Garden City, N.Y. -- After finishing at the top of the Northeast-10 Conference standings last season and returning to the NCAA Tournament, the Adelphi University field hockey team will look to a group of eight newcomers to replace some of the production that was lost as a result of the graduation of eight seniors.

Molly Cuevas and Kristen Bagley, two of the team's three leading scorers last season, left the Brown and Gold after four-year playing careers, while two season-long starters in Nicolette Lodato and Olivia Nowokunski also graduated. Head Coach Gloria O'Connor has replaced these eight in number, as she and the team welcome six freshmen and two transfer student-athletes for the 2016 campaign. 

Leading the class is junior transfer Justine DeLuca, who played her first two seasons at Dowling College. DeLuca appeared in 28 games over the course of two years in a Golden Lion uniform, scoring seven goals. As a freshman in 2014, DeLuca was Dowling's leading scorer and appeared in all 17 contests. Prior to Dowling, DeLuca was a four-year varsity player at West Islip High School, where she posted the school record for most points in a season as a senior.

"I'll be looking for Justine to step into the midfield or into a forward's role," O'Connor said. "She was a starter at Dowling and should have an impact right away."

Also transferring in is sophomore Madison Skelton, who played her high school field hockey at Newfield in Suffolk County and spent the last year at Suffolk Community College. 

"Madison is so excited to be a part of the team," O'Connor said. "I expect great enthusiasm from her in all things we do from the moment preseason begins."

The decorated freshman class all hail from New York State, with all but one coming from Long Island. The lone non-island product is goalkeeper Bridget Geyer, who hails from West Nyack and was an All-League selection in field hockey at Clarkstown South.

"I expect Bridget to come in strong and challenge at the goalie position," O'Connor said. "She is very quick, which is a strong attribute for a goalkeeper."

The three Nassau County products are Marisa McLeod, Deirdre McIntyre and Elissa Frein, who hail from Massapequa, Baldwin and Carle Place, respectively. McLeod was a two-time county champion at Massapequa High School who was named All-Conference as a senior.

"Marisa comes from a great program at Massapequa that was a winner in Nassau County," O'Connor said. "I see her as a solid midfielder in the college game."

McIntyre played four years of varsity field hockey at Baldwin, where her team reached the county championship. She, like McLeod, was also an All-Conference pick.

"Deirdre's athleticism and desire are her two strongest attributes," O'Connor said. "These skills can't be taught, and will serve her well as she competes for time on offense."

Frein, a three-sport athlete in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse, helped Carle Place win three Nassau County championships in field hockey. Her teams also reached two Long Island Championships, and were finalists in the state tournament in 2014. A decorated player in her high school career, Frein was a three-time All-Conference pick and was a two-time All-County, All-Long Island and All-State selection. In addition, she was tabbed to the MSG Varsity Tri-State Second Team twice.

"Elissa was a goal-scorer in high school," O'Connor said. "I'm eager to see if she'll transfer that ability at the college level."

The final two newcomers for the Panthers come from Suffolk County, as Danielle Powers (Miller Place) and Katelyn Zaneski (Riverhead) join the Brown and Gold. Powers helped Miller Place to four Class B League Championships, three Class B Suffolk Championships and a Class B Long Island Championship in 2012. She earned All-Tournament selection and All-County Honorable Mention as a junior, and was also named an All-Star and All-County as a senior.

"Danielle is dynamo on defense," O'Connor said. "We'll look for her to strengthen our back line, which is one of our keys for the season."

Zaneski was a force at Riverhead High School -- earning All-Division as a sophomore, All-Conference as a junior and All-County as a senior in field hockey -- while also excelling on the lacrosse field. 

"Katelyn has speed and great stick work," O'Connor assessed. "Her strengths play into an area of need for our team."

O'Connor hopes that the eight newcomers will transition seamlessly into a team that returns a total of 13 players from last year's squad, who earned a share of the NE-10 regular season title, the top seed in the conference tournament and a second consecutive NCAA berth. 

"There's a close bond between all the newcomers, as they all spent time together at orientation over the past few weeks," O'Connor said. "Our team goals this year center around that chemistry and teamwork, while looking to take the defense to another level on the field."

The new Panthers will get to don the Brown and Gold for the first time in Adelphi's home opener, a non-conference contest vs. Bloomsburg at 4 pm on Friday, Sept. 2.

NOTES
- The team returns senior Lena Pollich, who tied for the team lead in goals last season (14) and was an NFHCA Second Team All-American.
- Also returning in NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year Rachel Colvin, who joined Pollich as an NFHCA Second Team All-American in 2015.

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About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons, has collected 18 regular season conference titles, 22 tournament championships, 29 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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