NJAC Preseason Poll

PITMAN, N.J. – The TCNJ Field Hockey team received a second-place spot in the NJAC Preseason Poll, as revealed by the conference office Thursday morning.

The Lions were given one out of six first-place votes to fall just under reigning champion Rowan, which sat atop the polls with the other five first-place votes. With Kean rounding out the top three, Montclair State was slotted fourth while Stockton was tabbed the "dark horse" in fifth place. Ramapo finished out the rankings in sixth.

TCNJ comes off a strong 2022 season under the leadership of Head Coach Sharon Pfluger that saw the blue and gold make an appearance in the NJAC Championship game before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lions' NCAA appearance marked the 37^th in program history.

With the departure of a talented senior class that included All-Americans Jess Hatch and Kileigh Pfluger, the Lions still retain an exciting young team led by All-American Rayhanah Ahmed. The superstar junior comes off a dominant season in which she led the team in total points (29), while being second in both goals (10) and assists (9).

Fellow juniors Carly Cole and Claire Engebreth are each coming off stellar breakout seasons of their own. Cole led the team with 11 goals and was third with 24 total points, while Engebreth finished her sophomore season with career highs in goals (6), assists (3) and points (15); she also scored the game-winning goal in the NJAC semifinals against Kean to lift the Lions into the conference championship match.

Appearing in 14 games with two starts in 2022, Junior Bella DiNardo recorded a goal and assist apiece for three points in her debut season with the blue and gold.

The sophomore class is led by Heather Kimak, who made her mark as a freshman by starting in 13 of her 17 appearances. Classmate Brigitte Racey recorded a save in 28 minutes (3 appearances) at goalie.

With the departure of All-Region Goalie Dani Britton, the Lions will turn to the duo of Senior Saige Berkowicz and Racey to protect the cage on defense. The senior has two career saves in a little over 93 minutes of action (7 appearances) after serving as the primary backup keeper the past two seasons.

TCNJ will kick off the 2023 season at home next Friday, September 1, as the Lions take on Catholic at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. The start time is scheduled for 4:30 P.M.