Smith has earned NE10 Player of the Week honors for the eighth time in her career. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Smith named NE10 Player of the Week for third-straight week
Freedman earns Goalkeeper of the Week honors for sixth time in career
NE10 Field Hockey Weekly Report
EASTON, Mass. (October 4, 2018) – Two members of the top-ranked Stonehill College field hockey program have earned weekly honors from the Northeast-10 Conference, the league announced.
Senior All-American Kacie Smith, the reigning, Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II Player of the Year, has been named the NE10 Player of the Week for the third-straight week and fourth time overall this season in five weeks. Classmate Sara Freedman was honored with NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week accolades as the duo led Stonehill to a 2-0 week with their efforts at the offensive and defensive ends.
Smith |
Freedman |
Smith earns NE10 Player of the Week honors for the eighth time in her career after scoring four of Stonehill's eight goals in its two wins last week. She was one of three goal scorers in the Skyhawks 3-1 comeback win at American International College on Wednesday, and then scored her second hat trick of the season (17th career) to lead Stonehill to a 5-0 win over rival Bentley University on Saturday. Her first goal of the game was the 20th game-winning goal of her career, breaking the program's career record of 19 by Erika Kelly, '16.
Freedman earns NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the first time this season and sixth time in her career overall after posting a 0.50 goals against average with 5.5 saves per game over the two wins. She registered a .917 save percentage, while yielding just one goal for the week. Freedman made nine saves in posting her second shutout of the season against Bentley on Saturday. She stopped two shots in helping the Skyhawks rally from an early deficit for a 3-1 win at AIC.
Smith shares the NCAA Division II scoring lead with 27 points in seven games played, also sharing the national lead with 12 goals, leading the NE10 with four gamewinning goals, while ranking eighth in the Conference with three assists. She has at least one point in all seven Stonehill games this season, including goals in six of the seven, posting a point in 24 of the last 25 games dating back to last season.
Smith is one of just six student-athletes in NCAA Division II history, the fourth all-time from the NE10 and second in program history to surpass 200 career points, entering the week with 89 goals and 32 assists for 210 points in 68 career games played. She trails former teammate Erika Kelly, '16's program scoring record by just seven points and is only nine points shy of former UMass Lowell standout Sammy Macy's NE10 scoring record of 219 points. Smith ranks fifth all-time in Division II history for career goals (3rd NE10) – nine shy of Kelly's NE10 and program record of 98 goals, while her assist total ranks third all-time at Stonehill, four shy of the program record and 15th all-time in the NE10.
Freedman collectes NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week accolades for the sixth time in her career. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Smith, a two-time Longstreth/NFHCA North Region and NE10 Player of the Year, had a record-breaking junior season in which she led all three levels of NCAA field hockey in scoring and goals, while leading the NE10 with her school-record 17 assists. She set an NCAA Division II record with 41 goals, while her 99 points set a new NE10 single-season standard. Smith earned a spot on the NE10 Academic All-Conference team as a junior and appeared in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the November 6, 2017 issue of Sports Illustrated. Smith is a Zag/NFHCA National Academic Squad member and been named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll multiple semesters.
Freedman has played all but 22:26 of Stonehill's minutes played in goal this season, ranking second in the NE10 and fourth nationally in Division II with her 0.90 goals against average, with her .872 save percentage tops nationally, while ranking seventh the NE10 with 5.9 saves per game over her seven starts. She has recorded a pair of shutouts this season, which is good for fourth in the Conference, having posted a season-high ten saves in wins over then No. 5 West Chester University and No. 8 Assumption College.
Freedman has started 64 of her 67 games played over her Stonehill career and is the first goalkeeper in program history to surpass 400 career saves, entering the week with 407 stops after breaking the program record for career saves during her junior year. She has posted a 45-20 record over her career in the Skyhawks cage, posting a 1.81 goals against average and .778 save percentage with 16 shutouts. Her save percentage and goals against average both currently rank fifth in program history, while her 45 wins and 16 shutouts are both sixth all-time.
Freedman earned All-NE10 second team honors as a sophomore for Stonehill after collecting NE10 All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman. She has been named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll multiple semesters for her work in the classroom.
Stonehill (6-1, 2-0 NE10) is back in action on Saturday, when it visits Adelphi University for an NE10 matchup at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return to W.B. Mason Stadium on Tuesday, October 9, to host Franklin Pierce University at 7 p.m.
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.
