Trinity Field Hockey Hosts Tufts In Battle Of Top Ten Teams Saturday
Bantam Senior Mwatarura Takes League and National Honors
Hartford, Conn., Oct. 23 - The Trinity College field hockey team, which is off to its best start since 1997 at 11-1 and is tied with Bowdoin for second place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with a 6-1 league mark, after a 3-0 win against Springfield on Wednesday, will host the No. 5-ranked and undefeated Tufts University Jumbos in a NESCAC contest on Saturday, Oct. 25 at noon. The Bantam field hockey squad, coached by Anne Parmenter (8th Season), is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division III New England West Regional Poll and No. 9 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Poll. Tufts is the top-ranked team in the New England West Region.
The Trinity offense is a balanced attack with three players ranked among the top ten in scoring in the NESCAC entering the Springfield game. Sophomore Robyn Williams (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) was third in the NESCAC in assists with a 0.70 per game (7) and added eight goals for 23 points (2.30 per game, 5th in NESCAC, 23rd in nation). She added two goals on Wednesday. Senior co-captain forward Karli Del Rossi (Mantua, N.J.) ranked fourth in the league with 1.09 goals per game (12) and sixth in scoring with 2.27 points per game (25), while sophomore forward Christina Bradley (Wellesley, Mass.) was sixth in the conference in assists with 0.60 per game and adds eight goals for 2.20 ppg (22, 7th in NESCAC. Williams scored twice against Springfield, while Bradley notched two assists, and Del Rossi added one assist. Junior Carrie Wolcott (Hamilton, Mass.) is not far behind with five goals and five assists for 15 points, while senior midfielder Christine Mwatarura (Helensvale, Zimbabwe) has three goals and two assists after the Springfield game, including a pair of goals in a 2-0 win at then-top-ranked Bowdoin on Saturday that gave the Polar Bears their first loss in 32 games and their first home loss in 40 games.
Mwatarura was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Week and as the womensfieldhockey.com National Player of the Week for her effort at Bowdoin. Coincidentally, Mwatarura and Williams both did not play last season and both come from Zimbabwe. Mwatarura spent the 2007 fall semester studying in China and Williams chose to concentrate on playing varsity squash and tennis for the Bantams in her first year on campus.
Freshman goalie Gina DiNallo (West Hartford, Conn.) has recorded shutouts the last two games, making five saves at Bowdoin and nine against Springfield. She is tied with sophomore teammate Payden Sra (Pewauke, Wisc.) for second in the NESCAC in save percentage at .875 (35 saves) and fifth in GAA at 0.83. Sra is second in the league with a 0.50 GAA. Both have been solid in the cage this fall. Senior co-captain Emily Skipp (Middlebury, Conn.) and senior Megan Hannigan (Rye, N.Y.) have anchored the defense in front of both goalies, holding opponents to less than 10 shots per game and 0.67 goals per game.
Tufts, coached by Tina McDavitt (5th Season) has dominated its competition this season, outscoring its opponents, 51-8, but still has the Bantams and defending-NCAA Champion Bowdoin left on its regular season schedule. Senior Tamara Brown (Annandale, Va.) leads the Jumbos in scoring with 15 goals and two assists, while junior Marianna Zak (Concord, Mass.) has 21 saves and a 0.57 GAA in goal.
Click here for NESCAC Player of the Week information
Click here for womensfieldhockey.com National Player of the Week Information
