Lions Take First Road Trip to UMass-Lowell and Holy Cross

Columbia will travel to Massachusetts to meet up with the Riverhawks Friday night before a Sunday matinee against the Crusaders.

NEW YORK - After an opening weekend split at home, the Columbia field hockey team will make its first road trip of the year with a pair of games in New England.

NEWS/NOTES • The Lions picked up an opening weekend split after topping Monmouth Monday night, 3-1. Columbia will hit the road for the first time this season when it takes on UMass-Lowell and Holy Cross. • Friday night will be the first-ever meeting between the Lions and UMass-Lowell. • Columbia is 6-3 all-time against Holy Cross, winning the last six meetings. Last season, Jennifer Trieschman netted a hat trick in a 5-1 triumph at the Baker Athletics Complex. • Danielle Buttinger has scored in both contests for the Lions and is second in the Ivy League with a pair of goals and four points. • Six of Columbia's first-years made their collegiate debuts in the season opener against Quinnipiac. Brooke Gasser secured her first career point with an assist against the Bobcats and Emma Domich tallied her first assist against Monmouth. • Columbia was picked fourth in the inaugural Ivy League Preseason Poll Tuesday. The Lions received 75 points from members of the media. Princeton (14 first place votes) took the top spot, followed by Princeton (two first place votes), Penn, the Lions, Cornell, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown. • Columbia returns a pair of All-Ivy League performers in senior goalkeeper Katie Dempsey and junior forward Jennifer Trieschman. - Dempsey started all 17 games games in goal last season and boasted a 2.77 GAA with a .701 save percentage and three shutouts. Her three clean sheets put her tied for fifth on the Lions' career list. - Trieschman netted six goals, good for second on the team. • Columbia's captains are seniors Katherine Cavanaugh, Danielle Buttinger and junior Kelly McCarthy. • The Lions will welcome seven newcomers to the roster, hailing from six different states and one international student-athlete (New Zealand). • Head coach Caroline Nelson-Nichols enters her fourth year at the helm of Columbia. The two-time U.S. Olympian holds a career record of 27-26 overall and 9-12 in Ivy League play.

SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC • The Riverhawks' upset bid of No. 8 Louisville came up just short in a 2-1 loss in a neutral contest in Richmond. UMass-Lowell began 2018 with a pair of shutout victories against Bryant and Hofstra. • UMass-Lowell is averaging 15.0 shots per game, with over half on target. • Torrie Huk and Anouck Lalande have three goals apiece and four more players have found the back of the net once. Huk is also tied for the team lead with two assists. • Eva Berkhout has a goals against average of .667 and a save percentage of .833 with a pair of clean sheets.

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS • The Crusaders are still in search of their first win prior to their Friday afternoon contest at Fairfield. Two of Holy Cross' losses have come to ranked foes (No. 15 Harvard and No. 25 Maine). • Holy Cross has allowed 34 corners and 110 shots in its first three contests. • Emily Loprete and Courtney McMullen have the Crusaders' scores on the young season. • Marcia LaPlante has faced 62 shots and boasts a save percentage of .805.