NASHUA, N.H. – The Rivier field hockey team has secured a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason berth for the second time in as many seasons. With a 2-8 conference record, the Raiders earned the No. 8 seed and will travel to New London, N.H. to take on No. 1 Colby-Sawyer on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 12:00 p.m. at Sally Shaw Veitch Track and Turf.
Rivier opened the season with a 3-3 record, highlighted by a dominant 7-0 victory over Salem State for its first win of the campaign. The Raiders then faced a challenging stretch, dropping five consecutive contests before bouncing back with back-to-back victories over Regis (Mass.) and Gordon. Rivier capped off the season with another dominant 7-0 win over Elms, securing its second conference victory and surpassing the team's conference win total from the previous season.
Four Raiders recorded double-digit points on the season. Sophomore
Camdyn Despres led the team with 29 points, totaling 13 goals and three assists. Senior
Brianna Spinelli followed with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists. Her 10 goals cemented her place as the program's all-time leading goal scorer and points leader. Sophomore
Lexi Davies contributed 17 points, recording five goals and seven assists, while first-year
Lauren Bailey added 14 points with six goals and two assists.
Defensively, senior
Sophia Quinlan set both a personal and program record for most defensive saves in a single season, finishing with 13. In goal, first-year
Tatum Flanagan earned all six of Rivier's victories, recording 96 saves, a .623 save percentage, and a 3.26 goals-against average.
Colby-Sawyer concluded their 2026 regular season campaign with a perfect 9-0 record to secure the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Tournament. On the offensive side of the ball, Brooke Farquhar finished with 27 goals and 13 assists for 67 points. Jillian Fredette was the team's second highest points earner with 38 points on 11 goals and 16 assists. In net, Sophie Krauss led the team with 103 saves, a .798 save percentage, and a 1.55 goals-against average.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the GNAC Semifinals, where they will play the winner of No. 4 Saint Joseph's (Me.) and No. 5 New England Col. on Nov. 4.
