MAC Announces Field Hockey Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Geagy Pritchard, Miami, Junior
Geagy Pritchard led the Miami attack in both games, scoring the game-winning goal against MAC-rival Ball State before scoring a pair of goals 1:40 apart in the win over Rutgers that helped put the game out of reach for the Big 10 foe. The junior helped the Red + White reach double-digit corners in both games. Miami took three times as many shots as their opposition on the week (45-15) and outcornered their opponents 26-10, with Pritchard playing a significant role in both pieces. The leading scorer in the MAC this weekend (2-0-4), Pritchard now has two game-winning goals against two MAC schools.
Defensive Player of the Week
Feli Heinzel, Missouri State, Freshman
Missouri State freshman goalkeeper Feli Heinzel kept up her stellar play in net as the Bears earned 2-0 and 1-0 victories over Ohio and Kent State, respectively, this weekend. In Friday’s matchup versus Ohio, Heinzel made three saves with the final one coming with just 39 seconds left in the contest to keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard. Heinzel continued to impress Sunday by making four out of five stops in the second half of the Bears’ one-goal win Sunday. That included a diving stop on a Kent State shot in the 39th minute and back-to-back saves in the 56th minute. Heinzel has now been the starting goalkeeper for the Bears’ three-consecutive shutout victories, the first time the team has achieved the feat since 2001. Heinzel has earned clean sheets in all four of her collegiate victories during her debut season for Missouri State.
Other Nominees
Offense
Merinda Morley, Ball State, Junior
Scoring two of the Cardinals seven goals this week, junior Merinda Morley assisted in the offensive strikes against Miami and Bellarmine. Crucial in helping Ball State tally its second victory of the season against non-conference Bellarmine, Morley took advantage of two penalty corner opportunities to notch her two goals. With Morley’s two goals, Ball State’s win marked the highest scoring game for the Cardinals since the Sept. 16, 2012 8-2 win over Lindenwood. Prior to the victory over the Knights, Morley marked one of the three shots on goal for the Cardinals in the 3-0 loss to Mid-American Conference foe Miami. Having already matched her 2014 season total of two goals and two assists, Morley has marked three goals and one assist this season. A native of University City, Mo., Morley is a leader for the Cardinals both on and off the field, as she boasts a 3.937 GPA while studying pre-physical therapy.
Edel Nyland, Longwood, Sophomore
Nyland took 10 of Longwood’s 26 shots last week…she scored a go-ahead goal 2:33 into the game against Georgetown as part of an eight-shot effort…the goal against the Hoyas gives Nyland four goals in her past seven games.
Sydney Richelieu, Missouri State, Senior
Missouri State senior Sydney Richelieu notched her first multi-goal game of her career to help lead the Bears to their first Mid-American Conference victory over Ohio Friday. Richelieu put Missouri State on the board initially against the Bobcats by putting a shot past an advancing goalkeeper in the 25th minute. Her second shot forced another Bobcats save in the final five minutes of the first half and her third shot eventually sealed the contest. Off a penalty corner in the 53rd minute, Richelieu tipped a pass from the top of the circle into the net for the brace, putting a cap on her two-goal performance. The forward played another big role for Missouri State in its Sunday game versus Kent State. Richelieu was one of four Bears to attempt a shot as MSU completed the weekend sweep of MAC opponents with a 1-0 win over the Golden Flashes. It was the third straight shutout for the Bears, the first time the team has achieved the feat since 2001.
Adele Sammons, Ohio, Senior
Senior Adele Sammons (Upminster, England) helped the Ohio field hockey team (6-6, 1-1 MAC) three unanswered second half goals to take out Big Ten Conference foe Michigan State (5-9), 4-1, on Sunday (Oct. 11) in a non-conference clash at Pruitt Field. Ohio broke the scoreless tie in the 26th minute as Sammons scored her career-high fifth goal of the season to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. Ohio began its second-half scoring barrage in the 55th minute when senior Clarissa Leickly (Gahanna, Ohio) found the back of the cage for her career-high fourth goal of the year on a penalty corner chance, with assists coming from Sammons and junior Kristin Buchanan (San Diego, Calif.). Ohio put the contest out of reach in the 65th minute when sophomore Elena Curley (Louisville, Ky.) scored for a career-high fourth time this year on a penalty corner chance. Sammons and Buchanan once again assisted, with Sammons totaling her career-high seventh helper of the season. Sammons led Ohio with four shots -- including three on goal. She ranks second on the team in both shots (31) and shots on goal (18) this season. Sammons career goal total now stands at 12, with a career-high five coming in 2015. Her career assist total currently stands at 14. She has now notched 86 career shots, with 46 coming on goal.
Defense
Jordan Dues, Ball State, Junior
A 14-time starter for Ball State, goalkeeper Jordan Dues has acted as a foundation for the Cardinals defensive lines when faced with continuous aggressive offensive strikes. Dues stopped eight attacks when tested with 25 attempted shots against Mid-American Conference foe Miami. Dues then held down a consistent defensive tactic on Sunday against non-conference Bellarmine in which she stopped all four SOG that she was pressured with in the first half of the dominate 7-1 win over the Knights. By holding down the consistent defense for the Cardinals, Sunday’s win marked the second of the season at home, but also posted the highest scoring game for Ball State since the 8-2 win over Lindenwood on Sept. 16, 2012. Having only appeared in a handful of games last season and with no starts, Dues is stepping up as the goalkeeper for Ball State, having started all 14 games of the season for the Cardinals thus far. A native of Fallbrook, Calif., Dues has had the opportunity to show her leadership in the backend of the field for the challenges that are facing the Cardinals this season.
Mariona Heras, Miami, Redshirt Freshman
Mariona Heras led a defense that allowed only 15 shots in two games, with only nine coming on goal. Over the weekend, Miami’s defense allowed their opponent below the 25 only 38 times and surrendered only 10 corners. The Red + White conceded only one goal in the 140 minutes; Rutgers had been averaging three goals a game and had taken just under 16 shots a game but Miami held the Scarlet Knights to one goal and 12 shots. In addition, the RedHawks shut out their second consecutive MAC opponent with the 3-0 win over Ball State.
Lina Trucco, Ohio, Redshirt Junior
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lina Trucco (Lake Bluff, Ill.) totaled seven saves in 140 minutes of action in the cage last weekend for the Ohio field hockey team (6-6, 1-1 MAC) -- including three in a 4-1 victory over Big Ten Conference foe Michigan State on Sunday (Oct. 11) at Pruitt Field. She posted three saves in 70 minutes for the Bobcats, bringing her season stops total to 48. Trucco's career saves total is now up to 57.
