CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Three players that were major factors in the opening weekend of conference play in women's soccer have earned America East weekly accolades for the last Monday in September. New Hampshire's Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) was tabbed Player of the Week, while UMBC's Danielle Kell (Willards, Md./Parkside) and Stony Brook's Colleen McKenna (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) shared Rookie of the Week honors.
Kaplan, a junior midfielder, broke a 2-2 deadlock with the eventual game-winning goal in the 79th minute against Binghamton to lead UNH to its first league win of the season and first overall since its season opener on August 24. She also contributed an assist against the Bearcats and tallied another score against Dartmouth on Thursday. Kaplan, who is also an all-conference standout in lacrosse, is second in America East with four assists on the season.
Kell, a freshman midfielder, scored the lone goal in the 61st minute, the first of her collegiate career, in UMBC's 1-0 win over Maine of Sunday. The win was UMBC’s first-ever in seven meetings with the Black Bears and first in an America East opener since the Retrievers joined the league in 2003.
McKenna, a freshman midfielder, tallied the game-winning score in the Seawolves’ 1-0 victory over Hartford on Sunday. McKenna’s goal, a blast from 18 yards out, came in the 19th minute. The win was the first for Stony Brook in 11 all-time meetings with the Hawks.
Boston University downed Albany 2-0 on Sunday to join UMBC, New Hampshire and Stony Brook as winners during the first weekend of league play. America East action heats up this week with eight conference tilts, including Vermont's league opener at home against Hartford on Thursday.
Team Notebooks
Albany (2-10-0, 0-1-0 America East) dropped its America East Conference opener by a score of 2-0 at Boston University on Sept. 28 ... Senior goalkeeper Amber Maisonet (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy), a four-time All-America East selection in softball who has not played soccer competitively since the high school level in 2003, made her fourth career start against the Terriers ... She matched her career high of 10 saves in the losing effort ... Even though she has only gotten one goal of offensive support which came on a penalty kick, Maisonet has posted an .838 save percentage as well as a 1.50 goals against average in her four consecutive starts, including an .833 save percentage versus Boston University ... The UAlbany offense has not scored a regular goal in 443:51 minutes of action ... Junior midfielder Jaclyn Rosada (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) has not missed a match or a start in her career which has spanned 49 matches ... Sophomore Jenna Burke (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) as well as freshmen Annika Hanson (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep), Kendra-Harrell-Vigil (Avondale, Ariz./Westview) and Katie Norwood (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) have started every match on defense ... After surrendering 2.75 goals per game in the first eight matches, the defense has only given up 1.50 goals per game over the last four matches ... UAlbany travels to Maine on Oct. 2 for a 3 p.m. match and then hosts New Hampshire on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.
Binghamton (4-4-1, 0-1-0 America East) dropped a pair of one-goal games during the week - surrendering both game-winning goals in the 79th minute of play. The Bearcats closed out their non-conference schedule with a 2-1 loss to Niagara before suffering a 3-2 defeat to New Hampshire in the America East opener. The loss to UNH marked the sixth straight year Binghamton has dropped their conference opener... Sophomore forward Dani Raske (River Vale, N.J./Pascack) continued her scoring prowess with another brilliant goal. Raske ripped a 28-yard shot to the top netting against Niagara - her fourth tally of the season. She then added an assist against New Hampshire and has a team-high 11 points in nine games... Sophomore back Stefani Knopick (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) sparked a two-goal Bearcats rally against New Hampshire with a pair of header goals - her first collegiate markers... Knopick flicked in a header with her back to the goal early in the second half. Then just 5:38 later, she converted a Raske corner kick to tie the score at 2-2... Junior midfielder Amanda Casares (Rahway, N.J./Rahway) picked up her team-high fifth assist on Knopick’s first goal... Junior keeper Jen McEachron (Hoosick Falls, N.Y./Hoosick Falls) made nine saves in the two games and has a 1.07 goals against average.
Boston University (6-5-0, 1-0-0 America East) exploded on offense this past week, outshooting its opponents by a commanding 45-9 advantage and putting three in the back of the net. The Terriers began the week with a crucial 1-0 victory over Brown In non-conference action before opening its America East slate with a 2-0 win over Albany. Sophomore Shauna Kelleher (Canton, Mass./Fontbonne) led the offense with a goal and an assist against the Great Danes. It was her first collegiate goal and first multi-point contest. Classmate Corie Halasz (Milford, Conn./Lauralton Hall) provided the insurance tally. In the Terriers’ first contest of the week, junior Farrell McClernon provided the heroics with a goal in the 77th minute. Sophomore netminder Janie Reilly (Coral Springs, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) god the nod in both games, making six saves.
Hartford (3-4-3 overall, 0-1-0 America East) split games at Iona and Stony Brook last week. The Hawks rallied late to pull out a 2-1 victory at Iona but dropped their America East opener to Stony Brook by a 1-0 final... Senior Kacey Busque (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) scored a goal and added an assist against Iona, netting the game-winning goal with under 10 minutes to play in the contest. She leads the team in scoring with two goals and three assists for seven points... Freshman goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur(Wilbraham, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson) finished with 14 saves over two games last week, bumping her season total to 51... Hartford will look to pick up its first conference win at Vermont on Thursday, October 2. The Hawks will wrap up the week by hosting UMBC on Sunday, October 5.
