CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--As conference play got underway last weekend, Maine and Albany both produced high-scoring affairs and players from each team picked up weekly awards for their hands in their teams' wins. Black Bear forward Stephanie Gardiner (Vancouver, British Columbia/Crofton House School) helped Maine go 2-0 on the week and was named America East Player of the Week, while Great Dane forward Inge Baijens (Rotterdam, Holland/Gemini College) earned the Rookie of the Week award for her offensive output.
Gardiner scored three goals and added an assist in Maine's two weekend wins. The sophomore forward recorded two of those goals and the assist in a 6-3 win over the America East coaches' preseason favorite, New Hampshire, in a rematch of last year's semifinal contest which went into overtime. Gardiner tacked on a goal in Sunday's win at Holy Cross to complete her seven-point weekend. She's tied for first in the league with eight assists and she ranks fourth in the conference in both goals and points this season.
Baijens scored two goals, including the gamewinner, in the Great Danes' 7-1 win over Fairfield in the America East Conference opener on Saturday. The freshman forward scored the first goal of the game just 2:45 into play and she netted her second goal before the half with an unassisted reverse stick shot that sailed past the Fairfield goalkeeper to find the back of the cage. Baijens recorded three shots, all on goal, in the two games against the Stags and #6 Syracuse.
The conference schedule now pits Albany, the league's stingiest defense, and Maine, the top-scoring offense, head-to-head Saturday in Orono. Also on tap this weekend in league action is Boston U. at Fairfield and New Hampshrie at Vermont, both games also on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Wilcats have a busy week ahead of them, as they also travel to face Dartmouth Wednesday afternoon and to Harvard to play Michigan on Sunday. Maine will entertain Brown at 1 p.m. on Sunday to wrap up its week.
Team Notebooks:
#20 UAlbany (8-3 overall record, 1-0 America East record) recorded a 7-1 win over Fairfield in the America East Conference opener on Saturday, before falling to #6 Syracuse, 1-0, on Sunday… This was the first week the Great Danes were ranked in the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches’ Poll, after receiving votes all season… Senior forward Nicole Savage (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./James M. Coughlin) scored three goals against the Stags… She recorded two unassisted goals with hard shots from the top of the circle, and added a third on a penalty corner… Savage also recorded two assists in the game… She tallied eight shots on the week, with six against Fairfield and a team-high two against Syracuse… Rookie of the Week Inge Baijens (Rotterdam, Holland/Gemini College) scored two goals, including the gamewinner, in the victory over Fairfield… She scored the first goal of the game just 2:45 into play with an assist from Savage and netted her second goal before the half with an unassisted reverse stick shot from the left side of the circle… Junior defender Suzy Clephane (Auckland, New Zealand/Diocesian/Bethlehem) also scored two goals in the game, both coming on penalty corner opportunities… Jess Lindsey (Morristown, Pa./Methacton) continues to add to her school-record assist count, getting three helpers versus the Stags… Freshman Tegan Brown (Victoria, Australia/Berwick) also recorded two assists… Junior goalkeeper Christine Hoffman (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) has allowed just one goal this season, and is currently leading the nation with a 0.18 goals against average… The Great Danes will visit conference foe Maine on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Boston University (4-8, 1-0 AE) split its two games on the weekend, earning a 2-0 home victory over Vermont in its conference opener on Saturday before dropping a 5-1 decision to No. 13 Duke in a neutral-site game at Boston College on Sunday… The Terriers overcame a 17-save performance from Vermont goalkeeper Kristen Heavens, breaking a scoreless tie with two goals in the final seven minutes of regulation… Sophomore Giovanna Monaco (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) opened the scoring at the 63:13 mark when she took a pass from senior Nikki Lloyd (Kent, England/Bromley) and darted toward the cage before slipping a shot past Heavens… Just over five minutes later on Boston U.’s 17th and final corner of the day, junior Allie Dolce (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown) sent a direct insert to freshman Nicole van Oosterom (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Chilton Saint James School), who blasted the ball to the right corner of the cage from the left side of the circle… Junior Maryette Stuart (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) scored the Terriers’ lone goal against the Blue Devils on Sunday, converting a penalty stroke for the second time this season… The Terriers oushot Duke, 12-10, and each side earned three corners … Junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) recorded her second shutout of the season in the win over the Catamounts and added three saves in the Duke game … The Terriers will return to action on Saturday (Oct. 10) when they visit Fairfield for a 1 p.m. conference contest.
