Norwood, Massachusetts, sophomore leads is top scorer in Division II
NE-10 Field Hockey Weekly Report
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EASTON, Mass. (September 19, 2016) – Stonehill College sophomore forward Kacie Smith (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) has been named the Northeast-10 Conference's Player of the Week for field hockey by the league office this afternoon.
Smith had a hand in six of Stonehill's nine goals in a 2-0 week, finishing with four goals and two assists over the two games. Smith scored three of the Skyhawks four goals, including the gamewinner, in Wednesday night's 4-0 non-conference win over Merrimack College, ranked No. 4 in the Division II preseason poll, and then added a goal and two assists in Saturday's 5-2 victory against Saint Michael's College in the Northeast-10 opener.
Smith, who has at least a point in four of Stonehill's five games so far this season, leads Division II in scoring with 4.00 points per game and 1.80 goals per game. She has totaled a team and NE-10 best 20 points on a league-high nine goals with two assists, potting a pair of gamewinning goals so far this fall. Smith netted a career-high four goals in the Skyhawks 4-0 win at preseason No. 10 Limestone College on September 10, prior to her second hat trick of the season four days later against Merrimack. She has had a role in ten of Stonehill last 13 goals in the last three games, posting eight goals and ten assists during that span.
Smith, who participated in USA Field Hockey's High Performance Training program in the Northeast last spring, earned second team All-America honors from Synapse Sports as a freshman when she also named to its Division II All-Rookie Team, as well as the NE-10 All-Rookie Team. She enters this week's games with 23 goals in 26 career games played and nine assists for 55 points. Smith has already moved into a tie for ninth place on the program career goal list and is 13 points shy of its career scoring top ten.
In addition to Smith's Player of the Week accolades, sophomore forward Carly Andersen (Cheshire, Connecticut/Canterbury School) and sophomore goalkeeper Sara Freedman (Hopkinton, Massachusetts/Hopkinton) were both selected to the NE-10's weekly honor roll for their efforts in Stonehill's 2-0 week. Andersen scored three goals over the two games, including a pair in the first half of Saturday's 5-2 win over Saint Michael's, while Freedman made ten saves in Wednesday's shutout of Merrimack on her way to posting a shutout streak of 286:37.
Stonehill (4-1, 1-0 NE-10), ranked No. 5 in last week's Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, returns to action on Wednesday, when it visits No. 10 Adelphi University for a key early season NE-10 matchup at 4 p.m. The Skyhawks close out the week on Saturday when it hosts 7th-ranked LIU Post at W.B. Mason Stadium at noon. Stonehill will be welcoming back its alumni for a celebration of the program's first 20 seasons for a halftime ceremony as well as a postgame reception in the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market. Stonehill will serve as host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship at W.B. Mason Stadium, November 18-20.