FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 2, 2023) – For the first time in four years, the Sacred Heart University field hockey team has a seat at the postseason table. The third seeded Pioneers will take on second seeded Saint Francis in the semifinal round of the Northeast Conference Championship, on Friday afternoon in Staten Island, N.Y. Game time is set for 2 p.m. on the campus of Wagner College. The contest will be streamed live via both NEC Front Row and ESPN+.
 
A LOOK AT THE PIOS
SHU (7-10, 4-3 NEC) rolls into the postseason on a four-game winning streak – the team's longest since 2007 – and has won its most games since the 2018 squad went 8-12. The Pios won their last three NEC games just to earn a spot in the tournament: 2-0 over Stonehill on Oct. 20, 6-1 over Merrimack on Oct. 22, and 2-0 at Saint Francis to clinch a berth on Oct. 27. Isabelle Chamberlain (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) leads the team in scoring with 8-3-19 to earn All-NEC First Team honors, while Madelyn Kidd (Hillsborough, N.J.) chipped in 5-4-14 on the way to an All-NEC Second Team selection.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Saint Francis (10-7, 5-2 NEC) had won three in a row and six out of seven before SHU showed up in Loretto, Pa., last Friday. The Red Flash's only other NEC blemish was a 2-0 defeat on the road at Fairfield on Oct. 8. Saint Francis boasts a quartet of All-NEC picks, let by its lone First Team honoree, Eva Valentini, who is second in the league in both goals (9) and points (9-3-21). Marie Sattler, Madison Waldspurger and Amber Bryan were all named to the Second Team, while SFU's coaches took NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
 
PREVIOUSLY AGAINST SAINT FRANCIS
The two teams met just last Friday, with SHU putting together a 2-0 victory to secure its spot in the NEC Championship on the final day of league play. Chamberlain scored on a 39^th-minute corner, while Claire Skumurski (Niskayuna, N.Y.) provided the insurance marker in the 47^th. Samantha Maresca (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) stopped all four shots on her cage in the shutout, while Emma Brayford (Breiningsville, Pa.) contributed a defensive save as well.
 
HISTORY AGAINST THE RED FLASH
Following a five-year hiatus, SHU and Saint Francis have met annually since 2017, minus the pandemic season, with the Pioneers claiming four victories in the six games. The Red Flash had taken back-to-back shutouts in 2021 (1-0) and 2022 (3-0) before Sacred Heart's win last week. Prior, the Pios had posted a 3-2 win in 2017, a 2-1 victory in 2018, and a 4-3 triumph in 2019. Since renewing acquaintances, four of the six games between the two teams have been decided by one goal.
 
UP NEXT
The winner gets a spot in Sunday's NEC title game, which is set for a noon start at Wagner. Friday's first semifinal starts at 11 a.m. and features top seed Fairfield against fourth seed Wagner.