Pride of 2019: Field Hockey Makes Run into GNAC Semifinals

WESTON, Mass. – For evidence that sometimes a team's record can be deceiving as to its competitiveness, one needs to look no further than the 2019 Regis College field hockey team through Oct. 17.

After a loss to Mount Holyoke, the Pride stood at 3-10 overall, but that included one-goal losses at Becker and at Eastern Connecticut State.

Within the GNAC, Regis was 0-4, but those losses featured a match at preseason GNAC favorite Saint Joseph's College that was scoreless at halftime, and a loss to Simmons on penalty strokes in which Regis scored two goals in a five-minute span late in regulation to force overtime. The Pride also lost an overtime game at Anna Maria and suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Lasell.

The Pride honored their three seniors – Ashley Chipman, Mary Costantino, and Sidney Lowe - before the Oct. 19 match against Colby-Sawyer, and then Regis scored twice in the first quarter and outshot the Chargers 22-10 on its way to a 3-0 Senior Day victory. On a cold Thursday night in Lowell, Mass., it took almost 52 minutes for anyone to convert on a scoring chance, but Sheridan Blaha finally picked up the only goal of the match, giving Regis a key 1-0 victory over Rivier.

Regis closed out the home schedule with a 4-0 win over Albertus Magnus, setting up a win-and-in situation at Johnson & Wales on the final night of the regular season. The Pride jumped out to a 3-0 lead 18 minutes into the contest, withstood a five-minute stretch in the third quarter with two goals for the Wildcats, and received an insurance goal from Lowe early in the fourth quarter for a 4-2 victory, qualifying for the GNAC Tournament.

In a first round match Nov. 2 at Anna Maria, the Pride controlled the action, taking 10 shots and drawing 11 penalty corners while allowing just four shots and one penalty corner from the home team. Blaha scored a goal four-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter, and it would become her fourth game-winning goal of the season, giving Regis a 1-0 victory.

Although Regis lost to eventual GNAC champion Saint Joseph's College in the GNAC Tournament semifinals, it did not take away from the team's success. The Pride won eight games overall, including a five-match winning streak that tied the program record for longest winning streak. Within the GNAC, Regis finished in a tie for third place with a 4-4 league mark.

Individually, Blaha led the way offensively, setting new school records for most goals (17) and most points (35) in a single season. She was voted GNAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-GNAC by the conference coaches after the season.

Besides Blaha, Jamie Juskiewicz collected five goals and two assists during the season, while Chipman concluded her collegiate career with four goals and three assists, including two game-winning tallies. Four other Pride players finished the year with three goals apiece, with all four eligible to return for the 2020 season.

Defensively, junior Hope Winkin played every second of every match in net for the Pride, tying the school single-season record with six shutouts. For the season, Winkin posted a 2.00 goals against average and a .695 save percentage with 89 total saves.

Head coach Annie Villare and assistant coach Maria Krull are actively recruiting to bring new players into the program as they look to continue the team's improvement.