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The 2008 Northeast-10 Field Hockey Championship begins today as four teams battle for a trip to the semifinals. #3 Southern Connecticut will host #6 Franklin Pierce, while #5 Saint Michael's will travel to #4 Stonehill. Both contests are slated for a 3 p.m. start.  The winner of the Saint Michael's/Stonehill contest will face #1 and host UMass Lowell at 12 p.m., while the winner of Franklin Pierce/Southern Connecticut will face #2 Bentley at 3 p.m. in the semifinals on Saturday.  The championship final is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

#6 Franklin Pierce at #3 Southern Connecticut

Franklin Pierce is making its first appearance in the Northeast-10 Championship since 2001, while Southern Connecticut is appearing in its fourh championship in program history after missing out on the postseason last year.  These two teams split their regular season contests with the home team victorious in both.  A 2-1 Owls victory in early September and most recent a 4-3 Ravens win. 

The Ravens are entering postseason play after securing the sixth seed in this years championship with a 7-11 conference record.  Franklin Pierce is led by sophomore Ashley Moirano (Vero Beach, Fla.) and freshman Danielle Dolan (West Brookfield, Mass.) who both have a team high five goals.  Junior Ashley Abernethy (Bellingham, Mass.) leads the team in assists with six and has scored three goals this season.  Franklin Pierce's freshman goalkeeper Kristin Tormallan (Waterville, Maine) has held opponents to under two goals per game (1.93) and has recorded 118 saves.

Southern Connecticut enters the postseason with a 12-8 overall record and 12-6 conference as the Owls earned the third seed in this year's championship. The Owls are led by two of the top five scorers in the conference with senior Whitney Martin (Harwinton, Conn.) and sophomore Sara Winterbottom (Burlington, Conn.).  Both are currently tied for third in goals scored with 14.  Not to be outdone, the Owls also have two of the top five assist leaders as well with sophomore Ann Berry (Belfast, Maine) and senior Grace Martha (Cheshire, Conn.) leading the way with 10 a piece. Southern Connecticut is second in the Northeast-10 in goals scored with 62.

#5 Saint Michael's at #4 Stonehill

This years quarterfinal matchup consists of the same two teams from a year ago with Saint Michael's traveling to face Stonehill.  Last season the Purple Knights won an overtime thriller to upset the Skyhawks 2-1.  Similiar to the Southern Connecticut/Franklin Pierce contest, both these teams split the regular season series with the home team winning both contests.  Saint Michael's defeted Stonehill 1-0 earlier in the season, while the Skyhawks won a most recent contest 3-0. 

The Purple Knights enter post season play with an overall and conference record of 11-7 and are on a four-game winning streak as they make their 13th appearance in the NE-10 Championship.  Saint Michael's is led by last season's conference player of the year, senior Andrea Slaven (Danvers, Mass.).  She is currently ranked sixth in the conference in goals scored with 12 and is ranked among the conference leaders with five assists.  Junior Kaitlin Koffink (Goffstown, N.H.) is second on the team with five goals.  The Saint Michael's defense has held opponents to under two goals per game (1.89).  Junior Kate Higgins (Mansfield, Mass.) leads the defense with five defensive saves, while senior goalkeeper Jordan Smalling (Essex Junction, Vt.) has rejected 110 shots and has recorded six shutouts.

Stonehill enters postseason action riding the momentum of a five-game winning streak.  The Skyhawks are making their tenth trip to the NE-10 championship.  Junior Claire Hourihan (East Amherst, N.Y.) leads the team in scoring with 19 goals and eight assists.  She is currently second in the conference in goals scored.  Junior Jackie Ladion (North Dartmouth, Mass.) is ranked sixth in the conference in goals scored with 12 and is tied for fifth in assists with nine.  The Skyhawks offense ranks third with 57 goals scored while their defense has held opponents to only 24 goals.  Sophomore goalkeeper Courtney Osier (South Dennis, Mass.) has a lot to do with that as she has held opponents to 1.24 goals per game and has rejected 73 shots.  Stonehill's defense has held opponents to only 161 shots during the course of the year.