Field Hockey Resumes NEC Play Against First Place Rider On Sunday

Sunday Matinee
The Quinnipiac University field hockey team heads to Lawrenceville, N.J. on Sunday, Oct. 11 to take on Northeast Conference top-ranked Rider University in a conference match-up scheduled for a 12 p.m. start. Quinnipiac is 2-8 overall and 1-1 in NEC play while Rider is undefeated at 11-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.

Postponement
Quinnipiac's Northeast Conference match-up against Sacred Heart University on Friday, Oct. 9 was rescheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. The game was scheduled for a 2 p.m., start time, but was moved by mutual agreement between both athletic departments.

Scouting Rider University
Rider is currently 11-0 overall including a 2-0 mark in NEC play. With their 11th win of the season against Monmouth on Saturday, they have tied their all-time record for wins in a season. The Broncs are led by Megan Pisani's team-high 14 goals and 31 points. Virginia Egusquiza leads the Bronce with 10 assists while chipping in with seven goals and 24 points. Nine different Rider players have scored in the Broncs first 11 games, including six with multiple goals and three with five or more. In goal, Lyndsie Johnson is 11-0-0 with six shutouts. In 791:59 minutes in the cage, she has allowed just six goals for a 0.53 goals-against average. She also carries a .833 save percentage.

All-Time Against The Broncs
Quinnipiac and Rider have met 18 times since the Bobcats joined the Division I ranks, with the Broncs winning 10 including six of the last 10 and four of the last five. Quinnipiac's last win against Rider came on Oct. 1, 2006 in Hamden when the Bobcats rung up a 3-1 victory. The Bobcats are 5-2 all-time in Hamden against Rider and 2-6 all-time in Lawrenceville, N.J. The two teams have also met four times in the NEC Tournament Finals, with Rider winning three of those contests.

First One's Always The Hardest
Quinnipiac picked up its first Northeast Conference win of the 2009 season with a 3-0 victory against Siena in Loudonville, N.Y. on Sunday, Oct. 4. The Bobcats, who lost their NEC opener on Friday, Oct. 2 (4-0 to Lock Haven) bounced back with a concerted offensive effort against the Saints.

Dynamic Duo Downs Siena
Christine Grady (Enfield, Conn.) and MacKenzie Liptak (Schuylerville, N.Y.) both collected three points in Quinnipiac's 3-0 win at Siena with a goal and assist apiece. Liptak now leads Quinnipiac with seven points (2 goals, three assists).

Change On The Leaderboard
Grady's goal was her first of the season, and 11th of her career, moving her into a tie for 12th place all-time at QU. Grady's three points on Sunday give her 26 for her career, making her the active career point and goal scorer on the Bobcats' roster.

Career-Year?
Bonnie Shea (Walpole, Mass.) also scored in the game, giving her two goals for the year, matching her career-high.

The Proud 400
With five saves against Lock Haven on Friday, Oct. 2, Jenna Grossman became just the third goalkeeper in Quinnipiac history to record 400 saves for her career. The senior goalkeeper, with 407 saves, joins all-time leader Sarah Mathers '02 (557) and Erin McKay '05 (491) in the 400 club.

Let's Get Everyone Involved
In 10 games, seven different Bobcats have scored. Lauren Hartnett, MacKenzie Liptak, Bonnie Shea and Liz Marini lead Quinnipiac with two goals apiece while Kimberly Cunniff, Christine Grady and Tina Watkins have scored. Three different Bobcats (Marini, Cunniff and Watkins) have scored their first career goals this season.

On The National Scene
Jenna Grossman, with four double-digit save games out of seven that she has started, ranks 11th among all NCAA Division I goalkeepers in saves per game (7.90) and 27th in save percentage (.745).