LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University field hockey team is set for a busy Homecoming Weekend as the Bald Eagles host a pair of games on Charlotte E. Smith Field.
 
LHU will open the weekend on Friday, September 27 at 3 p.m. vs. Richmond in Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) play. Lock Haven will cap the weekend on Sunday, September 29 at 1 p.m. vs. Long Island in non-conference action.
 
Lock Haven is 3-4 overall and coming off a thrilling A-10 win over Davidson. The Bald Eagles took down the Wildcats in a shootout Sunday and jumped out to a 1-0 start in A-10 play.
 
Richmond is 5-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
 
Long Island is 1-4 and plays at Saint Francis on Friday.  
 
News, notes & storylines heading into the weekend:

• Lock Haven is 3-4 overall.
• LHU is 1-0 in A-10 play.
• The Bald Eagles are 2-2 at home.
• Sunday's shootout vs. Davidson marked the second consecutive game where Lock Haven played into a shootout. The Bald Eagles are 1-1 this season in shootout action.
• Sunday's win over Davidson snapped a rare three-game losing streak.
• During regulation Sunday vs. Davidson Amy Stevens put Lock Haven up 1-0 early in the contest. Her goal in the 12^th minute marked her first career goal at LHU.
• Leading the way for Lock Haven is freshman Jazim Palma who leads LHU in goals (2) and total points (6).
• Palma leads the A-10 in shots with 35.
• On the season, the Bald Eagles seven goals have come from six different players.
• Standout Tia Judy has two assists on the season (1G, 2A, 4PTS).
• Goalkeeper Joaquina Orlandini has been brilliant for the Bald Eagles. In 470-plus minutes, she has 29 saves, a 1.40 GAA and a .725 save-percentage. She's been brilliant in the shootouts.
• Orlandini's 1.40 GAA is second-best in the A-10. She's ranked sixth in save-percentage, No. 1 in shutouts/game and sixth in saves per game.
• Hall of Fame head coach Pat Rudy now has 605 career coaching victories.

 
Game Day Coverage:
Fans can follow all the action live on game day with live stats, video and more. Visit the Game Day Coverage Homepage at GoLHU.com.
 
Last time out // September 22
Bald Eagles outlast Davidson in A-10 opener, LHU edges Wildcats in thrilling shootout. Full Recap
 
Palma named A-10 Rookie of the Week (Sept. 9).
On Monday (September 9), Freshman Jazmin Palma was named this week's Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) Rookie of the Week. Palma shared this week's honor with Saint Joseph's Kacie Patton as the duo was tabbed Co-Rookies of the Week by the league office. Palma, one of several LHU freshmen standouts, had a six point weekend for the Bald Eagles. In a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Colgate, she scored one goal and added two assists. Palma scored the first goal of the match and picked up assists on the game-tying and game-winning Haven goals. In Sunday's narrow 3-2 loss at Cornell, Palma scored a goal for her second tally in as many games. Over the two-game span, she fired off a team-high 10 shots.
 
Notes from opening weekend:
vs. Bryant (Aug. 30) // W, 1-0
vs. Bucknell (Sept. 1) // L, 1-0
- LHU went 1-1 during Week 1 of the 2019 season.
- Lock Haven opened the season with a 1-0 win over Bryant.
- In the win over Bryant, MacKenzie Farley provided the game's only goal.
- The defense was outstanding vs. Bryant. Lock Haven outshot Bryant 16-3 and the Bald Eagles didn't allow a shot until the fourth quarter of play.
- On Sunday, LHU was edged 1-0 by local-rival Bucknell.
- In both games, freshmen Jazmin Palma and Amy Stevens stood out.
 
LHU picked fifth in preseason poll:
The Bald Eagles were picked fifth in the 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) Preseason Coaches' poll. Saint Joseph's, the defending A-10 champions, received eight of nine first-place votes and was picked as the preseason-favorite. Virginia Commonwealth checked in at No. 2 and Massachusetts rounded out the top-three teams. Richmond check in at No. 4, one spot ahead of the Bald Eagles, who were slotted in the No. 5 spot. Lock Haven was followed by No. 6 La Salle, No. 7 Saint Francis, No. 8 Davidson and No. 9 Saint Louis.
 
Brathwaite named Preseason All-Conference:
Junior Kayla Brathwaite was named to the 2019 A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team. Brathwaite, a speedy-midfielder, is a big-time difference maker for the Bald Eagles. Last season ('18), she scored two goals and dished out eight assists (12 pts.), while providing tremendous end-to-end play for head coach Pat Rudy's side. Following her rookie season in 2017, Brathwaite earned a spot on both the A-10 Second Team and the All-Rookie Team. As a true-freshman back in 2017, she started all 18 games and recorded one goal, five assists and a defensive save.
 
