NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Today (Aug. 23), the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) announced the 2022 Preseason Field Hockey Coaches’ Poll and Lock Haven was picked sixth. The Bald Eagles are set to open the 2022 season on Friday on the road against Lehigh. 

Breaking down the poll: 

Saint Joseph’s received five of eight first-place votes and was picked by the conference coaches as the favorite. Massachusetts was picked second and VCU rounded out the top-three teams in the poll. 

Richmond checked in at No. 4 and La Salle was picked No. 5, one spot ahead of Lock Haven at No. 6. 

Davidson and Saint Louis rounded out the preseason poll. 

Full 2022 A-10 Preseason Field Hockey Coaches’ Poll

1.         Saint Joseph's, 59 points (5)

2.         Massachusetts, 55 points (1)

3.         VCU, 53 points (2)

4.         Richmond, 38 points

5.         La Salle, 29 points 

6.         Lock Haven, 23 points

7.         Davidson, 20 points 

8.         Saint Louis, 11 points 

*Ranking, School, Points (first-place votes)

Opening weekend:

The Bald Eagles will open the NCAA Division I season on Friday, Aug. 26 at Lehigh. The season-opening contest is set for a 6 p.m. start. Friday’s match is the first of two during the Bald Eagles 2022 opening weekend. Lock Haven will host Bellarmine on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 11 a.m

Top talent returning: 

Martina Spangenberg, a returning All-Region and All-Conference player, will look to lead the way for the Bald Eagles. After scoring seven goals (18 points) last season, she was named to the 2021 Atlantic 10 Second Team and National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Mideast Region Second Team. The Bald Eagles will also benefit heavily from the return of standout Jazmin Palma, the 2019 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.

During the spring 2021 season where Lock Haven won the A-10’s North Division regular season title and clinched the No. 2 seed for the 2020-21 conference tournament, both Palma and Spangenberg earned All-Conference honors. 

Palma was a First Team All-Conference pick in 2019 and during the 2020-21 season. She scored five goals and tallied 16 total points back in 2019. Spangenberg recorded four assists to go along with her seven goals last season. 

Another huge offensive threat for Lock Haven is the dynamic Amy Stevens. She scored four goals last year and racked up 10 points (4G, 2A). Thanks to a six-goal campaign in 2019, Stevens has 12 career goals to her name. She was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team back in 2019.

Anna May Barbusca also returns with All-Conference accolades to her name. Back in 2019, she was named to the All-Rookie team after she made an immediate impact for Lock Haven. Barbusca continued to play a key role for The Haven last year in 2019 and started all 14 games. 

Constanza Lopez Zabala was second on the team last year in goals with six and points with 14. 

New faces in the crowd:

The Bald Eagles recently added eight talented newcomers to the roster. Take a look at the incoming class here:

A look back at the 2021 season: 

LHU finished the 2021 season at 5-9 overall. Three of those five wins came on the home-turf at Charlotte Smith Field. Lock Haven was 2-5 in A-10 action with those two wins coming over Saint Louis and Richmond. The conference-win over Richmond came at home and was the first of two-straight shutout-victories from the Bald Eagles.

The road ahead this year in 2022: 

Sunday’s (Aug. 28) home game is the first of six straight homes for Lock Haven. As part of the six-game homestand (Aug. 28 – Sept. 18), the Bald Eagles will open A-10 play. Lock Haven will open conference play on Friday, Sept. 16 (Homecoming Weekend 2022) with 3 p.m. match vs. La Salle. In all, The Haven will host nine total games on Charlotte Smith Field this fall. The full 2022 Lock Haven field hockey schedule is available at GoLHU.com.