NEED IT, GOTTA HAVE IT
It's officially now or never time for the Sacred Heart University field hockey team, which will have its back against the wall on the road on Friday afternoon. The Pioneers travel to Stonehill for a 3 p.m. Northeast Conference contest, and the only way for the squad to keep its postseason hopes alive is with a win. SHU will also need help down the stretch to qualify for the NEC Championship, but first, the red and white must control what they can control.

LAST WEEKEND
SHU is up against it this weekend because things did not go its way last weekend. The Pios were on their home field twice, but got shutout twice, by NEC opponents Fairfield (1-0) and Rider (3-0). The losses have put Sacred Heart in a place where it must win its two remaining NEC games, plus have Saint Francis and LIU lose twice each, to make its way into the postseason.

SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill finds itself in a very similar situation, though with three NEC games still to go. The Skyhawks need wins and they need them now, after getting swept on a weekend trip through the New York islands last week. Stonehill dropped a 3-2 (OT) decision on Staten Island at Wagner on Friday, and then had its doors blown off at Long Island on Sunday, 5-0. Tyra Stark leads the offense with 11 points on five goals and one assist, but Stonehill has been outscored 35-20 across its 15 games.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST STONEHILL
The two teams have just two previous meetings, as the Skyhawks just elevated to Division I and joined the NEC in 2022. SHU has won both contests thus far, with a 4-2 victory at Stonehill in 2022 and a 2-0 triumph on its home field in 2023. Aine Keane and Claire Skumurski had the goals for the PIos a year ago.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Quinnipiac is in a bit of a freefall and has lost nine straight since a 7-1 win against Merrimack in mid-September. The Bobcats have not scored in their last three games, with shutout losses to Connecticut (6-0), Brown (4-0) and Liberty (9-0) over the last two weeks. QU has been outscored by a stunning, 50-19 margin over its 15 games. Francisca Eschoyez is the bright spot offensively, with 10 goals and an assist for 21 points. The Bobcats will host Old Dominion on Friday before welcome SHU on Sunday.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST QUINNIPIAC
With just a short distance between the two schools, the teams have met on a regular basis since at least 2000. Quinnipiac had won 11 straight against SHU, dating to 2009, before the Pioneers pulled off a 2-1 win over the Bobcats at Johnson Field last season. Isabelle Chamberlain and Amelia Pellegrini had the goals, as the Pioneers erased an early 1-0 deficit to pick up the victory.

UP NEXT
SHU wraps up the regular season next Friday, at home against NEC foe LIU. Game time is 5 p.m. at Johnson Field in New Haven, Conn.