Endicott Field Hockey Selected to Finish Third in the CCC for 2014

2014 CCC Field Hockey Preseason Poll Release
2014 Endicott Field Hockey Roster

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released their field hockey preseason poll Monday morning and Endicott has been selected to finish third with one first place vote and a total of 37 points. The University of New England was slotted to claim the CCC title with three first place votes and 45 total points followed by the 2013 CCC Champions, Gordon, who also notched three first place votes and 43 total points.

Coming in behind the top three slots are Nichols and Salve Regina who are tied for fourth with 24 points with Western New England (14) and Roger Williams (9) wrapping up the final spots in the poll.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head field hockey coaches.

The Endicott field hockey team is coming off a 2013 season that saw the Gulls finish 9-11 (6-6 CCC) while advancing to the conference semifinals. Head Coach Jodi Cipolla is eager to start the 2014 season inhopes to jump back into the conference championship after winning back to back championships in 2011 and 2012.

Cipolla, who is entering her eighth season at the helm of the field hockey program, is happy with the progress of this team saying, "this has been a really exiting group to work with over the past week of preseason.  They are a hard working group of young women who are eager to compete and push each other to get better each day." 

The Blue and Green will welcome back eight seniors and six juniors that will be led by tri-captains, Amanda Glynn, Meghan Leary and Kathryn Walker. This group of Gulls has seen a lot of minutes on the field and will look to use their experience and leadership to bring the CCC title back to Endicott.

"The senior class, as a whole, is a really experienced group. All of them have been either starters or key contributors for the last three seasons.  All eight of them are really great role models in how they train and the level of play that they expect from the team on a daily basis.  Our freshman class reminds me a lot of this senior class 4 years ago and I am excited for them to have these seniors to look up to.  They have established a really strong team culture for our freshmen to learn from and carry on their legacy for the years ahead" says Cipolla.     

Senior, three-time All-CCC award winner, Emily Sawchuck will lead the attack for the Gulls after notching a team high 17 goals and 43 points last fall. Joining her will be seniors Glynn, Mackenzie Hurst and junior Morgan Bresnahan all whom saw valuable time on the offensive line last season. Also looking to start their rookie campaigns in the offensive zone will be freshmen Emily Hirtle and Maggie Layo.

Coach Cipolla will debut a strong midfield with the addition of Quinnipiac transfer, junior Ashleigh Allen who will be surrounded by seniors Elizabeth LeClair who tallied 13 points in 2013 and Walker who posted 10 points along with Jess Linden who will split her duties in the midfield and the backfield.  

LeClair and Linden both started their careers in the defensive unit and will use their versatility on the field to stop the ball high in the midfield and work to create offensive pressure and scoring opportunities.

Supporting the talented midfield line will be in the hands of three-time All-CCC award winner, Meghan Leary who will take back over the center back position using her solid stick skills and ability to read the field, to keep their opponents offensive pressure high in the defensive 25. Working alongside Leary will be junior Kristen O'Brien and seniors Alyssa Clark and Linden.

Taking charge between the pipes will be up to junior Rose Bradley who has played in eight games during her first two seasons and holding a .773 save percentage as a solid back up goalkeeper. Coming in on relief will be sophomore Cheka Ventura who joined the squad last spring and has crisp movements around the cage and foot-speed which will serve her well in the cage.

Every year the Gulls provide one of the strongest strength of schedules in the New England region which will start off with their season debut on the road at Babson on August 29^th. They will also come across MIT who finished the 2013 season ranked No. 3 in the region while also spending time in the national rankings. Also providing strong competition will be UMass Dartmouth who will travel to Beverly on September 10^th.

In the competitive CCC, Endicott will look to face each team twice while battling for the top spot with the University of New England and Gordon both whom swept the Gulls last season. The Blue and Green will look to avenge their 2013 season meetings with cross-town rivals Gordon who were able to defeat the Gulls three times while knocking them out of the conference semifinals before earning the CCC title.

Coach Cipolla is ready to hit the field and see what this group of Gulls has to offer this season saying, "Coming off of a pretty disappointing campaign in 2013, it has fueled our fire to get back on top this season.  I am excited to see this team come together as a unit.  We have some new faces in the program that will add a new dynamic to our play.  They work hard, but I need them playing tougher and competing for 70 plus minutes.  If they do this, I think this could be our year to do big things."