CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University of New Hampshire's Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) and Boston University's Nicole van Oosterom (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Chilton Saint James) helped their respective teams pick up wins in America East play to earn league Player and Rookie of the Week awards, respectively. Both awards are for the period ending October 11.
Shea. a senior forward, recorded 11 points on five goals and an assist, including two game-winning goals, to lead UNH to three victories last week. She capped the week with the game-winning goal in double overtime against Michigan, extending her point-scoring streak to 13 games. One day earlier, Shea recorded a goal and an assist in the second half to spark UNH to a 3-1 road win over Vermont. Her assist set up the game-winning goal in the 42nd minute. Shea opened the week by matching her personal bests in both goals (three) and points (six) in a 4-0 win at Dartmouth. This is Shea's second Player of the Week award this season.
Van Oosterom had the best game of her young career, tallying two goals and adding as assist in the Terriers' 5-0 conference victory at Fairfield on Saturday. She registered a pair of unassisted tallies in the 23rd and 37th minutes and assisted on Boston U.'s final goal with just under four minutes left in regulation. She also had a hand in another goal, as a shot of hers was saved in the 42nd minute but the rebound was knocked in by a teammate.
Team Notebooks:
#19 UAlbany (9-3 overall record, 2-0 record in America East) recorded a 1-0 win over America East Conference rival Maine in the only game of the week… The Great Danes, who were ranked for the second straight week last week, got the only goal they would need from sophomore forward Christina Patrick (Reading, Pa./Reading Catholic)… After a scoreless first half, Patrick took assists from Jess Lindsey (Norristown, Pa./Methacton) and Tegan Brown (Victoria, Australia/Berwick) on a penalty corner opportunity, and found the back of the cage… Brown, freshman Inge Baijens (Rotterdam, Holland/Gemini College) and Suzy Clephane (Auckland, New Zealand/Diocesian) all recorded three shots in the game… Goalkeepers Christine Hoffman (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) and Kristi Troch (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) continue to split time in the cage for UAlbany… Hoffman got the starting nod against the Black Bears, making four saves, while Troch relieved Hoffman at halftime, stopping two shots in the cage for the Great Danes… UAlbany will return to action on Saturday, hosting Vermont at 1 p.m., before welcoming crosstown-rival Siena on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Boston University (5-8, 2-0 AE) had its first one-game week of the season and made it a successful one, posting a 5-0 road victory over Fairfield on Saturday to improve to 2-0 in America East play… Freshmen accounted for all the scoring, led by a five-point day (2g, 1a) from Rookie of the Week Nicole van Oosterom (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Chilton Saint James School)… Fellow New Zealand native Jacinda McLeod (Whangarei, New Zealand/Whangarei Girls) opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner on a goal off a corner for her third tally of the year… van Oosterom then added consecutive unassisted goals in the 23rd and 37th minutes to give the Terriers a 3-0 lead in the early stages of the second half… Redshirt freshman Rachael White (Norfolk, Va./Maury) added her second goal of the season at the 41:46 mark when she sent home a rebound off a shot by van Oosterom… Redshirt freshman Leslie Zules (Killingworth, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) capped the scoring with just under four minutes left in regulation when she knocked in a pass from van Oosterom… Junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) stopped both shots she faced before giving way to redshirt freshman Julie Collins (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills), who played the final 3:24 and completed the shutout… The Terriers have shut out both of their conference opponents this season… Boston U. will return to action on Wednesday when it visits Harvard for a 6 p.m. game before hosting UNH on Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference match-up.
