Sept. 3, 2009

PHILADELPHIA - With a ninth consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship appearance firmly in their sights, the Saint Joseph's field hockey team knows what the ultimate goal is.

"I think we have the talent level and the senior leadership" to win the Atlantic 10, said head coach Michelle Finegan, back for a 13th season on the SJU sideline. "I'm just hoping that we can stay healthy."

Fortunately for the Crimson and Gray, a good bit of that talent comes with veteran experience. Saint Joseph's will return nine starters from a year ago when the squad won 11 games, its fifth straight seasons with double-digit wins.

The Hawk attack will benefit from the return of juniors Jen Wrublesky and Hannah Rogers. Wrublesky led the team in scoring as a freshman in 2007 before a concussion slowed her down in 2008. She will look to bounce back in 2009 as the Hawks will count on her skill to help fuel the offense.

Rogers entered training camp strong after appearing in 18 games last season and should make her way into the starting lineup. She scored her first collegiate goal against Temple last year and will look to add many more to that total in her third season.

Graduate student Krista Bordogna is another potential returnee. Her availability is unknown, but if healthy she can provide an experienced scoring touch, as evidenced by her career-high seven goals last season.

Sophomore Ellen Rowe, a 2008 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, will see her share of time up front as well. Rowe played in all 20 games last year, scoring in back to back games against Rutgers and La Salle. Junior Nicole McCreight has battled injuries throughout her time on Hawk Hill but looks to contribute this season if she can stay on the pitch.

In the midfield, senior co-captain and 2008 leading scorer Kellie Walter has a realistic chance at breaking into the all-time top 10 in goals scored, assists and points this season. She needs just nine goals, four assists and 22 points to crack each individual list; all three are well within reach after her breakout junior campaign. Walter earned a plethora of accolades for her efforts, including All-Region, All-Conference and All-City honors.

Also returning is senior Anne Schreuders. Schreuders is another Hawk that's been bitten by the injury bug over the course of her career, but she's been nothing but productive when on the field. She has notched 33 points in just 34 career games and set a career high with five goals last season. Her 11 career assists also put her with easy reach of the all-time top 10.

Sophomore Theresa Testa started all 20 games last year, one of just five Hawks to achieve that feat. She tallied four assists during her rookie season to tie for second on the squad. Testa joined Rowe on the A-10 All-Rookie squad as well. Adding depth in the midfield will be sophomore Therese Doyle and freshmen Jordan Cotter and Leigh Deininger.

Senior co-captain Jenn Schultz has shifted from midfield to defense this season. After notching a career-high eight points in 2008, Schultz will join returnees Mary Beaman and Casey Fry in anchoring the SJU backline.

Beaman returns for a final season on Hawk Hill and will look to secure a starting spot. Fry played all but eight minutes last season, and the Second Team All-Conference selection will be one of the vocal leaders of the Hawk defense.

Also in the running for starting spots will be junior Caitlyn Crane and sophomore Rachel Walsh. Crane is recovering from a knee injury and hopes to be ready to go by the start of the season, while Walsh started 19 games as a rookie a season ago.

Returning from a leg injury and hoping to contribute in 2009 will be junior Heather Caudill. She appeared in 11 games last season, making seven starts, and her experience will be counted on should she make her return to the field.

Rounding out the defensive corps are junior Katie Maguire and freshmen Abby Hoover and Kortney Smith.

In the cage, Saint Joseph's returns starter Kelly Swanick and backup Liz Messaros. Swanick saw the bulk of the minutes last season, starting all 20 games on her way to Atlantic 10 All-Rookie honors. Messaros did not see game action in 2008, but should find her way onto the field this season in a backup role.

This year's squad will face a markedly tougher early season slate than the Hawks have had in years past.

"We're going to be playing three teams in the Colonial [Athletic Association]," said Finegan. "We have Duke from the ACC as well, and those are four of our first five games. We also play Lock Haven, who won their conference last year."

In addition to those matchups, the Hawks will face off with local rivals Penn and Villanova in non-conference action. A trip to Rutgers is on the slate as well, and SJU will also head out to Illinois to face Northwestern and Missouri State.

The ramping up of the non-conference schedule aims to serve one single purpose: to better prepare the Hawks for Atlantic 10 play. The Hawks will play host to the top three teams from 2008's conference standings - Massachusetts, Temple and Richmond - and take to the road for contests with La Salle, West Chester and Saint Louis.

In the pre-season coaches poll, the Hawks were chosen fourth behind last year's top three. One of the goals for this season will be to outdo that prediction and possibly slide into one of the top two seeds for the conference tournament.

"Our ultimate goal is to make it to the championship game," Finegan explained. "I want to put in a good showing in the regular season. Every year we've just gotten in and then sometimes we've upset somebody and gotten to the championship game. I want to be number one or two going in, and then get to the championship game and be ready. That's the goal."

With veteran skill at their disposal in the offensive end and incredible depth in the defensive end, this year's Hawks may just have the squad to do it.