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BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS
A three-game road swing to begin the season will continue on Tuesday night for the Southern Connecticut State University field hockey team. The Owls, who took on No. 3 nationally ranked Shippensburg and No. 9 nationally ranked Mansfield over the weekend, will head to Rindge, N.H. on Wednesday night to face Franklin Pierce. Southern Connecticut then returns home on Saturday for its home opener against Saint Anselm. All fans in attendance will receive a schedule card courtesy of the SCSU athletic department. 

ON THE SCOREBOARD
Freshman Laura Dembofsky tallied her first goal as an Owls in Sunday's contest against Mansfield.

ZARRELLA TURNING THEM ASIDE
Junior goalie Lauren Zarrella made 22 saves in two outings over the opening weekend, including a 13-save effort in the season opener against Shippensburg.

RETURNING A STRONG CORE
SCSU will have some veteran experience this year with 10 returning players from last year's team.

WELCOME ABOARD
The Owls seven new players to this year's team - Laurie Cockerline, Laura Dembofsky, Paige Donlin, Lauren Greider, Meagan Gomes, Randi Schock and Lyndel Vagnini.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were ranked fourth in this year's Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Lauren Karn and KellyAnne McCafferty, along with junior Ann Berry, will captain the Owls this fall. 

BACK TO THE BIG DANCE
The Southern Connecticut State University field hockey team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history in 2008. The Owls finished the year with 13 wins and also reached the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.

THREE SELECTED TO SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME
Seniors Molly Daniels, Grace Martha and Whitney Martin were selected to participate in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association North-South Senior All-Star Game.

MARTIN NAMED AN ALL-AMERICAN
Senior Whitney Martin was also tabbed by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association as an All-American for her efforts during the 2008 campaign. She finished the year with 36 points (14 goals, eight assists) for the Owls.

FOUR OWLS EARN CONFERENCE LAURELS
Four members of the Southern Connecticut State University field hockey team were recognized with year-end honors from the Northeast-10 Conference. Whitney Martin earned First-Team All-Conference honors, while sophomores Ann Berry and Sara Winterbottom captured Second-Team All-Conference laurels. In addition, freshman Brittany Barra was named to the All-Rookie Team.

CHARLOT RECOGNIZED FOR STRONG EFFORTS
Sophomore Dieny Charlot was selected to the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the championship game.

KARN TABBED FOR ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Junior Lauren Karn was selected to the Northeast-10 Conference field hockey All-Academic Team. In order to receive this award, a student-athlete must have achieved sophomore year status, a 3.3 GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of their team's games.

SEVEN NAMED TO NFHCA NATIONAL ACADEMIC TEAM
Seven members were named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad. The National Academic Squad program recognizes those collegiate student-athletes who have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2008-09 academic year. The seven student-athletes were Lauren Karn, Tricia Mehm, Ryan Morgan, Erin Paduda, Jennifer Peterson, Sara Winterbottom and Lauren Zarrella. In addition, the team was recognized with National Academic Team honors for having a team GPA of at least a 3.0.

OWLS WIN NE-10 SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
The Owls were recognized as the winner of the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Sportsmanship Award for their graceful efforts on the field.

SEVERAL SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS BROKEN
There were three Owls who moved atop the all-time single-season chart in different categories in 2008. Sara Winterbottom tallied 17 goals, which was one better than Angela Cafarelli's 2005 mark. Ann Berry handed out 12 assists to eclipse the tally of 11, which was set by Cathy Cardini in 2005 and Erin Kelly in 1996. Lastly, Lauren Zarrella tied Casey Sanford for single-season wins, as Sanford previously won 13 games in 2005.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Owls were stationed in the No. 8 spot in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll of the year.

CARDIAC KIDS
Southern Connecticut won its three overtime decisions in 2008 - all by 2-1 finals - as well as a win over Stonehill on Sept. 10 that was decided on a winning goal off a penalty corner after time had expired in regulation.

ZARRELLA NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore goalie Lauren Zarrella was named National Player of the Week by www.womensfieldhockey.com on Oct. 14 after leading the Owls to a pair of wins over nationally ranked teams. She stopped 18 of 20 shots in a pair of overtime triumphs over Stonehill and St. Michael's.

'PLAY 4 THE CURE' EVENT A ROUSING SUCCESS
The largest crowd of the year was on hand on Oct. 4 at Jess Dow Field as the field hockey team hosted its 'Play 4 The Cure' event. The team colored their hair pink after the contest and took care of business on the field with a 3-1 victory.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
The Owls ranked second in the Northeast-10 in goals scored with 71 on the year and were also second in goals scored/game (3.05).

OWLS EARN NATIONAL RANKING
Thanks to a pair of wins over nationally ranked St. Michael's and Stonehill squads, the Owls entered the national polls at No. 10 on Sept. 17.

THE SAME GOES FOR ZARRELLA
Sophomore Lauren Zarrella set a new career-high with 16 saves in the win over St. Michael's. Zarrella easily eclipsed her old personal mark of 10 saves, set in 2007 against Bryant.

FINDING THE BACK OF THE NET
Offense wasn't an issue for the Owls during last season. The team scored at least two goals in 20 of its 23 games, and tallied at least five goals on six occasions - including a season-high six goal performance against Assumption on Oct. 14 and Franklin Pierce on Oct. 29.