CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- The seeds for the 2009 America East Field Hockey Championship were finalized as the final league games were completed this weekend. Two of the conference contests this weekend were previews of Friday's semifinal tilts.
The America East Championship will be hosted by top-seeded University at Albany at Alumni Turf Field on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7. Friday's semifinals feature the Great Danes facing University of New Hampshire at 1 p.m., while second-seeded Boston University will take on third-seeded University of Maine at 4 p.m. The title game will be held the next day at 4 p.m.
The winner of the four-team tournament will host the NorPac Field Hockey Champion on Tuesday, November 10 in an NCAA Play-In Game. The field of 16 teams for the NCAA Championship will be announced later that night at 8 p.m.
The Terriers defeated the Black Bears in Orono, 1-0, on Sunday to wrap up the two seed and a share of the regular season championship. Both Boston U. and Albany completed the conference slate with 4-1 records, but the Great Danes earned the number one seed based on head-to-head competition. The Boston U. program now has a league-high eleven America East regular season titles, while it is Albany's third regular season crown and second consecutive. The Great Danes and Terriers also shared the 2006 title.
Sixteenth-ranked Albany also faced its semifinal opponent in its regular season finale, falling to New Hampshire by a 2-1 score on Saturday. The Wildcats finished with a 3-2 America East record, tied with Maine. An early season win over UNH gave the Black Bears possession of the three seed and left the four seed to the Wildcats. UNH, winner of six of its last seven games, finishes up the regular season Tuesday night at Harvard before the America East Championship.
Tickets for the America East Field Hockey Championship are $7 for adults, $3 for children 14 and under, and $2 for students with a valid America East ID.