Field Hockey | 10/29/2025 4:55:00 PM

OPENING STICK VS FAIRFIELD 
The upcoming Friday game between Saint Francis and Fairfield marks their 11th encounter since the series started in 2004. The Stags currently lead the all-time series, having won nine of the last 10 matchups against the Red Flash. With the season nearing its end, this matchup arrives at a crucial moment for both teams, who are currently tied for first place in the NEC Standings with eight conference wins.

THE WORD ON THE STAGS   
Coached by Laura Gebhart, the Stags hold an 12-5 record this season and are undefeated in NEC play. Senior forward Alex Senior has been Fairfield's standout player, leading the team with 10 goals and 22 points so far. Besides her, the team features two other players who have each scored 20 points this season. Starting at the goal is graduate student Payton Rahn, who rocks a .689 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.38 goals against average (GAA).

THE LAST TIME WE FACED FAIRFIELD
The last time Saint Francis played Fairfield was last season, when the Red Flash defeated Fairfield 2-1. This victory marked their first against the Stags at DeGol Field and their first-ever win over the program. During that match, Sofia Marciano recorded her first-ever goal at DeGol Field while Consu de Castro notched her 11th tally of the season.

NEXT TIME OUT
The winner of Friday's game will be the No. 1 seed and will face the No. 4 seed (Rider, Sacred Heart, or Stonehill), while the loser will be the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Wagner in the other NEC Semifinals on Thursday, November 6, at either 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. The two winners of the NEC Semifinals advance to the NEC Championship Game on Saturday, November 8, at noon.

FORT DIGENOVA 
Junior goalkeeper Mia DiGenova has become the keystone of the Red Flash field hockey team, helping them achieve a 14-3 record and share first place in the NEC standings with Fairfield. Since the start of the season, the Saint Francis netminder has become a nearly impenetrable fort, ranking 19th and 17th in Division I with a 1.147 goals against average and a .778 save percentage, respectively. On October 19, after a game against Mercyhurst, she reached a historic milestone by earning her ninth shutout of the season, breaking the program record for most shutouts in a single season, and now stands at 10 shutouts. She then tied another record with her win against New Haven the following week, matching Samantha Zeiders' 2014 record for most goalkeeper wins in a season with 14 victories. As if all of that wasn't impressive enough, earlier this season, anchored by her consistently impressive defense, DiGenova 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 offensive players on the field. Since the start of the 2025 season, she has scored 19 goals and recorded two assists, ranking eighth in Division I in goals per game and 12th in points per game. Her offensive skills were especially on display on September 28, when she set a 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 three goals on Sunday against Mercyhurst, Marciano now holds the third-most points (40) and goals in a single season in program history. 

FRANKIE'S LITTLE HELPER  
Sophomore midfielder Cruz Cánepa remains one of the team's best-kept secrets on the field. While she has only scored one goal this season, her impact is felt in other ways. Since the season's start, Cánepa has been the playmaker behind the Red Flash's rapid offense, providing crucial passes to the top scorers to gain the upper hand against opponents quickly. Currently, she leads the team with 17 assists, placing her sixth nationally in assists per game. She also holds the single-season program record for most assists and is fourth all-time in career assists.

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, join the Top 5 in assists. After another successful weekend full of wins, head coach Mackenzie Allessie becomes the second head coach to win 14 games in a single season as a Saint Francis head coach, just behind former head coach Stacey Bean. Additionally, with their two wins against Sacred Heart and Mercyhurst this weekend, on September 19th at DeGol Field, as the clock struck zero against the LIU Sharks, the Red Flash had successfully recovered from a heavy loss to Big Ten opponent Indiana the week before.  Since then, Saint Francis has won 11 straight games, the most in program history.

IN THE NATION 
Given their successful season, it's no surprise this team is ranked among the nation's best programs. Saint Francis is currently 54th  in the ratings percentage index for all Division I field hockey, making it the second-highest in the NEC after Fairfield. They also rank 15th nationally in scoring average, 21st in assists per game, and 16th in points per game, among other categories. With these accomplishments, they have entered the top ten in win percentage, posting a strong .824, which ties them for seventh nationally in the 2025 season.

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.