CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- This week's America East field hockey Player of the Week Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) from University of New Hampshire and Rookie of the Week Chelsea Wagner (Orono, Maine/Orono) from University of Maine each helped her team capture a tournament title last week. Shea, a senior forward, led the Wildcats to the Sheraton Catamount Classic crown, while Wagner, a freshman forward, was a solid contributor to Maine's Black Bear Invite tournament title.
Shea scored three goals last week, extending her goal-scoring streak to five games. Her timely scores led UNH to a pair of wins and a first-place finish at the Sheraton Catamount Field Hockey Classic that was held by UVM and earned her All-Tournament Team recognition. Against Penn, she leveled the score, 1-1 in the ninth minute and struck again with the game-winner with 1:59 remaining in the game to break a 2-2 tie. One day earlier, Shea scored in the 68th minute to secure the 2-0 win against UC Davis.
Wagner played in two Black Bear wins last week, playing key minutes against Yale, a 3-2 overtime victory, and scoring her first career goal against Colgate on Sunday. Her goal came as a result of a cross into the circle which Wagner chipped in for Maine's sixth goal of the afternoon. Wagner is the second Black Bear to be named a rookie of the week this season.
In last week's National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) poll, four of six America East teams were receiving votes: Albany, Boston University, Maine and New Hampshire. The next weekly poll will be released tomorrow, Tuesday, September 15.
Team Notebooks:
UAlbany (3-2 overall record, 0-0 in America East) lost its first games of the season over the weekend, both to nationally-ranked opponents… The Great Danes dropped a 1-0 decision to #15 Massachusetts on Friday before falling to #12 James Madison, 2-1, on Sunday… Freshman Inge Baijens (Rotterdam, Holland/Gemini College) scored UAlbany’s lone goal of the weekend for her first collegiate points… The Great Danes outshot UMass, 18-9, and held a 23-5 advantage in penalty corners… The margins were closer against James Madison, with UAlbany outshooting the Dukes 13-12, while JMU had a 11-10 advantage in penalty corners… UAlbany will host St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday evening at 6 p.m. before traveling to Temple on Sunday for just the second road game of the season.
Boston University (1-5, 0-0 AE) dropped a pair of 4-3 contests to cross-town rivals over the weekend, falling in overtime in its home opener to 10th-ranked and undefeated Boston College on Saturday before falling just short to Northeastern on Sunday… The Terriers gave up a pair of early goals to the Eagles before reeling off three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead early in the second half… The visitors, however, tied it up and won in the fifth minute of overtime… On Sunday, the Huskies held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but the Terriers had an answer each time… Northeastern broke the 3-3 tie with just over a minute left in regulation… Junior Allie Dolce (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown) had a career-high three points in each contest, scoring a goal and an assist against both opponents … Redshirt freshman Rachael White (Norfolk, Va./Maury) scored her first collegiate goal in the game against Northeastern… Sophomore Giovanna Monaco (North Caldwell, N.J/West Essex) started the three-goal run against BC with her first goal of the season… Junior Maryette Stuart (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) tallied her first goal of the year with a converted penalty stroke versus the Eagles… Senior Nikki Lloyd (Kent, England/Bromley) registered her team-leading fourth goal of the year in the Northeastern game and fellow co-captain Haley Robinson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) assisted on the tally for her first point of the year … The Terriers have earned more corners than their opponent in all six games this season.
The Fairfield Stags (2-3, 0-0 AE) split a pair of home games last week, giving the team a 2-2 record through the first four outings of its six-game home stand. Defender Melanie Leo (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) scored the game-winning goal against Sacred Heart with two minutes remaining in regulation. Fairfield defenders have five of the team’s 11 goals this season with three coming off the stick of Anne Nieuwenhuis (Leidschendam, Netherlands)… Leo finished the week with five points and leads the team in scoring with seven points (two goals, three assists)… Caitlin O’Donnell (Flourtown, Pa./ Mt. St. Joseph) remains busy in the Fairfield goal, making 45 saves in five games for a 9.0 save average. She also remains above the 70 percent mark for save percentage… Fairfield plays two more home games this week which will conclude its six-game run, hosting Bryant on September 16 and Drexel on September 19. After the Drexel game, the Stags will play seven of its final 10 games on the road. Fairfield has two home America East games this year, the first coming on October 10 against Boston University.
