Villanova, Pa. – With school year underway, the start of the season is fast approaching. The Villanova field hockey team will start their season Friday August 28th at home. The team is welcoming seven freshmen this year and returning 12 letterwinners. Head coach Joanie Milhous, is entering her 21st season as a Wildcat; the team looks to return to the BIG EAST tournament for the first time since 2011.
The 2015 season will start with the team playing their first three games at home. First they will host Sacred Heart on Friday August 28th at 7 p.m. followed by LaSalle on Sunday the 30th and Ball State Friday September 4th.
“Every game is about being the hardest working team on the field and the most productive team on the field,” Milhous shared. “We are going to take it one game at a time, and every game is going to be the most important game.”
Last season, Villanova won four games while dropping 14 contests, the team finished fifth in the BIG EAST Conference. Three fellow BIG EAST opponents were ranked in the Top 25 teams, with Connecticut being back to back National Champions.
Milhous is ready to see the hard work her team has had in preseason pay off on the field, “we are a lot more demanding on them, they have received it well all of preseason so far and we are going to be pushing them further and harder than they have been pushed before.”
The team was picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Coaches’ Preseason Poll behind Connecticut, Old Dominion, Temple and Providence, three of which are consistently nationally ranked. Georgetown rounded out the poll.
Conference play begins on Oct. 2 as Old Dominion hosts Temple in a contest that will be broadcast live from Norfolk, Va. on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Georgetown travels to Providence that same day while Connecticut and Villanova will lift the lid on conference play on Oct. 3 in Storrs, Conn. Senior captain Kayla Kenney was named to the preseason ALL-BIG EAST team. Kenney started all 18 games, had four goals, four assist, 12 points, and 26 shots on goal to lead the team during the 2014 season.
During this past offseason, Villanova announced the hiring of Kelly Driscoll a 2010 Old Dominion grad, as a new addition to the coaching staff; she will also serve as a recruiter for the Wildcat program. She arrives at Villanova from Temple University where she was an assistant from 2011-14, including serving as the Associate Head Coach in 2014. She will be joining fellow assistant coach Kaitlyn Scholl, who is heading into her sixth year with the program.
Forwards:
The team this year will feature four forwards, senior captain Kayla Kenny and fellow senior Heather Smillie, both who contributed four goals last season, look to add experience and leadership to the roster.
Junior Courtney Devine played in 23 games over her last two seasons and adds depth to the roster.Maddy Lewis, a freshman to the team will contribute to the team as a forward and midfielder throughout the season. Prior to Villanova, Lewis was named to the First Team All-Chesmont and All-Area in both 2013 and 2014 while at West Chester East High School.
Midfielder:
Senior captain Ann Romanowski and fellow senior Carolynn Cark, both started all 18 games together last season. Junior Kristen Mericle has played in all 35 contests since her freshman season, scoring her first goal last year vs. Penn.
Sophomores Francesca Bello, Mackenzie Harding, and Molly Turner are looking to take their knowledge from their freshman season and make this year just as successful.
Bello contributed four goals and two assists last season totaling 10 points overall. She was one of five Wildcats with a double-digit point total on the season. Harding, who also plays back, and Turner, both played in a combined 16 contests last season.
Of the seven newcomers, four are midfielders; Emily Cliggett, Sami Lopez, Allison Sayia, and Catie Ward. Cliggett, who will also be playing forward, was named to the Suburban I All-League First Team her senior season as well as being named the C.B. South Offensive MVP. Her high school teammates included Kayla Kenney and Mackenzie Harding. Lopez was the 2014 team leader in goals and assists at Mainland Regional High School. She was also chosen to The Press of Atlantic City Second Teamin 2014 and earned the 2014-15 CAL Coach Lewis Iron Women Award.
Sayia, who at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child was named to the National All-America Second Team, Regional, All-American First Team, and First Team All-Union County. She is also a four-time Union County Champions; and also will be playing forward for the Wildcats. Ward, will also be a defender for the Wildcats, was named to the First Team All-Area for the Chesmont League for her senior season at Unionville High School.
Defense:
With the loss of three defenders, the Wildcats have senior Taylor Kidwell to lead the defender in experience. Kidwell started ten games for the Wildcats last season, after returning from an injury that kept her from playing her sophomore year.
Freshman Catie Ebner from Fair Haven, New Jersey, high school team was named the Group II Section II Championships for three-straight years from 2013-15. Ward was also named to First Team All-Shore, All-Division, All-County and All-State.
Goalkeeper:
The Wildcats have two returning goalies and have added a newcomer to the goalie depth. Sophomore Jordyn Clipstone, who was the primary goalie last season, started all 18 games averaging 3.14 goals a game. Senior Kristina Roberts is entering her second season with the team, Roberts was a walk on her junior year. She saw action in four games playing 95 minutes her first season as a Wildcat. Erika Miller a freshman from Malvern, Pa, had 41 career shutouts and a .917 career save percentage with 324 saves between her junior and senior seasons at Villa Maria Academy. Miller was a PIAA State Champion in 2014 and named to the PHSFCHA First Team All-State in both 2013 and 2014.
Schedule:
Villanova will open their season with three straight home games starting this Friday, August 28th vs. Sacred Heart followed by LaSalle on Sunday the 30th and ending with Ball State September 4th. The team will then travel for a three-game road trip against Monmouth (9/6), Rutgers (9/11), and Penn (9/15). Nova will then host Fairfield at home (9/20) and will play Siena (9/25) in West Chester, Pa. The Wildcats will then play two road games against Towson (9/27) and its BIG EAST opener against Connecticut (10/3).
Villanova returns home first facing off with Saint Francis (10/4) and then fellow BIG EAST team Providence (10/9). The team plays their last non-conference game vs. Rider on October 11th. The squad will then travel to Georgetown for their last road game of the season (10/16). The final two games will be played at home, first against Old Dominion (10/23) and ending with Temple (10/31).
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