University of Delaware Athletics
No. 15 Hens Host No. 5 Virginia Sunday at 1 p.m.
10/17/2015 3:19:00 PM | Field Hockey
NEWARK, Del. – No. 15 Delaware looks to bounce back from a tough loss to No. 12 Liberty last week and seeks to upset No. 5 Virginia Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rullo Stadium.
SUNDAY ADMISSION
Admission is free and open to the public for all home regular season Delaware field hockey games held at Fred P. Rullo Stadium.
BROADCAST
Fans unable to make it to the game in person can watch Sunday's match versus No. 5 Virginia online, for free, via Hens All-Access. Full rebroadcasts of the game will be available on Delaware's YouTube page within 24 hours of completion of the contest.
LIVE STATS
· Sunday vs. No. 5 Virginia
ONLINE
Follow Delaware field hockey online at facebook.com/DelawareFieldHockey and on Twitter at @DelawareFH.
LAST TIME OUT
In a battle between two of the top offensive teams in the country, No. 12 Liberty was able to break down the Delaware defense for a 6-2 victory over the No. 13 Blue Hens last Sunday afternoon at Fred P. Rullo Stadium. Meghan Winesett and Taylor Lister each posted goals for Delaware. The Hens outshot the Flames, 13-12 and held a 7-5 advantage in penalty corners. Goalie Emmeline Oltmans (Baarn, The Netherlands/Het Baarnsch Lyceum) finished the game with three saves. Delaware allowed the most amount of goals in a single game since No. 3 UNC defeated the No. 14 Hens, 6-2, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 16, 2013.
HEN SCRATCHINGS
· Delaware is currently ranked No. 15 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll.
· The Blue Hens have been ranked in the NFHCA Top 20 in each week since September 8 and is No. 14 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI.
· UD has reached the 11-win mark for the 24th time in program history and sixth since 2001.
· Delaware's most-recent win against a top-five opponent came on Sept. 15, 2002 with a 3-2 victory at No. 4 Louisville.
· The Blue Hens are currently ranked sixth nationally in scoring average (3.81) and points per game (10.64). They are also ninth with 2.93 assists per game and 13th with a 1.55 scoring margin.
· Michaela Patzner is fourth in program history with 111 career points (42g, 27a). Casey Howard (2005-09) is third all-time with 115 points (51g, 13a).
· Patzner's 27 assists ties her for fourth in the record books with Sara Hills (1996-99) while her 42 goals ties for seventh alongside Missy Meharg (1981-84). Melissa Hefner (1993-96) is sixth with 43 goals while Anne Wilkinson (1982-85) is fifth with 44.
· Esmée Peet is tied for 13th all-time with 79 career points (33g, 13a). Jodi Byrd (1995-98) finished her career with 79 points on 35 goals and nine assists.
· Allie Mikelson is the all-time career leader in Blue Hens history with 14 defensive saves.
· Lisa Giezeman leads Delaware with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists while Patzner is second with seven goals and seven assists for 21 points.
· This season is the 45th overall in program history. Delaware has tallied a composite record of 490-315-39 (.604) with 28 10-plus-win seasons.
SERIES INFORMATION
· The Hens are 6-7-1 all-time against Virginia since the series inception in 1976.
· Delaware is winless in the past five contests versus the Cavaliers.
· The last meeting between the two teams came in 1993, with UVA pulling out the 4-2 victory.
· UD is 3-1-1 overall over the Cavs in Newark.
· A former member of the NFHCA Hall of Fame, Michele Madison (Rutgers '84), is in her 10th season with the Cavaliers. During her tenure, she has led UVA to seven NCAA Tournament berths and an overall record to 138-70.
· Van de Kerkhof spent seven years as an assistant coach to Madison at Michigan State from 1999 to 2005.
ABOUT NO. 5 VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers are coming off a 4-3 road win at No. 8 Liberty on Thursday. Lucy Hyams notched five points on two goals and one assist while Tara Vittese also had an assist against the Flames. With the win, UVA improved to 11-3 on the year with its lone losses coming to top-20 opponents in Syracuse, North Carolina and Old Dominion. Vittese leads the Cavaliers with 26 points on nine goals and eight assists while Hyams has posted 23 points off eight goals and seven assists. Rebecca Holden and Carrera Lucas have split time in the net and have combined to allow 2.47 goals per game with a .679 save percentage. Sunday's game against the Blue Hens will be Virginia's 10th contest this season against a top-20 team with two more ranked opponents remaining on their regular season schedule.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Maggie Hayon | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389 | C: 920-912-6635
