WRAPPING THINGS UP
The Sacred Heart University field hockey team looks to close out the season on a high note on its home field on Friday evening. Though eliminated from postseason contention, the Pioneers have a chance to play spoiler, as Long Island is one of four teams in the mix for the final two spots in the Northeast Conference Championship. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at Johnson Field. The Pios will honor Anna Buhrmann prior to the game.

LAST WEEKEND
SHU split a pair of road games last weekend, but could not find a victory in the game it needed to win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Pios jumped out to a 1-0 lead at Stonehill on Friday, on a 17th-minute goal from Ines Braithwaite, but Stonehill struck shortly on either side of halftime to rally for a 2-1 victory, which eliminated Sacred Heart from postseason contention. SHU rebounded on Sunday, after surrendering a second-quarter goal at Quinnipiac. Bridget McLaughlin and Megan Albert each put home their first collegiate goals in the second half, as the Pios came from behind to deal the Bobcats a 2-1 defeat.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU is currently in a three-way tie for the fourth and final spot in the NEC Championship with Stonehill and Saint Francis, and all three are just one game back of Fairfield for third. LIU defeated both Saint Francis and Stonehill during the regular season, which makes the equation simple for the Sharks: win on Friday and they're in. A loss would require losses by both Saint Francis and Stonehill to extend LIU's season. The Sharks had won three straight NEC games, by a combined score of 14-0, before suffering a 4-0 loss to Rider last Friday, which has put them in a precarious spot heading into the season finale. Kiki Bruning pace's the league's fourth-most potent offense with 16 points on seven goals and two assists.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST LIU
LIU has taken each of the last five meetings between the two teams, though three of those contests were one-goal affairs. The two sides met at LIU a year ago, with the Sharks collecting a 1-0 victory. Kiki Bruning had the game's only goal, in the 38th minute.

UP NEXT
Friday marks the conclusion of the 2024 campaign for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers will return to action in the fall of 2025, for the program's 27th Division I season.