Farland Headlines Bears' All-Little East Quintet

2012 All-Little East Field Hockey Team (PDF)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior midfielder Shelby Farland has been selected as the Little East Conference (LEC) Offensive Player of the Year to highlight Bridgewater State’s five representatives on the 2012 Little East All-Conference Field Hockey Team.

Joining Farland on the All-Little East First Team are senior defender Olivia Galvin and junior goalkeeper Kacie Sturgeon.  Junior forward Demi Miskiv garnered second team honors, while classmate Carissa Vizakis was selected to the third team.

Farland became the first Bear in program history to earn the top offensive player award. The Fiskdale, Massachusetts native is making her debut on the All-Little East First Team after receiving second team recognition as a junior. 

Farland established a new Bridgewater State standard for goals (32) and points (77) in a single-season in 2012, breaking the previous marks of 29 goals and 60 points set by BSU Hall of Famer Karen Croteau in 1982. She is the catalyst for the 14th-ranked scoring offense in Division III, ranking among the national leaders in goals per game (3rd, 1.60) and points per game (3rd, 3.85). Farland also leads the conference in game-winning goals (6), while ranking third in assists (13).

A starter in all 20 matches, Farland scored at least one goal in 17 games, and currently has a 24-game point scoring streak dating back to last season.  She ranks second all-time in program history in goals (60) and points (145), and is tied for the career lead in assists (25).

Galvin anchors a defensive unit that has helped produce eight shutouts in 20 games this season. The Mashpee, Massachusetts native is tied for eighth in the Little East in defensive saves with four.  Galvin also notched her first collegiate goal earlier this season.

Sturgeon is 10-2 with five shutouts and 79 saves in 16 appearances (13 starts). The Dartmouth, Massachusetts product has posted a 1.31 goals against average and a conference leading .814 save percentage in just under 962 minutes of work.  She also ranks second in the Little East in goals against average and third in shutouts.

Miskiv, who hails from Centerville, Massachusetts, has started all 20 games this season and is tied for fourth among the LEC leaders in goals with 20 and ranks fifth in scoring with 40 points.  In 55 games over her first three seasons, including two years at Framingham State, Miskiv has produced 29 goals and nine assists for 67 points.

Vizakis posted 11 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 2012 as she returned to the BSU lineup after missing the previous two seasons due to injury.  The Bellingham, Massachusetts is tied for second in the Little East in game-winning goals with four, and is tied for fifth in assists and tied for sixth in scoring. Vizakis started and played in 15 games as a freshman in 2009.

The 2012 BSU field hockey team broke the program records for wins and goals in a season as they are currently 17-3 on the season with an impressive 77 goals scored.  The Bears finished in second place in the Little East standings with a 10-1 league mark. Seeded second in the conference tournament, Bridgewater earned a 3-0 victory over Southern Maine in the quarterfinals, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Keene State in the semifinal round.

Earlier this week, Bridgewater was selected as the number one seed for the 2012 ECAC Division III New England Field Hockey Championships. The tournament is a five-team field with quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds. The Bears will host the semifinal round contests and championship game on Saturday, November 10th and Sunday, November 11th.

Notes: Bridgewater’s five representatives on the All-Little East Team and three first team selections are the most in program history…Since the team joined the conference in 2000, the Bears have placed four players on the All-Little East Team twice (2003, 2007)…Bridgewater had two players named to the All-Little East First Team on four separate occasions (2001, 2003, 2007, 2010)…Current Bears’ head coach and 2011 BSU Hall of Fame inductee, Erika Smith, is a three-time All-Little East selection as she garnered first team honors in 2003 and second team accolades in 2001 and 2002…From 2000 to 2009, the conference selected just a first and second team.