Field Hockey Preps for Sacred Heart and Ivy League Opener vs. Brown
9/23/2015 9:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
NEW YORK - The Lions wrap up their seven-game home stand this weekend when they host Sacred Heart and Brown. The contest against Brown will mark the Ivy League opener for both squads.
SACRED HEART'S STATUS
The Pioneers have dropped five of their last six and fell to Dartmouth and Penn on the road last weekend.
SHU is averaging just one goal per contest. Rachel Claroni paces the squad with two goals and five points. In net, Mary Altepeter has played in all seven games, and holds a 3.89 GAA to a .761 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY... SACRED HEART
Thursday will be the sixth all-time meeting between the programs with the Lions holding a 3-2 edge. Columbia topped the Pioneers at home, 6-1, in 2008 to continue the trend of alternating wins with SHU in the series.
BROWN'S STATUS
The Bears evened their record at 3-3 after topping Saint Joseph's, 2-1, on Saturday. Brown will host California on Friday before making the trip to New York on Sunday.
Katarina Angus and Hannah Rogers each have three goals to lead the team. Katie Hammaker has seen all the action in net, recoring a GAA of 2.65 and a .686 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY... BROWN
Columbia has won eight-straight against Brown to pull even in the all-time series, 9-9. Last year, Kimberly Pianucci made five saves to blank the Bears, 4-0. Zoe Blake scored twice, while Whitney Hartstone and Rebecca Pope also found the back of the net. Christina Freibott tallied three assists to tie a single-game program record.
COLUMBIA IN IVY LEAGUE OPENERS
The Lions are 8-10 all-time in Ivy League opening contests, but have won seven in a row (all against Brown).
'HART' OF A CHAMPION
Sophomore Whitney Hartstone came up with a clutch goal in the final three minutes to lift Columbia to its 2-1 win over Providence, extending the Lions win-streak to three games. Hartstone was rewarded with a spot on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll.
BATTLE TESTED
As of Sept. 15, the Lions' schedule was ranked the eighth toughest in the nation with Columbia's previous opponents boasting a .684 winning percentage (13-6). The Lions put three teams ranked in the preseason NFHCA Poll (No. 1 UConn, No. 15 Princeton, No. 19 Michigan State) and have gone 1-1 against those teams thus far.
MAEVE-ELLOUS
Sophomore back Maeve Doherty has also made an appearance in the last two Ivy League Weekly Honor Rolls. In her last three games, she has chipped in offensively with a goal and assist , while notching a pair of key defensive saves. Her three defensive stops lead the conference and ranks fifth in the NCAA.
DO THE FREIBOTT
Returning All-American Christina Freibott moved up to third on the all-time scoring list (72 points) with her goal against Providence and is now tied for sixth in career goals (19). Her eight points is tied for the team lead.
UNBREAKABLE KIMMIE P
Senior goalkeeper Kimberly Pianucci had to make a combined 14 saves in the Lions' wins over Lehigh and Michigan State. Over her last three games, she has a 1.33 GAA. For the season, she ranks 12th in the NCAA, averaging 6.60 stops per game.
