CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Two America East field hockey players finished the regular season on a high note with their first career weekly awards from the conference office. University of New Hampshire senior forward Leah Boody (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) continued her strong play as of late to pick up the league's Player of the Week for the period ending November 1, while Boston University redshirt freshman goalkeeper Julie Collins (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) was tabbed Rookie of the Week.
Boody recorded a goal and an assist to lead UNH to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on the road against a #16 Albany team that had surrendered just one goal in league play entering Saturday's contest. Her assist in the 29th minute helped level the score, 1-1, and then she scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 52nd minute. Boody, who averaged 2.00 points per league game for second in the conference, is receiving her first career weekly award.
Collins preserved a shutout victory for the Terriers in their season finale at Maine, making a career-high five saves in the second half of Sunday's 1-0 road triumph against the Black Bears. Boston U. scored a late goal in the first half and Collins allowed that goal to stand, stopping everything she saw as Maine attempted to tie the contest. She is the third different Terrier rookie to take home this weekly award during the 2009 season.
The 2009 America East Field Hockey Championship will be held at University at Albany's Alumni Turf Field this weekend. Top-seeded Albany will play fourth-seeded University of New Hampshire at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 6, while second-seeded Boston U. and third-seeded Maine will clash at 4 p.m. The winners will face each other on Saturday, November 7 at 4 p.m. for the America East crown.
Team Notebooks:
Despite falling to New Hampshire, 2-1, in its America East finale, #16 UAlbany (12-4 overall record, 4-1 America East record) clinched a share of the regular-season title for the third time, and for the second straight season... UAlbany struck first, getting a goal from Suzy Clephane (Auckland, New Zealand) at the 22:08 mark of the first half... Clephane took assists from Jess Lindsey (Norristown, Pa.) and Tegan Brown (Victoria, Australia) on a penalty corner, taking a hard shot from the top of the circle that found the back of the cage... UAlbany outshot New Hampshire, 13-8, and held a 10-5 advantage in penalty corners... Christine Hoffman (Mertztown, Pa.) and Kristi Troch (Lehigton, Pa.) split time in cage for the Great Danes, with Hoffman making one save and Troch stopping two Wildcat shots... UAlbany will face the Wildcats in the first round of the tournament, at Alumni Turf Field, on Friday afternoon.
Boston University (8-11, 4-1 AE) split its final two games of the regular season, posting a 1-0 conference road win at Maine on Sunday after dropping a 2-0 contest to Providence in its home finale on Friday… Junior Allie Dolce (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown) scored the game’s lone goal against the Black Bears, converting a pass from senior co-captain Nikki Lloyd (Kent, England, Bromley) in the 33rd minute… Junior Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) and redshirt freshman Julie Collins (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) combined for the shutout against Maine, as Smith made three stops in the first half before giving way to Collins, who recorded a career-high five saves in the second half to keep the Black Bears off the board… On Friday, the Terriers doubled up the Friars in shots, 18-9, and earned nine corners to PC’s three, but gave up a goal in each half… Prior to the game, Boston U. honored its four seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program… Lloyd and fellow co-captain Haley Robinson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) were recognized along with Gabby Hajjar (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) and Sheena Berry (Edinburgh, Scotland/University of Edinburgh), who both served as student assistant coaches this season.
Fairfield (5-12, 1-4 AE) finished the regular season with a 1-0 win over the University of Vermont, the team’s first road win of the season. Michelle Onofrio tallied the game’s only goal off a rebound. Megan Ambrose registered her first shutout of the season with four saves, all of which came in the first half…Marit Westenberg finished the year as the team’s top scorer with team highs for goals scored (6) and total points (12). She was one of five Stags to reach double figures in scoring this year joining, Carly McCullough (11 points), Melaine Leo (11 points), Anne Nieuwenhuis (10 points) and Molly Byrnes (10 points)…Ambrose was one of three goalkeepers used by Head Coach Jackie Kane this season, and posted the best numbers of the three with a 1.94 goals against average with a .731 save percentage.. Caitlin O’Donnell (3.80 gaa) and Maddy Sposito (5.53 gaa) also saw time between the posts with O’Donnell earning a team-high 12 starts during the campaign.
Maine (12-6, 3-2 AE) finished the regular season with a 1-0 loss to Boston University at the Maine Field Hockey Complex on Sunday afternoon on senior day in Orono…The Black Bears honored their five seniors, Courtney Gingrich, Mallory Pollard, Jackie D’Amato, Ellen Andrews and Jaime Flagg prior to the game against Boston University…The Black Bears finish the season with 70 total goals, which is the new team record for goals scored in a season…Sophomore Kelly Newton ends the season as the Black Bears’ top scorer with 16 goals and nine assists for 41 total points…Newton’s 16 goals are tied with fellow sophomore Jocelyn Mitchell for the most goals on the team…Newton’s nine assists lead the team this season…Maine has outshot their opponents this season by a large margin of 375-190 and scored 70 goals to their opponents 33…The Black Bears will travel to Albany, N.Y. where they will face Boston University at Alumni Turf Field at 4 p.m. in the first round of the America East Championship…The Terriers own the all-time series with the Black Bears, 23-6…The last time the Black Bears defeated Boston University was last season, 2008, when they won, 2-1, at Boston University.
New Hampshire (11-6, 3-2 AE) recorded a 2-1 victory at 16th-ranked Albany to extend its winning streak to three games and mark the team’s sixth win in the last seven games … Two of those wins were against nationally-ranked teams… To put UNH’s two-goal output in perspective, the Great Danes had allowed just two goals in 10 previous home games this season as well as one goal in four league games, and they had surrendered more than one goal just once in 15 games … Leah Boody (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) recorded a goal and an assist at Albany; she has three goals and two assists for eight points in the last two games… Boody is the team’s second-leading scorer in America East league action with 10 points (four goals, two assists) in five games… Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) extended her school-record point-scoring streak to 17 games with an assist on Boody’s game-winning goal vs. the Great Danes… Shea became just the second UNH Wildcat player to record 50 points in a season (21-8-50)… Whitney Frates (Woodstock, Vt.) is on the verge of recording double digits in both goals (nine) and assists (nine), and that feat has not been accomplished by a ‘Cat since 1998… UNH concludes the regular season Tuesday at Harvard, then begins postseason play Friday in an America East semifinal at Albany… In last year’s league tourney, UA defeated UNH, 2-1, in the championship game… The Wildcats are seeking their first league tournament title since 1998.
Vermont (1-17, 0-5 AE) dropped a pair of games over the final weekend of the season… On Saturday, the Catamounts fell at home to Fairfield, 1-0 in their final America East game of the year… Vermont held a 15-3 edge in penalty corners, but was unable to convert… Senior Kristen Heavens (Harwinton, Conn./Lewis Mills) made seven saves in the game, while sophomore Sarah Becque (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) made her team-high eighth defensive save of the season… Becque entered the week tied for the national lead in defensive saves… On Sunday, Vermont fell to Providence, 4-0… Sunday’s game wrapped up the season for the Catamounts, as seniors Heavens, Joanna Berger (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck), Megan Maynard (Waterbury Center, Vt./Harwood), Sarah Meacham (North Hartland, Vt./Hartford) and Chelsea Stevenson (Crosswicks, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional) were each honored prior to the final home game of their Vermont careers… Heavens made 13 stops in the loss… Sophomore Alana Izzo (Stowe, Vt./Stowe) earned her fourth defensive save of the season against the Friars.