MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Southern New Hampshire University field hockey team slots seventh in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Tuesday.
Assumption University, the defending league champion, was selected as the preseason favorite in the poll. The Greyhounds received 165 points and 10 of 14 first-place votes from the opposing head coaches in the league. Saint Anselm College finished second in the poll with 154 points and four first-place votes. In third was Bentley University (140), followed by Adelphi University (134), Pace University (127) and the University of New Haven (105).
SNHU finished seventh with 99 points, ahead of St. Thomas Aquinas College (77), Saint Michael's College (69) and American International College (61). Rounding out the poll are Franklin Pierce University (55), Southern Connecticut State University (38), Mercy College (33) and Molloy College (17).
Head coach Julie Munson enters her ninth season at the helm. The Penmen recorded their best season in program history in 2019, going 17-5, but didn't get to play in 2020. In 2021, the Penmen rallied with wins in the last three contests to finish up at 6-11, 6-8 in the NE10.
Sophomore Annemartine Christis ('S-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands), the team's leading scorer in 2021 (9 goals, 5 assists), returns for 2022. She started all 17 contests for the Penmen last season, earning a spot on the NE10 All-Conference Second Team, as well as an All-Rookie Team nod. Senior Taylor Marchman (Derry, N.H.) tallied eight goals last season to give her 11 career goals. Marchman had three game-winning goals in 2021. Sophomore Eliza Bates (Newport, N.H.) looks to build on her first season, when she scored a pair of goals. The 19-player roster lists two goalkeepers, neither with game experience. Junior Nichole Roberts (So. Berwick, Maine) and freshman Emma Peeters (Wageningen, The Netherlands) will vie for time in the cage.
SNHU will be home to open the season against Converse University on Saturday, Sept. 3 (12:00 p.m.) After a non-league contest at Saint Michael's College on Sept. 9, the Penmen will be back on Larkin Field to host defending champ Assumption University on Sept. 14 at 4:00 p.m.
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2022 NE10 FIELD HOCKEY POLL:
1) Assumption - 165 (10)
2) Saint Anselm - 154 (4)
3) Bentley - 140
4) Adelphi - 134
5) Pace - 127
6) New Haven - 105
7) So. New Hampshire - 99
8) St. Thomas Aquinas - 77
9) Saint Michael's - 69
10) American International - 61
11) Franklin Pierce - 55
12) So. Connecticut - 38
13) Mercy - 33
14) Molloy - 17
