The UMass Lowell field hockey team, among UMass Lowell's 16 teams entering NCAA Division I this fall, welcomes seven newcomers to the roster for the 2013 season, head coach Shannon Hlebichuk announced on Friday.
Following exhibition matches at Holy Cross (Aug. 19) and at home against Colgate (Aug. 25), UMass Lowell opens the season at home Monday, Sept. 2 against Northwestern University and plays its first America East Conference match Saturday, Sept. 28 at Maine.
UMass Lowell's class of 2017 includes Eleonore, Agneessens (Brussels, Belgium), Georgia Cowderoy (Ashmore, Queensland, Australia) and Jahna Driscoll (Greene, N.Y.) as well as New Englanders Hope Alaimo (North Andover, Mass.), Libby Kain (Dexter, ME) and Annie Villare (Chelmsford, Mass.).
Also joining on is junior goalkeeper D.J. Cassidy (Lowell, Mass.), a transfer from Keene State.
"We are very excited about this inaugural Division 1 recruiting class," said Hlebichuk, who will enter her 12th year. "We have combined local Merrimack Valley Conference talent in Annie and Hope with some regional talent in Jahna and Libby. And we've also added some international flavor with Georgia and Eleonore.
"We are anxious to get them on the field to have them combine their talents with the talents of our returning players," she added. "They are all well aware of our success in Division II and are committed to maintaining that winning culture in Division I."
The field hockey team will be eligible for America East Conference and NCAA postseason play in 2015.
Agneessens, who attended Lycee Mater Dei School in Brussels, is a former player for Leopold Hockey Club in Belgium's first division. A midfielder, she will major in business administration.
Cowderoy was a former player at A.B Patterson College in Queensland, Australia, where she was a member of the U-18 state championship team and voted the team's most valuable player in 2012. Also an all-state midfielder in 2010, 2011 and 2012, Cowderoy was a member of the Labrador club system, the former club of former UMass Lowell standout Katie Enaire.
Cowderoy will major in nutrition.
Driscoll comes to UMass Lowell following a stellar high school career at Greene H.S. which
saw her compiled 91 goals and 42 assists and earn All-State honors her sophomore through her senior seasons. A four-year starting forward, she was a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region selection and All-American as a senior, leading Greene H.S. to two New York State Championships in 2009 and 2012.
A four-time Section IV academic all-star, Driscoll will major in nursing.
A defender, Alaimo was four-year player and two-time MVC all-conference standout at Central Catholic H.S. A captain as a senior, she also earned all-star status from the Eagle Tribune and played in the Seacoast United club system.
Alaimo is also enrolled in the College of Nursing.
A graduate of Dexter Regional H.S., Kain was a three-time All-Penobscot Valley Conference forward, earning first team honors as a junior and senior and second team status as a sophomore. She also played in the offseason in the Maine Majestix club system.
Villare, the sister of former UMass Lowell standout Kim Villare '07, was named 2013 MVC Player of the Year at Chelmsford H.S. She also earned player of the year honors from The Sun as well as all-scholastic status from The Boston Globe and Boston Herald.
A product of the Northeast Elite system for former UMass Lowell assistant coach Chelsey Feole, Villare was also named to the Massachusetts Best of 60 team and is expected to shift between midfield and defense.
Cassidy, a two-time MVC Most Valuable Player at Lowell H.S., played her freshman season at Keene State in 2011, in which she saw action in six games with a 1.10 goals against average and an .875 save rate. The Owls went 20-5 and cruised through the Little East Conference regular season with an 11-0 record.
Along with her MVC honors at LHS, she was also a Best of 60 recipient and The Sun Player of the Year as a senior.
"In terms of talent, strength and experience, we think the diversity of this class will certainly help us in our transition to Division I and the America East Conference," Hlebichuk said. "We have high expectations of them as we transition, and each of them are up for the challenge and excited for this turning point in our program."