Maine (4-1, 0-0 AE) knocked off Yale on Friday afternoon, 3-2 in overtime. Maine started the scoring early when Máire Dineen (Toronto, Ontario/Michael Power/St.Joseph) scored 2:49 into the game off a Lelia Sacré (North Delta, British Columbia/Syracuse) penalty corner… The Black Bears would go up 2-0 when Kelly Newton (Vancouver, British Columbia/Crofton House) scored with a tip in off a Stephanie Gardiner (Vancouver, British Columbia/Crofton House) shot… Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario/Earl of March Secondary) scored the game-winner 3:15 into overtime when she broke in all alone on Yale goalkeeper Charlotte Goins. Mitchell put a great fake on the keeper and deposited the ball into the left corner of the cage for the victory… On Sunday, Maine defeated Colgate 7-1 to win the Black Bear Invitational… The Black Bears received goals from five different players, including Rookie of the Week Chelsea Wagner (Orono, Maine/Orono) and Molly Arute (Jackson, Maine/Mt.View) who each scored their first career goals… Maine’s Newton started the scoring at 14:07 when she scored off a feed from Kallie Aldus (Belfast, Maine/Belfast)… Arute put the Black Bears up 4-0 with no time on the clock to end the half… Gardiner started the scoring in the second half when she scored the first of her two goals, the second putting the Raiders away and the Black Bears up 7-0… Mitchell and Gardiner each have 13 points for the team lead…Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, British Columbia/C rofton House) is 4-1 in the cage with a 1.52 GAA and 22 saves.
New Hampshire (3-2, 0-0 AE) captured first place at the Sheraton Catamount Field Hockey Classic by defeating both UC Davis (2-0) and Penn (3-2)… UNH’s Kate Collins Smyth (Parteen, County Claire, Ireland/Crescent Comprehensive), Kendall Deck (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Whitney Frates (Woodstock, Vt./Kimball Union) and Player of the Week Meg Shea (Melrose, Mass.) were selected to the All-Tournament Team… Shea extended her goal-scoring streak to five games with one tally vs. UC Davis and two, including the game-winning goal with 1:59 remaining in the game, against Penn… With eight goals this season, Shea has accounted for half of the team’s 16 goals in five games … Collins Smyth matched her personal best of two assists vs. the Quakers… Frates tallied a goal and an assist against Penn, and had a team-high five shots vs. UC Davis… Katherine Nagensgast (Westborough, Mass./Wesborough) recorded her first career shutout with a two-save effort against UC Davis… Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) registered a career-high two assists against the Aggies… UNH generated a 39-13 shot advantage at the tourney and has outshot the opposition, 102-63, overall this season; that includes a 65-36 edge in the first half… UNH returns to action Sept. 19 (1 p.m.) at home against Holy Cross… The game scheduled for Sept. 16 at Harvard has been postponed with no makeup date available at this time.
Vermont (1-5, 0-0 America East) went 1-1 on the week, as it hosted the fourth-annual Sheraton Catamount Classic over the weekend… The Catamounts picked up their first win of the season on Sunday when they defeated UC Davis, 3-0… Senior Megan Maynard (Waterbury Center, Vt./Harwood) led UVM with a pair of goals against the Aggies, while classmate Chelsea Stevenson (Crosswicks, N.J./North Burlington Regional) scored her first career goal and added an assist… Freshman Taylor Silvestro (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) earned her first collegiate point with an assist on Stevenson’s goal… Senior Kristen Heavens (Harwinton, Conn./Lewis Mills) picked up her ninth career shutout in the win, stopping all five shots she faced… Heavens is now one win shy of trying the school’s all-time record… Sophomore Allison Barnaby (Hampton, N.H./Governor Dummer Academy) made her first career start vs. UC Davis … In the Cats’ opening game of the classic they fell to Penn, 1-0 on Saturday… Vermont returns to action on Friday when it travels to face #19 Ohio State starting at 3 p.m. and will then face Central Michigan on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.
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