Ohio Field Hockey is NCAA Tourney Bound

Nov. 8, 2007

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio field hockey team will face Michigan in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. The `Cats and the Wolverines will face off in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The tourney field includes 16 teams (five automatic bids, eight at-large berths and three play-in winners) competing in a single-elimination format. The first and second-round games will be played on four campus sites November 10 and 11. The University of Maryland, College Park will host the semifinals and final on November 16 and 18 at Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex.

Livestats will be available on www.ohiobobcats.com.

The Bobcats are 18-4 on the season and won the MAC regular-season and tournament championships. The `Cats ranked in at No. 15 in the final STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.

Michigan has a 16-5 overall record and finished its Big Ten Conference season with a perfect 6-0 record. The Wolverines will make their eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They entered the final STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll at No. 6.

The Story Line
It is the first contest between Ohio and Michigan in four seasons. In their last meeting on Sept. 12, 2003, Michigan earned a 6-0 victory over Ohio to improve its record to 7-0 in the all-time series.

A Look at the `Cats
The 15th-ranked Ohio Bobcats have an 18-4 overall record and are on an eight-game winning streak. The Bobcats have outscored (64-27), outshot (319-191) and outcornered (193-104) their opponents this season, while leading the Mid-American Conference in the same categories.

Torrie Albini heads the Bobcat offense with a team-high 20 goals scored this season. Albini is Ohio's second all-time leading scorer with 49 career goals and is third in the Bobcat record book for most goals scored in a single season. To go along with those accolades is a first-place tie for most assists in a single season with 14 in 2007.

Rachelle Coetzee has scored 11 goals this season, including six game-winners. Coetzee scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Miami to lift the Bobcats to victory and the MAC tournament title. Marcy Dull and Estienne Coetzee have scored ten goals apiece.

Jessie Martin has started 21 games in goal for the Bobcats for a season total 1547:41 minutes. She has made 88 saves, posted 17 wins and totaled four shutouts.

Last time in the NCAAs
Ohio's last NCAA tourney appearance was in 2001. The Bobcats made it to the NCAAs after capturing both the MAC regular-season and tournament championships. The `Cats nearly upset Wake Forest in the opening round, but dropped the match 2-1.

W's
Ohio's 18 wins this season is the most wins the program has had in 25 years.

Clutch Player
Rachelle Coetzee has a knack of coming through for Ohio when it matters most. The junior leads the Bobcats with six game-winning goals. She accomplished the feat against Ohio State, Holy Cross, Missouri State, Central Michigan and twice against rival Miami.

Hey Now She's an All-Star
Bobcat senior Torrie Albini is one of two players to lead the nation in scoring with 20 goals. Rutger's Amy Lewis has also scored 20 goals this season.

Albini is also second in the nation with a 2.45 points per game average and ranks third in the nation with a 0.91 average in goals per game.

She led the `Cats to victory in the NCAA play-in game against Patriot League Champion American University, scoring two of Ohio's three goals, including the game-winner in the second overtime period. It was her third game-winner of the season.

Albini was also selected to this week's womensfieldhockey.com honor roll for the second time this year.

Other accolades for the senior: - Being selected to play in the 2007 NFHCA Senior All-Star Game - Being Ohio's second all-time leading scorer - Four-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week (two times in 2007) - Making the All-MAC First Team twice (2005 & 2006) - All-MAC Second Team (2007) - NFHCA All-West Region Second Team (2006) - MAC All-Tournament Team (2006 & 2007) - Two-time MAC leader in goals (2005 & 2007) - Ohio's second all-time leader in career assists - Third in Bobcat history in career shots - Holds multiple single-season records in goals, assists, points and shots - Top-10 in MAC history for career goals - Top-11 in MAC history for career points - Helped lead team to two back-to-back conference regular-season and tournament championships

Double Digit Delight
Ohio shows off its team balance with four players tallying ten goals or more. Torrie Albini leads the way with 20, followed by Rachelle Coetzee with 11 and Marcy Dull and Estienne Coetzee both with 10.

All-MAC Teams
Ohio goalkeeper Jessie Martin has been named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches. Martin was also selected to the All-MAC First Team along with teammates Rachelle Coetzee and Nikki Gnozzio. Torrie Albini and Estienne Coetzee were selected to the All-MAC Second Team.

Martin started 18 of Ohio's 19 games this season and was a catalyst for the Bobcats on defense. She was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week five times during the regular season, while earning 14 wins in goal, tallying three shutouts and posting a career-high 11 saves. Martin is the third Ohio field hockey player to ever receive the conference's player of the year award.

Rachelle Coetzee was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second straight year. Coetzee ended the regular season with 10 goals, 25 points and five assists. She started all 19 games of the season while averaging 3.16 shots and 1.32 points per game.

Gnozzio joins Coetzee on the All-MAC First Team. It is the first All-MAC honor for Gnozzio in her three-year career with the Bobcats. Gnozzio played a big part in Ohio's execution on penalty corners this year and was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after recording a defensive save in the Bobcats' win over Ohio State.

Albini was selected second-team All-MAC after ending the regular season with 16 goals and 11 assists. She scored a season-high four goals against Robert Morris and averaged 5.16 shots and 2.26 points per game. She is two shots shy of reaching 100 on the season, which would place her fourth all-time in the Bobcat record book. Albini was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week two times in 2007.

Estienne Coetzee received All-MAC Second Team honors for the third year in a row. Coetzee scored nine goals this season, including three game-winners, and totaled 19 points and 20 shots.