Field Hockey | August 25, 2017

PHILADELPHIA- The La Salle field hockey team will kick off their fall season Friday, August 25 when the the team hosts Appalachian State at 3:00 PM at Hank DeVincent field.

The Explorers will then welcome LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, August 27 to continue opening weekend. They will face the Blackbirds at 12:00 PM to conclude the weekend play.

Michelle Marks-Salmi will return for her ninth season at the helm of the program, with a seasoned team that is hungry for an Atlantic 10 tournament bid. The team returns eight starters from a season ago, while welcoming a talented class of freshman.

"We're honestly going to be taking every game day by day and focusing on what we need to do to get better as a team or as individuals, with the ultimate goal of being top four in the A-10," said Marks Salmi. "We just have to work hard every day to give us the opportunity to get there."

Among the returners will be elected captains Kendall Kreider and Eileen Dzwill to lead the team to success. Kreider has led the team for two years in scoring, amassing seven goals this past season to tally 20 in her successful career.

Dzwill will prove her versatility on the offensive and defensive end, after starting 17 games as a midfielder last season and adding two goals for La Salle. The pair will use their four-year careers to motivate the team to reach new heights.

"I think our team mentality is being very attacking, working as a team directly moving up and down the field as one, we call it our web, and keeping spirits high," said Dzwill. "I really want the team to feel involved and everyone have a role and feel important."

Senior April Stein, who ranked second in assists and made 15 starts in the midfield last season, will return for her final year in the Blue and Gold. Also returning is junior Logan Oh, who ranked second for the Explorers in scoring, with five goals last season.

Contributing to the defense will be Katie O'Grady, who recorded two defensive saves in 2016 to tie for fifth in overall Atlantic 10 statistics. O'Grady will be a major contributor in her final season as an Explorer after starting all 17 games in the 2016 campaign and recording one goal.

The squad will welcome a talented crop of four freshman who will compete for playing time immediately in their rookie season. The group includes First Team South Jersey All-State selection Rialee Allen, Amber Blackshear, Academic All-American selection Nina Magnotta and goalkeeper Emelynn Sneary.

"They've already added a lot," said Marks Salmi. "Their skills are there, their intensity is fantastic, I think this is a group that will be coming in a fighting for roles."

Selected seventh in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Explorers will enter the season aiming to improve to earn a bid to the Atlantic 10 tournament. In the previous years, the Explorers have been one game out of postseason play, providing them with a motive in the 2017 campaign.

"Our goal every year is to make it to the A-10's. The past three years we've been this close to making it to the A-10's and I know that this is our year to be able to do it, especially since it's our senior year," said Kredier. "Our goal really is to take things through every game at a time and work on the things coach tells us to work on and we'll get there."