WEST HARTFORD, CONN. – No. 1 Hartford and No. 3 Maine will play for the America East Championship on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. on Al Marzook Field in West Hartford. The Hawks and Black Bears won their respective semifinal games on Sunday. Hartford earned a 2-1 win over No. 5 New Hampshire, while Maine used a 2-0 advantage in penalty kicks to break a scoreless deadlock and advance past Boston University.
After 110 minutes of scoreless play, Maine used a 2-0 advantage in penalty kicks to advance to the America East Championship game for the fourth-straight year.
Maine’s Marie-Andree Canuel (St.-Jean-Chrysostome, Quebec/F.X.Garneau) and Kim Stephenson (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) each netted goals during the penalty kick session.
Maine’s goalkeeper Jasmine Phillips (Nepean, Ontario/Merivale) made 10 saves en route to the shutout.
The top-seeded Hawks used a pair of first-half goals to power the 2-1 win. Meagan Riemer (Ellington, Conn./Ellington/Sacred Heart) scored at 14:25 to give Hartford a 1-0 lead. Kacey Busque (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) added an insurance goal at 39:37. The Wildcats answered that goal just 33 seconds later as Sara Hourihan (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) found the back of the net off a rebound of a Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) shot, who was credited with the assist to make it 2-1. Neither team scored in the second half as the Hawks led on for the win.
Hawks’ Liz Cook (Halifax, Nova Scotia/Halifax Grammar) made five saves, while UNH’s Lynn Gugliuzza (Kenmore, N.Y./Kenmore West) had six save.
Hartford returns to the America East Championship title game for the first-time since 2002. In 2002, the Hawks defeated Stony Brook 4-0 to earn the crown.
Live scoreboards for all rounds of the 2006 America East Women’s Soccer Championship will be available over the internet via Championship LIVE! at the conference’s official website www.AmericaEast.com.
2006 America East Women’s Soccer Championship
First Round at Hartford’s Al Marzook Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
Friday, October 27
Game 1: No. 5 New Hampshire 0, vs. No. 4 Binghamton 0 (New Hampshire advances, 4-2, PKs)
Game 2: No. 3 Maine 2, vs. No. 6 Vermont 0
Semifinals at Hartford’s Al Marzook Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
Sunday, October 29
Game 3: No. 3 Maine 0, vs. No. 2 Boston University 0 (Maine advances, 2-0, PKs)
Game 4: at No. 1 Hartford 2, No. 5 New Hampshire 1
Championship Game at Hartford’s Al Marzook Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
Saturday, November 4
Game 5: No. 3 Maine at No. 1 Hartford, 2 p.m.