Aug. 12, 2008
RICHMOND, Va. -- Two-time defending conference champion James Madison and perennial national power Old Dominion, which have combined to win 16 of the past 17 CAA field hockey titles, are expected to battle for the crown again in 2008 according to a poll of the league's nine head coaches.
JMU received five first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 61 points, while ODU came in a close second with four first-place votes and 59 points. Northeastern earned third place with 48 points, while Drexel and Hofstra followed in the fourth and fifth places with 38 and 35 points, respectively. Picked sixth in the poll was Delaware, followed by William & Mary, VCU and Towson.
JMU returns all but one starter from last season's 19-4 squad that edged ODU 1-0 in overtime in the CAA championship game to avenge their only league loss in regular-season play. The Dukes advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship by beating Duke 5-4 in the first round. Back to lead JMU is junior goalkeeper Kelsey Cutchins, who earned 1st team All-America and CAA Player of the Year honors after recording a 0.94 goals against average and six shutouts last season. Also returning are senior triplets Ashley, Lauren and Melissa Walls, who each earned all-conference and all-region accolades in 2007, as well as senior Melissa Stefaniak and junior forward Meghan Bain.
ODU returns seven starters from last year's squad that went 12-10 overall and was a perfect 8-0 in CAA play. The Lady Monarchs extended their streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to 27. ODU welcomes back a pair of First Team All-CAA performers in senior goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.) (136 svs., 8 shutouts) and senior back Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.). Providing the offense will be juniors Katie Ueberroth (Stevens, Pa.) and Kat Shea (Elizaville, N.Y.), who each scored nine goals a year ago, and sophomore Loren Hatch (Green Lane, Pa.) (8 goals), who was the CAA Rookie of the Year.
Northeastern has five starters back from a team that finished fourth in the CAA with a 4-4 mark last season. The Huskies will be led by senior midfielder Ashley Bascetta, who earned first-team All-CAA accolades after topping the Huskies with six goals and 13 points last season. Helping her will be 2007 CAA All-Rookie selection Meg Sweeney, who contributed three goals as a freshman.
The CAA has annually been one of the top field hockey conferences in the nation, sending multiple schools to the NCAA tournament in six of the past nine years.
2008 CAA FIELD HOCKEY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. James Madison (5 first-place votes) - 61
2. Old Dominion (4 first-place votes) - 59
3. Northeastern - 48
4. Drexel - 38
5. Hofstra - 35
6. Delaware - 29
7. William & Mary - 28
8. VCU - 15
9. Towson - 11