#4 AIC YELLOW JACKETS (11-7, 7-4 NE-10)
vs.
#5 ASSUMPTION GREYHOUNDS (12-6, 7-4 NE-10)
Tuesday, November 18, 7:00 p.m.
Ronald J. Abdow Field, 125 Cortland Street, Springfield, Mass.
Live Stats |Video|AIC Roster|Assumption Roster
LEADERS:
AIC:
Goals: Jenna Masionis 18, Taylor Ruscillo 6, Erica McLean 5
Assists: Kaylin Harbin 7, Jenna Masionis 6, Shea Homer 3
Points: Jenna Masionis 42, Taylor Ruscillo 13, Harbin/McLean 11
Defensive Saves: Emily Kollar 4, Jacqueline Millard 2, Amanda Johannes 1
Goalkeeper: Ainslee Penfield: 11-7, 2.10 GAA, .776 SV%, 2 SO
ASSUMPTION:
Goals: Kiley Colucci 14, Allison Sheahan 9, Paige Anderson 8
Assists: Sarah Frahm 7, Kiley Colucci 7, Andrea Koslowski 6
Points: Kiley Colucci 35, Paige Anderson 20, Allison Sheahan 19
Defensive Saves: Abigail Heroth 3, Angela Razzano 2, Allie Richard 2
Goalkeeper: Lauren Nielan: 12-6, 1.71 GAA, .767 SV%, 2 SO
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Coming into the 2014 field hockey season the American International College Yellow Jackets were stricken with uncertainty.
They had no head coach as Christina Needham accepted the head coaching position at Connecticut College and they had no goalie as reigning Northeast-10 Goalkeeper of the Year and All-American Kori Huffman '14 had since graduated.
This didn't stop the Jackets from continuing to improve and get ready for the upcoming season. Junior Ainslee Penfield (Greenfield, Mass.) stepped away from the field of play, after being the team's third leading scorer in 2013, and into the cage.
Assistant coach Ashley Mazzoli was named head coach and took the helm of a team she had been with for six previous seasons.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:Under the direction of Mazzoli the squad excelled. After a 4-3 beginning in non-conference play, the team dropped their first three league games, each by one goal.
Mazzoli wasn't rattled, however, and looked to her seniors and Penfield to lead the way and they certainly did running off six straight conference victories, which is a program record, and winning seven of their last eight games to grab the #4 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
This is due in large part to an offensive surge led by senior captain Jenna Masionis (Ashland, Mass.) who scored 11 of her 18 goals during this streak while shattering numerous program records.
"Jenna is a fun player to coach and is just a natural when it comes to leadership and athletic ability, she makes everyone around her better and motivates her teammates to never settle" said assistant coach Alex Billert.
A few marquee wins during this stretch of play came back-to-back in the course of one week with a 3-2 victory over Assumption and a 2-1 triumph at then No. 4 Stonehill. Penfield played a huge part in these two victories making six saves against Assumption before stopping all four shots she faced against Stonehill. She ranks second in the conference in saves with 132 and sixth in save percentage at .776 which are incredible numbers for a first time goaltender.
"Ainslee has been the ultimate team player giving up something she loved doing in playing the field and scoring goals to step in and help her team when they needed it. She is just an all-around athlete so it has come easy to her" Billert mentioned.
All this success has led the team to a rematch with #5 Assumption in the Northeast-10 Championship Quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night at the friendly confines of Ronald J. Abdow Field.
LAST TIME THEY MET: AIC and Assumption locked into a defensive struggle for 54 minutes before pandemonium broke out in the final 16 as both teams built and lost one-goal advantages before AIC scored the game's final tally in a 3-2 win at Ronald J. Abdow Field on November 4.
Assumption was unable to use a 7-2 edge in penalty corners in the first half to build any kind of lead, but finally broke through at 54:36 when freshman forward Catie Laraway (Westfield, Mass.) broke the deadlock.
A furious rush followed as AIC pounded two goals home in the span of a minute, with freshman back Meghan Largo (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) potting a loose ball after a corner at 61:53 and then Masionis fired a shot 58 seconds later that just barely snuck over the line.
Assumption came right back with a tremendous effort of their own, as senior forward Paige Anderson (Suffield, Conn.) found a way to deflect a shot in at 64:55, tying the game at 2-2.
The Yellow Jackets offense found one last opportunity, however, as junior Kaylin Harbin (Stroudsburg, Pa.) found sophomore midfielder Shea Homer (Glens Falls, N.Y.) open on the right side for a shot that found the cage at 65:58.
That proved to be the deciding factor as Assumption poured on pressure but could not advance the ball, thanks in no small part to the brilliant defense of senior back Amanda Johannes (Killingworth, Conn.) protecting the middle of the field, and the Hounds could not get a shot on target in the last four minutes.
COACHES PERSPECTIVE:Assumption comes into the contest winning two of their last three after falling to AIC as they defeated Franklin Pierce 5-0 and dropped Adelphi 3-2 before falling to Stonehill 1-0 to close out the regular season. Both coaches know it is hard to beat the same opponent twice in one season and they know the Hounds will be looking to avenge their regular season defeat.
"It's always hard to beat a team for a second time regardless of the stakes, but at the same time you know what you are getting into and you feel more prepared" Billert mentioned. "I know the girls are focused and motivated and have been working hard and watching film in order to prepare for Tuesday".
Mazzoli was also reached for a comment before heading out to practice for further preparation and mentioned "Assumption is playing very well right now. I expect 50/50 battles all over the field tomorrow.There has been so much parity in the league this year andevery game has been agame of inches.I think the intangibles that we have developed over the past three monthswill be keytomorrow."
MIRROR, MIRROR: This is the second consecutive year that the two teams have finished with identical conference records; last season both squads went 3-7.
A HOUSE DIVIDED: The Heroth family will have some difficulty tonight in choosing sides, as they have one daughter on each squad. Senior Abagail Heroth is a back for the Greyhounds and one of the captains, while sophomore Emma Heroth is a forward for the Yellow Jackets.
QUEEN BEES OF THE BAY STATE: AIC went undefeated in conference play this season against other squads from Massachusetts, winning three straight one-goal decisions over Bentley, Assumption, and at Stonehill on November 1, 4, and 8 respectively. Notably, AIC did fall to Bentley in non-conference play in Waltham.
ONE RECORD LEFT: Masionis owns many of the career records, but she needs one goal to tie Amanda McLean '12 for the single-season goals record of 19 set in the 2010 campaign.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: This is the third appearance for AIC in the Northeast-10 Championship Tournament, first since 2011 and their first home playoff game since 2010, and in all three cases the Yellow Jackets will play the game in the same location as the regular season matchup against their opponent was played; AIC hosted Franklin Pierce in the regular season and playoffs in 2010, winning both games 2-1, and then visited Bentley for both the following year, losing 3-2 in OT in the regular season but winning 3-2 in OT in the playoffs.
NEXT UP:The winner of this match will travel to LIU-Post to take on the top-seeded Pioneers in the Northeast-10 Championship Semifinal on Thursday, November 20 at 1:00 p.m. It would be sweet retribution for the Jackets to make it to face LIU as the Pioneers snapped their program best six-game conference winning streak just one week ago.
