shutouts in program history. Going back into the record books, Samantha Zeiders had eight in 2014, ranking above DiGenova. She had four straight shutouts to set a program record for consecutive shutouts earlier this year. After another successful weekend full of wins, head coach Mackenzie Allessie becomes the second head coach to win 10 games twice as a Saint Francis head coach, just behind former head coach Stacey Bean.  

NEW TO THE 'LO
Second-year head coach Mackenzie Allessie added sophomore transfers Julia Barto (Indiana [Pa.]), Avery Bradburn (Richmond), Addie Sholly (Lehigh) along with freshmen Hailee Adams, Piper Almy, Delaney Amole, Ryan Engleman, Gianna Lambert, Morgan Smeltz to the 2025 roster. Haley Conners is not new to the 'Lo, but she is trading in her playing shoes for coaching ones as the field hockey graduate assistant.

TOO MANY ANTHEMS TO PLAY
Along with 19 players from the United States, head coach Mackenzie Allessie has two players from Argentina (Sofia Marciano, Josefina Sayal Aguirre), a player from Canada (Brooklyn Widdess), and one from Spain (Cruz Cánepa) for the 2025 season.

ABOUT THE COACH
Head coach Mackenzie Allessie is in her second season in Loretto after leading the team to a 10-8 overall record and 5-3 mark in league play. As a player, Allessie tallied 61 goals and 45 assists for 167 points in two seasons at Ohio State and three 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 win 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.