Courtesy of QU Athletics

By Andrew Badillo

On Tuesday morning, the MAAC released their 2nd annual field hockey preseason coaches poll. The defending conference champions, the Quinnipiac Bobcats, earned 32 points and were picked to finish first. The Monmouth Hawks and Rider Broncs came second and third respectively. However the two teams were only separated by one point as the Hawks earned 28 points to the Broncs 27 points. Rounding out the bottom three spots were the Bryant Bulldogs (19 points), the Scared Heart Pioneers (11 points), and the Siena Saints (9 points).

Courtesy of MAACSports.com

The 2014 MAAC field hockey season could be a three-way race between Quinnipiac, Monmouth and Rider. Quinnipiac will enter the 2014 season having lost five out of their six leading scorers from last season. 2013 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and MAAC Co-Player of the Year, Jess Rusin (39 points), Jennalise Taylor (26 points) and Kristin Engelke (19 points) have all graduated leaving a gaping hole on offense for the Bobcats. Senior forward Danielle Allan (23 points) returns as the leading points scorer from last season, but she will certainly need other players to step up if the Bobcats want to repeat as MAAC champions. Junior forward Savanna Reilly and freshman midfielder Michelle Federico will be two players to watch for this season on offense for Quinnipiac. In 18 games last season, Reilly tallied six points for the Bobcats, while Federico comes to Quinnipiac having earned many offensive accolades during her high school career. If Quinnipiac does in fact struggle on offense this season, they will be able to rely on their stout defense that is returning two key players in preseason All-MAAC defender Megan Osantisch and goalkeeper Megan Conaboy.

Monmouth and Rider came in right behind Quinnipiac at second and third respectively. The Hawks and the Broncs are both returning key players from last season and many of them are featured in the preseason All-MAAC team. For Monmouth, 2013 leading scorer (29 points) and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, senior midfielder Trish O’Dwyer is returning. O’Dwyer is the only Hawks player to be featured in the preseason All-MAAC team. For Rider, three players made the preseason All-MAAC team. Midfielder Carlotta Clotet Alsina, and defenders Stacey Dileo and Dezarae Fillmyer all made the cut as the trio is looking to avenge Rider’s loss last year to Quinnipiac in the MAAC tournament semifinals.

Out of the three teams rounding out the bottom of the poll, Bryant seems like the team that could potentially give Quinnipiac, Monmouth and Rider some trouble. The Bulldogs are coming off their best season in program history as they won 11 games en route to earning the third seed in the MAAC tournament. The Bulldogs are returning many key players from last year’s team; 2013 points leader Rosie Bird (31 points), senior defender Kelsey Hiltebeitel, and sophomore midfielder Erin Karcher were all named to the preseason All-MAAC team. The one thing that probably kept Bryant out of the top half of the poll is the fact that their goaltending situation is unstable. The Bulldogs have lost goalkeeper Megan Hancock to graduation, who was nothing short than spectacular for the Bulldogs last season. Hancock was the MAAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year last season, an award that she shared with Quinnipiac goalkeeper Megan Conaboy.

It does make sense that Quinnipiac received the top spot in the preseason coaches poll as they are defending conference champions. However, this 2014 Bobcats team is very young and inexperienced and it will be a much more difficult season for the Bobcats as Rider, Monmouth and Bryant have all improved.

Quinnipiac will open up their season Aug. 29 against Boston College.

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