News -> Releases ->
IUP to Host Field Hockey Championships
(October 24, 2007)

IUP will host the 2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Field Hockey Championship tournament on Friday, Oct. 26th and Saturday, Oct. 27th.  Action starts at 1:30 p.m. on Friday as No. 3 seed Kutztown takes on No. 2 seed Bloomsburg.  Fourth-seeded Shippensburg will battle host and top-seeded IUP at 4 p.m.  The winners square off in the championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets for the events are $7 for adults and $2 for students.  Students from PSAC institutions are admitted free with a valid ID.

IUP finished the regular season with a 12-2 league record, 15-3 overall.  Kutztown defeated the Crimson Hawks 1-0 while Shippensburg upset IUP 3-2 in overtime in the regular season finale.  The squad's lone non-conference loss came at the hands of UMass-Lowell, 2-1.  IUP is ranked No. 1 in the current National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll and are seeking their first ever PSAC title.

The Crimson Hawks have earned three straight berths in the NCAA tournament and are led by two-time All-America selection Liz Martini.  The senior finished the season tied for fifth in the PSAC in points (38) and tied for sixth in goals (15).  Teaming with Martini is freshman forward Jessica Frantz.  The rookie is second on the team behind Martini with 10 goals and two assists as she started all 18 games for the Crimson Hawks.  Sophomore goalie Lydia Dolly has started every minute for IUP and will anchor a defense that has allowed just 12 goals all season.  Dolly has posted 10 shutouts on the year, seven more than the next PSAC goalie.

Bloomsburg is the second seed and the coaches pre-season favorite to
win the crown after posting a perfect 24-0 record en route to the program's 13th national championship in 2006.  The Huskies finished the regular season with a 11-3 league record, 17-3 overall.  Bloomsburg fell to IUP twice and were also upset by the Lady Raiders of Shippensburg.

The Huskies will try for its 15th conference title, the most of any schools.  Bloomsburg is led by the dymanic duo of junior Jamie Vanartsdalen and senior Ashley Heckard.  Vanartsdalen set the Huskies single-season points total (79) and also tied the single-season record for goals (31) while establishing a new career-best at Bloomsburg with 184 points to date.  Her season points total also set a new Division II mark.  Heckard owns 22 goals and four assists.  Without graduated All-American goalie Tracey Hudak, the Huskies have looked to Alison Ziants to fill the void. 


Kutztown (17-3, 11-3 PSAC) is making its first appearance in the PSAC playoffs since 2005.  Earlier in the year the Golden Bears made history as they became Kutztown's first women's squad to be ranked No. 1 when they picked up top honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.  Kutztown will again hope to make history as they look for their first PSAC title.  But first, the Golden Bears must go through Bloomsburg, a squad they have not defeated since 1983.

Scoring threats for Kutztown include Kelley Healey and Lyndsay Butler.  Healey leads the team with 17 goals and 14 assists while Butler is second in points with 10 goals and eight assists.  Defensively, goalie Sam Flowers has tallied three shutouts and owns a 1.44 GAA.

Fourth-seeded Shippensburg (13-7, 8-7 PSAC) is on a three-game winning-streak and looks to continue a trend that saw the Lady Raiders upset three of the nation's top five teams last week, including Bloomsburg and IUP.  Shippensburg is making its seventh-straight trip to the conference tournament and hopes to add another championship trophy after winning its first ever in 2005.

Kim Davies and Kristen Miller provide a powerful one-two punch for the Lady Raiders as they have combined for 33 of Ship's 60 goals and 14 assists.  Danielle Haas also has contributed nine goals while Megan Keener is second on the squad with seven assists.  Goalie Allie Rutland owns a 1.43 GAA while Shippensburg's defense ranks second in the league with a 1.23 GAA and six shutouts (3rd - PSAC).

Slippery Rock