Nov. 13, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's University field hockey team concluded its 2008 season last week, having reached the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals for the eighth consecutive season. The Hawks also won 11 games, marking the fifth straight year that SJU has reached double digits in the win column.

Midfielder Kellie Walter had a breakout season in her junior year. Walter paced the Hawks with career highs in goals (10), assists (seven), and points (27.) She also ranked in a tie for fourth in the conference in points and tied for third in assists. For her efforts, Walter was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team. She also excelled in the classroom and had A-10 All-Academic honors bestowed upon her as well.

Senior forwards Krista Bordogna and Marisa Pizzi also turned in outstanding seasons for Saint Joseph's. Bordogna notched career highs in all of the major offensive categories, tallying seven goals and a pair of assists for 16 points. She pulled in Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors on October 6 after scoring three goals in a Hawk win over Saint Francis. Bordogna was also named to the All-Academic Team for the second straight season.

Pizzi tied her career high with eight goals and added three assists to place second on the team with 19 points. Of those eight tallies, six were of the game-winning variety, a mark that led the Atlantic 10 Conference. She earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors for the second straight year. Pizzi finishes her career on Hawk Hill with 22 goals, putting her in a tie for 10th all-time in program history. Of those 22 career goals, 12 were game-winners.

Sophomore defender Casey Fry joined Pizzi on the All-Conference Second Team. An All-Rookie honoree as a freshman, Fry played all but seven minutes for the Hawks this season as the anchor of the SJU defense. She made a pair of defensive saves to go along with her strong play on the backline.

Despite playing in only eight games due to injury, junior midfielder Anne Schreuders racked up 14 points on five goals and four assists. She scored the game-winner in SJU's 1-0 win over Delaware and garnered All-Academic honors alongside Bordogna and Walter.

A trio of Hawk rookies made their presence felt on the pitch this season as redshirt freshman Kelly Swanick and true freshmen Ellen Rowe and Theresa Testa were selected for the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Swanick started all 20 games for the Hawks this season, recording a 1.82 goals against average and a .712 save percentage. She also recorded four shutouts and combined for a fifth. She was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice in September and was tabbed for the All-Tournament Team after making a career-high 10 saves in the semifinal loss to Massachusetts.

Rowe earned back-to-back Rookie of the Week awards in early October. She scored in consecutive games, including the one-goal loss to nationally ranked Rutgers. Testa started every contest as a freshman, contributing four assists to the scoring ledger.

Playing in their final seasons on Hawk Hill were seniors Laura Hackenberger and Gabriella Schrier. Hackenberger was a steady force on the defensive end and also scored the game-winning goal in the win over Saint Louis. Schrier saw time in the cage in four games this season, posting a 1.90 goals against average and combined with Swanick to shut out Saint Francis.

Junior forward Jennifer Schultz and sophomore forward Jen Wrublesky were also big contributors to the Hawk offense in 2008. Schultz bagged two goals and four assists serving as the primary stick-stopper on penalty corner opportunities. Wrublesky led the team and was among the conference leaders in shots, scoring three goals and adding four assists of her own.

Senior Mary Beaman appeared in 18 games this season for the Hawks. Having redshirted as a freshman, the co-captain will return to Hawk Hill in 2009.

Also returning next season will be sophomores Heather Caudill, Katie Maguire, and Hannah Rogers. Caudill played in 11 games this season, making seven starts in the defensive backfield. Maguire, a transfer from Eastern College, saw action in seven games in a reserve role. Rogers scored her first career goal in the game at Temple and made two starts at the end of the season.

Contributing in their first seasons in the Crimson and Gray were a handful of freshmen. Redshirt freshmen Caitlyn Crane and Nicole McCreight battled injuries in 2007 and made their on-field debuts in 2008. Crane made 12 appearances and two starts before going down with a knee injury while McCreight recovered from a hand injury to appear in three games. Rachel Walsh and Carly Kindbom featured prominently in the squad this season, as Walsh appeared in every game and started all but one while Kindbom made four starts in 19 appearances. Other first-years who were part of the Hawk team included Therese Doyle, Katelyn Green, Ann Lee, Tiffany Marini, and Liz Messaros.