The Fairfield University (4-8, 0-2 AE) field hockey team will return to non-conference play this week when it travels to Lehigh University on Wednesday afternoon. The Stags will play its next conference game on Saturday afternoon against the University of Maine. It will mark the final home game for the Class of 2010... Fairfield played two goalkeepers for the third straight game, each student athlete playing a half. However, sophomore Megan Ambrose gained her first start of the season in the Boston University game, yielding two goals in her 35 minutes of work. Ambrose has allowed four goals in 105 minutes since moving into the platooning. She has shared the last three games with Caitlin O'Donnell... Fairfield needs a win in its home finale this Saturday in order to finish the 2009 campaign with a winning record at University Field. The Stags own a 4-4 record at home this season... Three Fairfield student-athletes are tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points, namely forward Marit Westenberg (five goals), defender Anne Niewenhuis (four goals, two assists), and defender Melanie Leo (two goals, six assists).
Maine (10-4, 1-1 AE) split their games this weekend at home with a 1-0 loss to #19 Albany on Saturday before picking up a 8-2 victory against Brown University on Sunday...Courtney Veinotte (Caanan, Maine) and Kelly Newton (Vancouver, B.C.) each had two goals in the win against Brown… Maine also got goals from Mallory Anderson (North Hampton, N.H.) and Michelle Niedziejko (West Chester, Pa.) which were their first goals of the season… Cassandra Mendonca (Thornhill, Ontario) recorded her first point of the season against Brown when she assisted on Niedziejko’s goal… Newton had six points on the weekend with her two goals and two assists… The loss against Albany was the first time the Black Bears have been defeated at home this year… Newton leads the Black Bears with 41 total points (16G, 9A) with sophomore Jocelyn Mitchell second on the team in total points with 35 (16G, 3A)… Newton and Mitchell’s 16 goals are just five shy of the school-record for goals scored in a season by a single player… Newton’s nine assists are also a team high… The Black Bears have scored 62 goals this season, just one goal shy of the all-time school record for goals scored in a season by a team… Maine is putting great pressure on teams, out shooting their opponents 286-139 and out scoring their opponents 62-24…Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, B.C.) has been solid in the cage for the Black Bears, making 64 saves and sporting a 10-4 record to go along with a 1.72 goals against average and a .744 save percentage…The Black Bears return to America East action next weekend when they travel to take on Fairfield.
New Hampshire (8-5, 1-1 AE) won three games away from home last week with road wins against Dartmouth (4-0) and Vermont (3-1) as well as a neutral-site victory vs. Michigan (3-2 in double overtime)… It was the first overtime game of the season for the Wildcats, who won two of six OT games a year ago… Player of the Week Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) has tallied a point in all 13 games this season; she opened the year with a seven-game goal scoring streak and has tallied a goal in each of the last five games … Shea’s 18 goals ranks fifth on UNH’s list of single-season superlatives, and her 40 points is tied for fourth on that list … Katherine Nagengast (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) stopped 15 of 18 shots in 232:55 of action last week for a 0.90 goals-against-average and .833 save percentage… Nagengast made seven saves, including one in each overtime session, vs. Michigan… She also received help from her backfield in overtime, as both Kyle Lyons (White River Junction, Vt./Kimball Union Academy) and Kara Connolly (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) made defensive saves; Connolly also tallied an assist on the game-winning goal vs. the Wolverines… UNH is 3-0 in neutral-site games this season… UNH is 8-0 when it records the shot advantage, as well as 5-2 when tallying the edge in penalty corners.
Vermont (1-12, 0-2 AE) dropped its only game of the week, falling to New Hampshire 3-1 at home on Saturday … Sophomore Sarah Becque (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) scored her first collegiate goal to give Vermont a 1-0 advantage 14:34 into the contest … Off a corner, Becque took the original shot and then charged the net and put home a rebound… Senior Kristen Heavens (Harwinton, Conn./Lewis Mills) made seven saves for the Catamounts… Becque also added her team-high fifth defensive save of the season in the game, as she ranks among the national leaders in the category… Vermont’s last three goals have all been scored by sophomores… The Catamounts return to action next Saturday when they travel to face Albany in league play starting at 3 p.m.… Vermont plays its next two games on the road and ends the season with three straight at Moulton Winder Field.
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