Columbia
Central Michigan
Two Matches in Iowa Highlight Lions' Opening Weekend
9/5/2019 4:40:00 PM | Field Hockey
Columbia opens the 2019 campaign against Central Michigan Saturday before taking on No. 8 Iowa Sunday.
Live stats will be available for both games, via the Iowa Hawkeyes website. BTN+ will air Sunday's matchup against Iowa. A subscription is required. Click here to watch and to subscribe.
NEWS/NOTES
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
• The Lions begin the 2019 campaign this weekend with a pair of games in Iowa City, taking on Central Michigan Saturday and No. 8 Iowa Sunday.
• Columbia has a difficult opening slate with three of its first four games against teams ranked in the NFHCA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lions also have five-straight on the road before opening at home against UMass-Lowell on Sept. 22.
• Columbia returns seven starters, including leading scorer Jennifer Trieschman. The senior forward racked up nine goals in 2018 and has 15 for her career which puts her two shy of cracking Columbia's career top-10 list.
• Trieschman and junior midfielder Kelsey Farkas each earned second team All-Ivy League selections. Trieschman was also an NFHCA first team All-Region pick with Farkas gaining a second team nod, respectively.
• Junior Alexa Conomikes is expected to take over between the pipes this season after backing up Katie Dempsey the last two seasons.
• Columbia was picked fifth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll. The Lions received 63 points from members of the media. Princeton (nine first place votes) took the top spot, followed by Harvard (seven first place votes), Penn, Yale, the Lions, Dartmouth and Brown.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN'S STATUS
• The Chippewas have already matchEd their win total from 2018 after topping Colgate 4-1 and Saint Louis 3-0.
• Alice O'Hagan has potted three goals with Neve Dibley and Samantha Glapinski posting two apiece.
• Keelin Broeker has started both games in goal and has only had to face one shot in 30 minutes of action. Abigail Ebersole has played the majority of minutes in relief.
IOWA'S STATUS
• The Hawkeyes went 1-1 last weekend against a pair of top-10 squads at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Iowa rallied in the 52nd minute to tie the game and won in overtime, 2-1, over Wake Forest. The Hawkeyes then fell 2-1 to the defending national champions, North Carolina. • Sofie Stribos has two of the three Iowa goals on the season.
• In net, Leslie Speight has stopped six shots in her two appearances.
INSIDE THE SERIES - CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Lions and Chippewas have met only once previously, a 4-1 Lions' win in East Lansing, Michigan, in 2016. Columbia scored two minutes into the contest and led 4-0 before a goal in the 66th minute broke up the shutout bid.
INSIDE THE SERIES - IOWA
Sunday will mark the first meeting between the schools.
REPPING THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Farkas and Allison Smith competed at the 2019 Young Women's National Championships. Farkas will participate in the Women's Development Team Selection Camp and Smith gained a spot at Team USA U21 Selection Camp in December.
TEAM IMPACT
The Lions have a special addition to the 2019 team in 11-year old Elana Koenig. Koenig was partnered with the field hockey program through TEAM Impact, a national organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. A native of New York City, Elana was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma and has been undergoing treatment for two years. Ewing sarcoma is a type of tumor that forms from a certain kind of cell in bone and soft tissue.
For the latest on Columbia field hockey, follow @columbiafhockey on Twitter, @columbiafh on Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
