Field Hockey Season Preview
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University field hockey head coach Jillian Coppola will head into her first year with a group that is poised to take another step forward.
Coppola takes over a team that returns 11 players that played in at least half of the eight games this past spring. Within that group is four-year starting goalie Marijn Jaarsma and former Northeast Conference All-Rookie selection Taryn Rauff.
Jaarsma became the first player in program history to earn NFHCA All-Region honors after posting a 2.52 goals against average and a .821 save percentage in eight games. She made 15 saves in the season opener and posted 6+ saves in three other contests last spring. Jaarsma has made 39 starts in her career and has a 2.24 career GAA and a .763 career save percentage.
Rauff missed four games in the spring with an injury and will look to bounce back this fall. As a freshman in 2019, Rauff started all 19 games and finished with four goals and eight points.
Bryant's experience doesn't stop there as Lotte Guitink, Ella Davison, Phoebe Johnson, Ellie Morrison and Ashley Barron all return after appearing in each of the eight games this spring. Guitink, Davison and Barron were all freshmen in the spring, while Johnson and Morrison have combined to appear in 50 games in the Black and Gold.
Chloe Tilley, Grayson Green, Victoria Wypych and Sydney Swain all started games in the spring and will provide another layer of experience to the 23rd addition of Bryant Field Hockey. Green provides a scoring threat, producing six shots and five shots on goal during her career. Brittany Gouws rounds out the experiences on Bryant's roster, returning this fall as a senior.
The Black and Gold will also welcome an eight-player class this season. Carson Dennis will bring experience to the Bryant side, having earned NFCHA All-Region honors during a four-year career at Division III Wellesley. Kayley Tivnan, Abby Crowley, Katie Goyda, Gabby Cavenas, Caitlin Gallagher, Sarah Van Scoten and Karli Reed round out the class.
Tivnan recorded 55 goals and 27 assists in high school, Crowley notched 41 goals and 17 assists, Goyda posted 72 goals and 62 assists, Cavenas and Gallagher were All-State selections and Van Scoten led her team in scoring. Reed posted an .841 save percentage and was an All-North Carolina All-Star during her prep career.
Bryant will test its meddle with a challenging non-conference schedule that begins on Friday evening at in-state foe Providence. The Black and Gold will also face UMass Lowell, La Salle, Lehigh, Brown, Dartmouth, New Hampshire, Vermont and Holy Cross before beginning their quest for an NEC Tournament berth.