A look back at last season:
LHU got off to a quick start a year ago and won three of the first four games of the season. The win in the 2018 season-finale vs. La Salle helped Lock Haven finish the season at .500, thanks to a 9-9 overall record. The Bald Eagles were 3-5 in A-10 action, thanks to wins over Davidson, Saint Louis and La Salle. All three conference wins came by way of a shutout and LHU outscored their conference foes 9-0 in those three games. On the season, LHU scored 45 goals, the third most of any team in the A-10 during the regular season. Returning defensive-standout Tia Judy finished with a team-best nine assists last season ('18). It marked her second straight nine-assist season.
 
Rudy looks to add to Hall of Fame career:
LHU head coach Pat Rudy will enter her 24^th season at The Haven. Last season marked a special one for Rudy, a 2018 National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame inductee, as she hit her 600^th career coaching win. LHU finished the 2018 season with nine wins and that pushed Rudy to 602 career wins. The 2-0 win at Davidson on October 5 proved to be a historic one as it gave Rudy her 600th career victory, a career coaching milestone that only two NCAA field hockey coaches have reached before her. She entered the 2018 season with 593 wins and the win at Davidson – the seventh of the season for LHU – pushed her to the magic No. 600. The 2018 season marked Rudy's 23rd at LHU, her alma mater, and her 41st season coaching overall at the college level. Rudy entered the season already holding the third-most wins of all-time and early in the 2018 season, she grabbed her 350th win at LHU. She now has 356 wins at Lock Haven.
 
2019 roster loaded with returning experience:
In all, LHU returns 10 players who played in 13 or more games last season including Taryn Piano, Kayla Brathwaite, MacKenzie Farley, Tia Judy, Katie Supey, Emily Robb, Prabheet Basra, Niamh Sexton, Karina Long and Taylor Plouse. Of those 10, four (Farley, Judy, Robb and Sexton) started all 18 games. That experience and veteran leadership will lead the way for the Bald Eagles on the field and should prove critical come crunch time in conference play. Goalkeeper Joaquina Orlandini played in six of the final nine games last season. She has a tremendous skillset and the athletic-goalie has the potential to change the outcome of any match.
 
A look at the returning stat leaders from 2018:
Taryn Piano – 5 G, 2 A, 12 PTS
Kayla Brathwaite – 2 G, 8 A, 12 PTS
MacKenzie Farley – 3 G, 3A, 9 PTS
Tia Judy – 9 A, 9 PTS
Katie Supey – 3G, 1A, 7 PTS
 
Defense always a key:
Last season, Lock Haven had seven total shutouts and a number of key members of the defensive unit return this season.
 
Strong at home:
Last season, five of Lock Haven's nine wins came at home on Charlotte E. Smith Field. The Bald Eagles will once again look to play well at home and the 2019 schedule plays to their favor with 10 games scheduled on the home turf.
 
A look at the freshmen:
The 2019 roster includes seven freshmen who are joining the program. It's a talented group and one that hopes to make a major impact on the future success of LHU field hockey. The freshmen group includes Megan Weeks, Bri Harsh, Mariana Birdthistle, Jazmin Palma, Amy Stevens, Karaline Stelma and Emily Mentink.
 
A pair of transfers:
Caitlin Cunningham and Brooke Lesh have transferred here to The Haven from Lousiville and Longwood, respectively. Both are sophomores and will look to make an impact on the 2019 season for the Bald Eagles.
 
New coach on the sideline:
Former standout Tamia Roach was recently named a new assistant coach with the program. This will mark her first season on the sidelines as a coach after graduating from LHU in May (2019). The four-year starter played in 70 games amassing 31 career goals, 17 career assists and 79 career points. Roach capped her career with a brilliant senior season last year in 2018. Following the 2018 campaign, she was named an All-Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) selection, earning First Team honors. Roach, a preseason all-conference pick, earned First Team honors after registering a 20-point season. She had eight goals and four assists in 16 games.
 
The road ahead:
The Bald Eagles are headed back on the road and will return to action on Friday, October 4 at 3 p.m. at No. 11 Saint Joseph's. It's the first of two A-10 road games scheduled for next weekend. Lock Haven will close the weekend at La Salle on Sunday, October 6 at 12 p.m.