Temple University Athletics
Friday, August 30
Philadelphia, Pa.
5 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Merrimack
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Field Hockey Hosts Merrimack and La Salle in Season-Opening Weekend
8.29.19 | Field Hockey
PHILADELPHIA - The Temple field hockey team begins the 2019 season at home with a pair of games over Labor Day Weekend. First up for the Owls is a 5 p.m. contest against Merrimack on Aug. 30, and they'll finish up the opening weekend by hosting city rival La Salle at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Temple is looking for a fresh start under first-year head coach Susan Ciufo, and will have a strong home field advantage early in the season with seven of their first 10 games being played at Howarth Field.
Promotions
> There will be free Temple field hockey posters available for the first 500 fans in attendance.
> Temple students can visit the marketing table for the Temple football ticket distribution.
Scouting Temple
> The Owls begin a new era under first-year head coach Susan Ciufo, and have a solid mix of veteran and newcomer talent.
> Nine starters return in 2019, and 83 percent of Temple's goals last year were scored by current players.
> Leading the way are the on-field co-captains, senior Kathryn Edgar and junior Dani Batze.
> Edgar will be serving in the role for a second straight year, and was the Owls' offensive leader last season with 13 total points. Batze has been dominant in the backfield in each of her first two years and ranked third in NCAA Division I last year with seven defensive saves.
> The team's Unity Leader is senior Cristen Barnett, the Commitment Leader is senior Becky Gerhart, and the Organizational Leader is senior Lucy Reed.
> Temple struggled in 2018, going 2-16 overall and 0-7 in BIG EAST play. The Owls are looking for a return to the BIG EAST Tournament in 2019 for the first time in three years.
> The biggest loss for the Owls to graduation was starting goalkeeper Chloe Johnson, whose 8.12 saves per game ranked third among all goalkeepers in NCAA Division I in 2018.
> Temple finished the season with 18 defensive saves to rank first among all teams in NCAA Division I. The Owls also ranked second in the nation with 9.17 saves per game.
Scouting Merrimack
> Coming off an 18-4 season and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, Merrimack will play its first-ever Division I game against the Owls.
> The Warriors will compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC), which is sponsoring field hockey for the first time since 2012. Merrimack will not be eligible for NEC postseason play until 2023 as part its four-year reclassification period.
> Merrimack was picked to tie for fifth among the seven NEC teams in 2019.
> Third-year head coach Megan Shea guided the Warriors in their historic season last year as they ended their Division II tenure with their first-ever Northeast-10 Tournament Championship, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
> Senior captains Miranda Judd, Jessica Palmer as well graduate student captain Katharina Ohmen headline a talented group of returners for Merrimack; Ohmen headlines the group after being named both an Academic All-American and NFHCA All-American goalie last season.
Series History vs. Merrimack
> Temple and Merrimack are meeting for the first time in program history.
Scouting La Salle
> The Explorers are coming off an 8-10 season and are under the direction of second-year head coach Kelly (Driscoll) Broadway, who was an assistant coach at Temple from 2011-14.
> Senior Amanda Chapin was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team. The Explorers were ranked sixth of nine teams in the Preseason Atlantic 10 Poll.
> Chapin tied for the team lead and ranked in the Atlantic 10's top 10 in assists with eight last season, also scoring five goals to finish with 18 points.
> La Salle will have hosted Sacred Heart on Aug. 30 before making the trip down Broad Street to Howarth Field.
Series History vs. La Salle
> Temple leads La Salle 32-4-1 in the all-time series, and has won four straight. The last time the teams met was in 2016, with the Owls coming from behind and scoring three second-half goals in a 3-2 win.
Promotions
> There will be free Temple field hockey posters available for the first 500 fans in attendance.
> Temple students can visit the marketing table for the Temple football ticket distribution.
Scouting Temple
> The Owls begin a new era under first-year head coach Susan Ciufo, and have a solid mix of veteran and newcomer talent.
> Nine starters return in 2019, and 83 percent of Temple's goals last year were scored by current players.
> Leading the way are the on-field co-captains, senior Kathryn Edgar and junior Dani Batze.
> Edgar will be serving in the role for a second straight year, and was the Owls' offensive leader last season with 13 total points. Batze has been dominant in the backfield in each of her first two years and ranked third in NCAA Division I last year with seven defensive saves.
> The team's Unity Leader is senior Cristen Barnett, the Commitment Leader is senior Becky Gerhart, and the Organizational Leader is senior Lucy Reed.
> Temple struggled in 2018, going 2-16 overall and 0-7 in BIG EAST play. The Owls are looking for a return to the BIG EAST Tournament in 2019 for the first time in three years.
> The biggest loss for the Owls to graduation was starting goalkeeper Chloe Johnson, whose 8.12 saves per game ranked third among all goalkeepers in NCAA Division I in 2018.
> Temple finished the season with 18 defensive saves to rank first among all teams in NCAA Division I. The Owls also ranked second in the nation with 9.17 saves per game.
Scouting Merrimack
> Coming off an 18-4 season and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, Merrimack will play its first-ever Division I game against the Owls.
> The Warriors will compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC), which is sponsoring field hockey for the first time since 2012. Merrimack will not be eligible for NEC postseason play until 2023 as part its four-year reclassification period.
> Merrimack was picked to tie for fifth among the seven NEC teams in 2019.
> Third-year head coach Megan Shea guided the Warriors in their historic season last year as they ended their Division II tenure with their first-ever Northeast-10 Tournament Championship, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
> Senior captains Miranda Judd, Jessica Palmer as well graduate student captain Katharina Ohmen headline a talented group of returners for Merrimack; Ohmen headlines the group after being named both an Academic All-American and NFHCA All-American goalie last season.
Series History vs. Merrimack
> Temple and Merrimack are meeting for the first time in program history.
Scouting La Salle
> The Explorers are coming off an 8-10 season and are under the direction of second-year head coach Kelly (Driscoll) Broadway, who was an assistant coach at Temple from 2011-14.
> Senior Amanda Chapin was named to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team. The Explorers were ranked sixth of nine teams in the Preseason Atlantic 10 Poll.
> Chapin tied for the team lead and ranked in the Atlantic 10's top 10 in assists with eight last season, also scoring five goals to finish with 18 points.
> La Salle will have hosted Sacred Heart on Aug. 30 before making the trip down Broad Street to Howarth Field.
Series History vs. La Salle
> Temple leads La Salle 32-4-1 in the all-time series, and has won four straight. The last time the teams met was in 2016, with the Owls coming from behind and scoring three second-half goals in a 3-2 win.
Players Mentioned
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/ Field Hockey
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/ Field Hockey
M/F
/ Field Hockey
M/B
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field Hockey
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