Ravens seek postseason success in 2007

The Franklin Pierce field hockey team looks to return to the Northeast-10 Tournament for the first time in seven seasons in 2007, as the young Ravens squad looks for the right combination of experience and youth. 

Head coach Meighan Guiney returns to Franklin Pierce for her second season at the helm of the field hockey team. In her first season in Rindge, Guiney led the Ravens to a 6-12 overall record and a 6-10 conference mark, which was the program’s best Northeast-10 record since the 2003 season. With her first recruiting class on board in 2007, the team looks for a return to the upper echelon of Northeast-10 teams.

“We have a young team with only three seniors and three juniors along with 14 underclassmen,” Guiney said. “It is our ultimate goal to be contenders in the Northeast-10 Tournament, but right now we are working on playing as a team and perfecting our skills. The veteran players are excited and prepared to guide us to a winning season, while I am very confident in the first recruiting class that I have brought to Franklin Pierce.”

The Ravens lost one forward and two midfield starters from last season’s team, but Guiney still has options remaining on the roster. Graduate student Mary Beth Huszar (Greenville, N.H./Mascenic Regional) is the team’s leading scorer returning this season after notching three goals in 2006. Huszar enters her final season tied for fourth in career goals (12) and seventh in career points (26) at Franklin Pierce.

Behind Huszar, the Ravens have a talented group that will be counted on for increased production this season. Junior Jennifer Provencher (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth) and sophomores Katie Debler (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) and Ashley Abernethy (Bellingham, Mass./Bellingham) each scored two goals in 2006 and will help to boost the offense again this season.

The anchor of the Raven midfield will once again be senior captain Elizabeth Ellis (Turner, Maine/Leavitt), one of two returning players to start every game in 2006. Ellis, a strong defender and passer, scored once and added three assists from the midfield last season. She will team with Debler and Provencher to help control the middle of the field both offensively and defensively.

The team’s defensive unit returns three starters from last season, led by junior co-captain Kayleigh Jaksina (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex). Jaksina endured a torn ACL during the lacrosse season in the spring, but Guiney expects her to return as the team’s lead defender on the field.  She will combine with sophomores Samantha Newman (Belgrade, Maine/Mesalonskee) and Gina Lanni (Mason, N.H./Mascenic Regional) to provide experience and leadership on the Raven back line.

Perhaps the team’s biggest question mark will be in net, as the team attempts to replace Amanda Pietraszuk, the team’s starting goaltender for the last two seasons. Guiney addressed that need by bringing in freshman netminder Tevis Hannington (Canton, Mass./Notre Dame Academy), who will compete with junior Stephanie Howard (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) for the starting position this year.

The Ravens will play a tough schedule once again in 2007, with 16 conference matches and only three non-conference matchups. The team begins its quest for a return to the Northeast-10 Tournament on Aug. 28, when the team travels to New Haven, Conn., to take on Southern Connecticut State. The team has its 2007 home opener nine days later on Sept. 5, when the team welcomes Stonehill to Sodexho Field for a 4 p.m. match.

“My expectations for the 2007 season are very high,” Guiney said. “But as a team, we try to take each day as it comes. Practice, repetition and consistency will allow us to fulfill our goals and improve every time that we step onto the field.”