Defending Champion Field Hockey Team Picked Second in CCC Preseason Poll

Full Release from the Commonwealth Coast Conference 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Endicott field hockey team will take the field for the 2012 season with something it has not previously had in the program's long history – the title of defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) champions. The Gulls have been picked to follow up their first conference crown with a second-placed finish, according to the preseason poll released Monday afternoon by the conference office.

University of New England, who Endicott defeated in last year's title game, received four out of a possible six first-place votes and 34 total points to earn their spot as the preseason favorites.  Endicott garnered the two remaining first-place votes and a total of 32 points. Nichols College was selected to finish third, followed by Gordon College, Western New England University and Salve Regina University.

The preseason poll is voted on by each of the field hockey head coaches in the CCC and was announced by CCC commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. 

The Gulls are coming off of an incredible 2011 season in which they overcame a 1-7 start and battled to a 9-1 conference record, the top seed in the CCC tournament, the program's first conference crown, and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Endicott will welcome back five seniors and eight juniors, so on the lineup sheet not much will change for the Gulls, who ended their 2011 season on an 11-2 run for a final mark of 12-9.  They graduate just one member of the team that defeated University of New England in overtime of a dramatic CCC championship game at Endicott before being edged 2-0 at Keene State in the NCAA tourney.

For head coach Jodi Cipolla, however, the hope is that a more experienced, confident team will emerge from last year's success and that the Gulls will fulfill their potential from the beginning of the 2012 season.  

"Last year's turnaround was the product of a talented young team who didn't give up on one another. Early on in the season we were doing a lot of great things in segments, but not stringing them together. It was a matter of getting the team to believe and not give up." said Cipolla, who has a career record of 64-39 with Endicott. "The team was so young and inexperienced, but mastering advanced skills and playing such a great level of field hockey, it was a matter of everything coming together. They could have packed it in, but they never gave up on it. It was something special."

Cipolla also said that she wants the team to take the lessons they learned from last year's run and work on improving the team's out of conference record and having a more balanced scoring attack throughout the season, particularly from the top line of forwards.  

"Our confidence was built through the adversity of our season last year. We learned how to play as a team and stick together as a team and the positive results that come out of that. There's an expectation to start how we finished, but the team also understands that you have to work to win," said Cipolla.

The Gulls, who were second in the conference in goals scored last season (55) should have no trouble finding the back of the net again this year. They will welcome back senior forwards Hannah Thornberg and Melissa Enright, who co-led the team and conference with 15 goals apiece last year and added 5 and 4 assists, respectively, to lead the CCC in scoring. Plenty of assists also came from returning senior midfielder Taylor Matties, whose 13 helpers led the conference and broke the Endicott record for assists in a season. Matties also scored the crucial overtime goal in the CCC Championship game at Endicott and was named First Team NFHCA All-New England Region.

Also leading the offensive attack for the Gulls will be sophomore Emily Sawchuck, the reigning CCC Rookie of the Year, who netted 14 times last year, including a team-high 6 game-winning goals. Sophomores Kathryn Walker and Mackenzie Hurst will provide depth and speed to the Endicott scoring punch.

Preventing goals should also be a strength for the Gulls, who return CCC Defensive Player of the Year in senior goalkeeper Taylor Teixeira, who led the league last year with a .791 save percentage and 5 shutouts. Lizetta Solarik will return as Teixeira's primary backup and will vie for minutes in a supporting role.

In front of Teixeira will be a defensive line that returns with another year of experience after being comprised mostly of first year players last season.  The tandem of Robin Hunt and Emily O'Halloran will join First Team All-Conference and All-Region defender and team-voted MVP Meghan Leary to anchor the Gull's back-line. Leary, a defensive midfielder with great timing, provides great speed to the backfield and has the ability to create an offensive push. She will be critical on penalty corners on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for Endicott.  

The midfield will be anchored by four year starter and senior captain Cassie DeSimone, who scored three goals and tallied three assists a season ago, while using strong intercepting and anticipation skills and aggressive play she will be critical in the transition game and on defensive corners. Playing alongside DeSimone will be junior StacieTeevens, who made the transition from forward to midfield last year and did a great job providing speed in transition, great stick work and field vision that led to her scoring a goal and four assists. Sophomores Liz LeClair and Jess Linden and junior Amanda Glynn will provide Endicott with versatility and depth across the defense and midfield positions.

Once again, Endicott will play one of the toughest strength of schedules in New England, starting with their opening game at Babson on August 31^st. Along the way, the Gulls will take on MIT, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 NCAA tournament, as well as tough matches against Plymouth State and St. Joe's of Maine, who each had stellar records last year and a rematch with Salem State, who came from behind to edge the Gulls a year ago.

Endicott's toughest tests could come in the competitive CCC, where every team will be gunning to take them down as the title holders. Endicott will face tough tests from local rivals Gordon and pesky Nichols College, who they twice needed late goals to defeat last season. The biggest challenge should again come from University of New England, who dealt Endicott their only conference loss last year in Biddeford, Maine. The Gulls would eventually get revenge on the Nor'easters, knocking them off 5-0 at home to end the Nor'easters perfect season and then edging them in overtime for the CCC crown.

Cipolla and the team's goal is of course to bring another championship back to Beverly, but while the defending champions tag comes with added expectations for this season, the head coach insists that she's going to warn the team about looking ahead. 

"We're not going to really focus on the title as our end result. We're going to continue to take each step game by game. Retuning as conference champions you obviously have that target on your back, but that's where we want to be. We want to be that top team."

Endicott will face Babson and Colby-Sawyer on the road before a September 9^th home opener against Maine-Farmington. 

2012 CCC PRESEASON FIELD HOCKEY POLL

Teams received six points for each first place vote, five points for second place votes, four points for third place votes, down to one point for a last place vote. First place votes are shown in parentheses.

TEAM                                                     POINTS (1st Place votes)
University of New England                34 (4)
Endicott                                                 32 (2)
Nichols                                                  22
Gordon                                                  18
Western New England                       12
Salve Regina                                        8