MAC Field Hockey Team-by-Team Preview

OXFORD, Ohio -- The 2024 MAC Field Hockey Tournament gets underway on Wednesday morning with a pair of quarterfinal matchups. Below is a team-by-team preview for all six of this year's tournament seeds:

No. 1 James Madison: Through 18 games, the Dukes are paced offensively by Alice Roeper (33 points - 14g, 5a), Cassidy Strittmatter (24 points - 10g, 4a) and Tambroni (22 points - 9g, 6a). Goalkeeper Katie Fricke has started the previous four games and owns a 3-2 season record with a 1.32 GAA and .769 save percentage in 409:28 of action. James Madison is now 13-5 (7-1 MAC), more than doubling its win total from the 2023 campaign when it went 5-12 as an independent. That season saw the Purple and Gold lose seven games by a single goal, two of which came in overtime. Moreover, three of those one-score losses came against top-15 teams. Alice Roeper was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Head Coach Christy Morgan was dubbed Coach of the Year in JMU’s inaugural season in the MAC, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. For Coach Morgan, this marked the sixth time earning the title of conference coach of the year, previously being named CAA Coach of the Year in 1993, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021. - Joining Roeper on the First Team is Cassidy Strittmatter. Sarah Beers and Carissa Tambroni earned Second Team nods, while Molly Schreiner and Lilly Turner were named to the All-Freshman Team.

No. 2 App State: The Mountaineer offense has been relentless this season, as they are third in the MAC in goals scored with 40. The Mountaineers are first in the MAC in shots on goal and second in penalty corners, putting pressure on defenses in the attack zone. Senior Charlotte Bosma is fourth in the MAC in both shots and shots on goal going into Thursday's matchup. App State's defense has been stellar as well, not allowing many shots to be attempted. The Mountaineers have allowed 101 shots on goal through 18 games, 80 less than the 181 the Mountaineers have earned. Per game, the Mountaineers only allow 8.4 shots a game, a sharp contrast to the 17.7 for the Mountaineers. Senior goalkeeper Claire Grenis has anchored the Mountaineer defense, keeping opponents to 1.61 goals a game as a result. In their five-game winning streak, Grenis allowed only three goals past her while shutting out three opponents. The Mountaineers tallied their seventh shutout of the season last Friday against Queens, a MAC high. Six different Mountaineers earned All-MAC honors for the 2024 season, with Boekaar and Bosma earning first team, Grace Ball, Stegen and Koopman earning second, and Frederique Grimbergen earning a spot on the All-Freshman team.

No. 3 Miami: Berta Mata, Henriette Schlueter and Claudia Negrete Garcia were named to All-MAC First Team and Carlie Servis was named to All-MAC Second-Team. Mata also won Defensive Player of the Year and Schlueter claimed Freshman of the Year. Mata has been a key asset on the Miami defense all season. The senior back has started in every match this season and is fifth on the team in minutes with 863. Despite being a core member of the defense, she also has two goals, 16 shots, and 14 points on the season. She is second on the team in assists with 10. Negrete Garcia has been a leader on the RedHawk offense this season, leading the team this season in goals (11), points (23), shots (72), and game-winning goals (4). The graduate student midfielder has started every game, playing a total 865 minutes. Schlueter has led MAC freshmen consistently this season in offense stats including goals (7) and assists (5). The freshman forward is second on the RedHawks in goals and in game-winning goals (3). On the season she has played in every game, starting all but one, and playing a total 738 minutes.

No. 4 Kent State: Kent State enters the MAC Championship as the four-seed, clinching their spot in the tournament ahead of last Friday's regular-season finale at Miami. The Flashes fell 2-0 to the RedHawks in a game that ultimately had no effect on their postseason seeding. In a match where Kent State struggled to get going offensively, freshman goalkeeper Lieve Jansen impressed in the cage, notching nine saves in 60 minutes of play. Following the conclusion of the regular season, four Flashes were named to All-MAC teams on Tuesday afternoon. Eva Usoz and Agustina Florio earned All-MAC first and second team selection respectively while Lieve Jansen and Delfina Larripa were each named to the MAC All-Freshman team.