University of Richmond Athletics
Field Hockey Hosts California for NCAA Play-In Game
11/10/2003 | Field Hockey
Nov. 10, 2003
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Atlantic 10 champion University of Richmond field hockey team hosts California, champions of the NorPac conference, in the NCAA Play-In game at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 11 at Crenshaw Field.
12th-ranked Richmond (18-3) won its second consecutive conference championship after defeating Temple University 3-1 this past Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa. Prior to that, the Spiders won against West Chester 3-0 on Friday to advance to the finals.
20th-ranked California(12-3) defeated Radford 5-1 in the NorPac finals winning its third consecutive championship. To advance to the final round the Golden Bears were victorious over St. Louis and Stanford.
The winner of the Spiders and Golden Bears advances to the 16-team NCAA Tournament. The first and second rounds will take place November 15-16 and the final rounds November 21-23, sites and times yet to be decided.
GAME NOTES
Best of the Best...Sophomore Allie Howard not only leads the Spiders in goals with 14 and assists with 12, but she leads the Atlantic 10 as well and Howard is tied for 20th in the nation in points and assists. If that is not enough she was named Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, an award Richmond has won all three years as a member of the A-10.
Across the Nation...Junior Laura Hur has made her mark in the country as she is tied for 15th with 12 assists, teammate Lydia Decembrino has recorded six defensive saves which ranks her 10th in national stats and goalie Michelle Swartz is seventh allowing an average of 1.10 goals per game, (all rankings are as of November 3).
Back-to-Back...For the second consecutive season Richmond finished the regular season with a 6-0 record in the Atlantic 10, won the conference championship and will compete in the NCAA Play-In game.
Coach's Corner...Since the arrival of head coach Ange Bradley in 2001 the Spiders have tallied a 45-20 overall record and 14-4 in the Atlantic 10. This season's 18 victories broke the previous record for most wins in a season, 17 in 2002. Bradley has led the team to two conference championships and their first-ever NCAA appearance in 2002. Also for the record books, Richmond has not lost to an A-10 opponent since October 27, 2001 when they lost to Massachusetts 2-1 in overtime.
Last year in the NCAA Tournament...The Spiders defeated Rider 2-1 in the NCAA Play-In game held at Crenshaw Field and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Richmond went on to lose 5-1 to 1st-ranked Old Dominion in the first round of the tournament, ending its 2002 season with a 17-7 overall record.
Richmond Statistics
Richmond Roster
California Game Notes
California Statistics
California Roster