The Stags (4-7, 0-1 AE) split a pair of games last week, starting off with a 2-1 win over Brown University before losing their conference opener to nationally-ranked Albany. Albany was the third nationally-ranked team that Fairfield has played in the first 11 games, also taking on the University of Connecticut and Drexel University… Melanie Leo (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) picked up a pair of assists last week, giving the defender six assists for the season. She will move into the program’s all-time single-season leader list with her next assist. She would become the 12th player in school history to reach seven assists in a season, and is just five assists away from tying the all-time record of 11 set by Alexia Kennedy in 2001… Goalkeeper Megan Ambrose (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne Oak Hill) picked up her first minutes of the season in the Fairfield goal last week. She played the second half in Fairfield’s 2-1 win over Brown and was credited with the win as the Stags used a second-half comeback to win the game. She also appeared in the second half against Albany, surrendering two goals in 35 minutes. Ambrose posted a 2.00 goals against average and an .818 save percentage (nine saves) for the week…Fairfield resumes its America East schedule when it hosts Boston University on October 10 at 1 p.m.
Maine (9-3, 1-0 AE) picked up two wins this weekend, including its first conference win of the season. The Black Bears defeated New Hampshire on Saturday, 6-3. Kelly Newton (Vancouver, B.C./Crofton House) scored the first goal of the game with the assist coming from Player of the Week Stephanie Gardiner (Vancouver, B.C./Crofton House). The assist was Gardiner’s team-leading eighth of the season. Maine was led by Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario/Earl of March Secondary) and Gardiner who each had two goals and one assist. On Sunday afternoon, Maine picked up its ninth win when it defeated Holy Cross, 5-1, in Worcester, Mass. Kelly Newton led Maine with two goals. With her 13th and 14th goal of the season, Newton now leads the team in total points with 35. Mitchell also scored a goal which was her team-leading 15th on the season. Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, B.C./Crofton House) picked up both victories in the cage for the Black Bears. Fleck now has a 1.77 GAA on the season with 58 saves and a 9-3 record. The Black Bears have scored 54 goals on the season, 19 more than they scored all of the 2008 season. Maine is averaging 4.50 goals per game. Newton was Maine’s high scorer last year with 25 total points. Newton is already 10 points ahead of that pace with six games still left to play. The Black Bears have two home games next weekend with a 1 p.m. match-up with Albany on Saturday before taking on Brown on Sunday at 1 p.m.
New Hampshire (5-5, 0-1 AE) was upended 6-3 by Maine in its league opener and then was fended off down the stretch by Northeastern in a 3-2 loss… Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) extended her point-scoring streak to 10 games with a five-point effort against Maine and a goal at NU… It is the longest point-scoring streak by a Wildcat in the 19-year tenure of head coach Robin Balducci… With that goal at NU, Shea moved into 10th place on UNH’s career points leaderboard with 73; she is currently tied for seventh in career goals (32)… Whitney Frates (Woodstock, Vt./Kimball Union Academy) has tallied a point in seven of 10 games; she recorded a goal and an assist at Northeastern and scored a goal vs. Maine in last weekend’s action… UNH has used the same starting lineup in nine of 10 games this season… UNH has surrendered just five goals in its five wins and 25 goals in its five losses… UNH battles Dartmouth College, Vermont and Michigan this week… The Wildcats have not played Michigan since the 2004 season.
Vermont (1-11, 0-1 AE) went 0-3 on the week, including dropping its America East opener… The Cats opened the week at home vs. Dartmouth, falling in double overtime, 3-2 … Junior Brittanie Booker (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant) recorded her first career goal against the Big Green, while senior Chelsea Stevenson (Crosswicks, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional) scored her fourth goal in a five-game stretch… Vermont fell to Boston U. 2-0 on Saturday in the league opener for both teams… Senior goalkeeper Kristen Heavens (Harwinton, Conn./Lewis Mills) stopped a career-high 17 shots in the loss… On Sunday, sophomore Allison Barnaby (Hampton, N.H./Governor Dummer) scored a pair of goals, as the Cats fell to Brown, 3-2 in strokes… The goals were the first collegiate points of Barnaby’s career… Sophomore Holly Davis (Greene, N.Y./Greene) recorded her first career point with an assist in the game… After not playing an overtime contest in their first nine games, the Cats have now played extra frames in two of their last three outings … Vermont has only one game on tap this weekend, when it welcomes New Hampshire to Moulton Winder Field on Saturday afternoon starting at 1 p.m.
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