A-10 TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Bald Eagles set for semifinal showdown with Saint Joseph’s

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University field hockey team is set for a return trip to the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) Tournament. The A-10’s 2020-21 North Division champions will enter this week’s tournament as the overall No. 2 seed and LHU will face perennial conference power and defending champion Saint Joseph’s in semifinal action on Friday (April 23).

Setting the stage:

The Atlantic 10 Tournament is set for Friday and Saturday, April 23-24 at VCU’s Cary Street Field in Richmond, Virginia.

Lock Haven, the No. 2 seed, will take on No. 3 seed Saint Joseph’s on Friday (April 23) at 3 p.m. in the second semifinal contest of the day. Top-seed and host VCU will take on Richmond, the No. 4 seed, at 11 a.m. Friday.

Live Coverage: Streaming on ESPN+

How we got here:

During this special, but limited spring season, Lock Haven played five games – all vs. A-10 opponents. LHU went 4-1 and picked up a pair of wins over nationally-ranked conference powers. When the Bald Eagles topped Massachusetts back on March 25, UMass was ranked No. 20 nationally and Lock Haven knocked off then-ranked No. 19 Saint Joseph’s on April 10. LHU’s only loss came on April 3, when Massachusetts slipped by Lock Haven, 2-1 in overtime in the two teams’ second meeting of the 2021 spring season.

Lock Haven’s 4-1 record - with wins over Massachusetts and Saint Joseph’s - led the Bald Eagles to the 2020-21 A-10 North Division regular season title and No. 2 seed for this week’s tournament.

A quick look at the 2020-21 Bald Eagles:

Leading the way offensively for LHU this season is Amy Stevens and Martina Spangenberg, who both have two goals. Jazmin Palma, Allison Horton and Prabhneet Basra all have one goal on the season. Goalkeeper Joaquina Orlandini has been sensational all season for the Bald Eagles. She’s the goalkeeper of record in all five games (4-1), logging every minute of play in the cage this spring. Orlandini enters the postseason with 0.88 goals-against average (#2 A-10; #12 NCAA DI) and a .783 save-percentage (#3 A-10; #20 NCAA DI).

Last time out for LHU:

Lock Haven wrapped up the regular season yesterday (Sat., April 17) with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over La Salle. The win moved LHU to 4-1 overall and it marked the second 2-1 win of the season for Lock Haven over La Salle. Back on March 19, at La Salle, the Bald Eagles opened the 2020-21 season with a 2-1 victory over the Explorers. Prior to the regular-season finale, the Bald Eagles honored their four seniors: Prabhneet Basra, Tia Judy, Niamh Sexton and Jackie Snedden.

It was only fitting that Basra – a senior – scored the game-winning goal with less than five minutes to play in the contest

After a scoreless first half, Martina Spangenberg put Lock Haven up 1-0 early in the third quarter. She deflected a ball home off a hard pass from Amy Stevens. With 6:21 left in regulation, La Salle tied the game on a goal by Kelsey Jones. Basra broke the tie and provided the game-deciding marker with 4:23 left in the contest.

Rematch set:

Back on April 10, Lock Haven and Saint Joseph’s – ranked 19th nationally at the time – locked up in a thriller that needed a shootout to decide the outcome. Lock Haven's 1-0 victory snapped a six-match losing streak to Saint Joseph's and marked LHU's first win over the Hawks since October 17, 2014 (W, 2-0). Entering the game, Saint Joseph's had won 28 consecutive Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament games.

Goalkeeper Joaquina Orlandini helped carry Lock Haven to the win. She was credited with six saves over 80 minutes of shutout-play, including a pair of game-saving stops in the second overtime period. In the end, Lock Haven edged out the hosts 2-1 in the shootout after both Amy Stevens and Jazmin Palma converted on their opportunities, lifting The Haven to the win column.

Saint Joseph’s closed the regular season with a thrilling victory of its own as the Hawks edged out UMass, 5-4, on April 17. Anna Miller leads SJU with five goals and two assists. Saint Joseph’s has won three straight A-10 tournament titles (2019, ’18 & ’17).

Tournament history:

This marks Lock Haven’s second straight season where the Bald Eagles have reached the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The upset-minded Bald Eagles entered the 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament as the No. 4 seed, but were edged out by Saint Joseph’s - the top-seed and eventual champion - 2-1. The 2019 A-10 semifinal appearance marked Lock Haven's first A-10 tournament appearance since 2014. Since joining the A-10 as an affiliate member in 2010, this will mark LHU’s fifth tournament appearance.

Spring field hockey:

With a playoff berth in hand, the Bald Eagles certainly made the most of this special 2020-21 season and took full advantage of the spring field hockey. Back in July (2020), the Atlantic 10 Conference announced the postponement of all scheduled fall contests in conference-sponsored sports and A-10 championships due to the continuing COVID-19 global pandemic. That announcement included field hockey, but part of the announcement also included the league's intentions to conduct a competitive schedule for fall sports during the 2021 spring semester.

More checks in the win column:

Hall of Fame head coach Pat Rudy continues to add to her already impressive career win total. She entered the spring 2021 season with 613 collegiate wins, including 367 at LHU. Heading into the weekend, she has 617 career wins with 371 coming at LHU, her alma mater. Rudy ranks fourth all-time regardless of NCAA Division in career coaching victories.

A-10 weekly awards:

Rookie of the Week –

March 30: Martina Spangenberg (Fr., MF)

April 19: Spangenberg

Defensive Player of the Week

March 30: Joaquina Orlandini (Jr., GK)

April 12: Orlandini

Celebrating a historic season:

The 2020-21 season marks the 75th anniversary of the first field hockey season back in 1945-46. The Bald Eagles first official varsity season came during the fall of 1945 and the first varsity contest in program history came on October 20, 1945, which resulted in a victory. Since that first win, many more have followed, to go along with a number of other prestigious honors, including 69 winning seasons, 15 conference championships and seven national titles.

Up next:

The winner of Friday’s (April 23) semifinal match between No. 2 Lock Haven and No. 3 Saint Joseph’s will advance to Saturday’s (April 24) A-10 championship contest and face the winner of the No. 1 VCU – No. 4 Richmond game at noon.