Maine (3-2-4, 0-0-0 America East) lost a tough game at UMBC 1-0...Christine LaBelle (Nepean, Ontario/Mother Teresa) had two shots...LaBelle leads the team in shots with 14...Anjelica Hodgson (Nepean, Ontario/John McCrae), V?ronique Fleury (Montreal, Quebec/College Saint Sacrement), Alli Krous (Yakima, Wash./Walla Walla CC) and Courtney Harnais (Braintree, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) all registered shots for Maine...Jasmine Phillips made (Nepean, Ontario/Merivale) made two saves in net...Maine was outshot seven-to-six, but each team had three shots on net...Maine had four corner kicks to UMBC’s three...Maine has 52 shots on net for the season to its opponents’ 38...Hodgson has now started every game since she stepped on campus, a string of 46 straight games...All five of the Black Bear newcomers have played in at least eight of the team’s nine games this season... Maine returns to action on Thursday when the Black Bears host Albany at 12 p.m. before traveling to Binghamton for a 12 p.m. game on Sunday.
UMBC (2-9-0, 0-0-0 America East) split a pair of games last week... The Retrievers fell to Pennsylvania on the road, 3-0, on Sept. 24, then returned home to win their America East Conference opener, 1-0, over Maine on Sept. 28... Making her first start of the season, senior goalie Catie Bukowski (Odenton, Md./Arundel/South Carolina) recorded nine saves against the Quakers... The win over Maine snapped UMBC’s five-game losing streak... It was the Retrievers’ first-ever victory over the Black Bears in seven meetings and their first win in a conference opener since joining the America East in 2003... Freshman midfielder Danielle Kell (Willards, Md./Parkside) scored her first career goal, the game-winner, late in the 61st minute... Sophomore back Christine Sadowski (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) was credited with the assist... Senior goalie Christine Bacinski (Hampstead, Md./Mount de Sales) recorded three saves in her second shutout of the season and the fourth of her career... Both of UMBC’s wins this season have been shutouts... It marks the first time the Retrievers have recorded more than one shutout in a season since 2006 and the first time one goalie has been credited with more than one solo shutout since 2005... UMBC hosts America East rival Binghamton on Oct. 2, then travels to Hartford for its first conference road game on Oct. 5.
New Hampshire (2-7-1, 1-0-0 America East) went 1-1-0 this past week, losing to a tough Dartmouth team in double overtime, 2-1, and collecting a 3-2 win on the road at Binghamton at the perfect time ? the start of conference play ... junior forward Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) tallied two goals and an assist over the course of the week to set a new career high for points in a season (10) ... Kaplan netted the equalizer versus a tough Dartmouth team, and then assisted on the first goal of the game at Binghamton before collecting the game-winner in the 79th minute ... Kaplan leads the team in assists (4) and is second in points ... senior forward Sara Hourihan (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) scored a pair of goals, both of them coming at Binghamton to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead ... Hourihan leads the team in goals (5) and points (11) ... freshman midfielder Stephanie Gilkenson (Cranston, R.I./LaSalle Academy) recorded three assists during the week, the first points of her collegiate career ... Gilkenson assisted on Kaplan’s goal that pulled UNH even against Dartmouth and then notched a career-high two assists to help the Wildcats back into the win column in their America East opener at Binghamton ... senior midfielder Caitlin Whelan (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) also assisted on the equalizer versus Dartmouth ... sophomore midfielder Amy Avitabile (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) tallied an assist on Kaplan’s game-winner at Binghamton ... senior goalkeeper Nikki Golding (Milton, Mass./Milton) set a career high for saves in a game with 12 against Dartmouth ... it was the fourth time this season Golding has either tied or set a new career high for saves in a contest ... Golding made five saves at Binghamton to collect her first win of 2008 ... the Wildcats have now played in eight one-goal games, second most in the conference.
Stony Brook (5-5-0, 1-0-0 America East) won their only game of the week, a 1-0 decision over Hartford in the America East opener ... Junior goalkeeper Marisa Viola made six saves against the Hawks, posting her third shutout of the season ... Freshman Colleen McKenna scored the game-winning goal in the 19th minute against Hartford, her second goal of the season ... Senior Brooke Barbuto assisted on the McKenna goal, her second assist of the season ... McKenna is now second on the team with five points ... The Seawolves defeated Hartford for the first time in 11 meetings between the programs ...The teams had tied their previous two meetings ... SBU won its America East opener for the second straight season ... Stony Brook will take on New Hampshire this week in its only game of the week ... SBU defeated UNH, 1-0, in the regular season in 2007 ... The Seawolves then lost to the Wildcats, 2-1, in overtime in the America East semifinals.
Vermont (2-8-0, 0-0-0 America East) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory at Rider on Saturday in the only game of the week for the Catamounts ... The win also gave first-year head coach Kwame Lloyd his 100th career victory ... He improves his career mark to 100-132-9 in 13 years ... Freshman Emily Perrin (Charlottesville, Va./Charlottesville) and junior Carson Laderoute (Rutland, Vt./Rutland) scored two goals each as the UVM offense exploded for five goals ... The Catamounts last scored five goals in a game in a 5-0 shutout over Drexel on October 31, 2007 ... Lloyd has used 10 different starting lineups in 10 games and 20 different players have started a game this season ... Senior midfielder Kaitlin Francis (Hinesburg, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) is the only Catamount to start all 10 matches this season ... Junior goalkeeper Eliza Bradley (Charlotte, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) made nine saves in the win over Rider and moved into third place all-time among the UVM leaders in saves with 277 for her career ... Vermont opens up America East action this week, the Catamounts host Hartford on Thursday (Oct. 2) and Boston U on Sunday (Oct. 5) during UVM’s Homecoming Weekend.