The road to the America East Women's Soccer Championship officially begins on Sunday when eight teams play their league opener. The top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season will earn a spot in the conference tournament field and play for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Maine (3-3-1), which is unbeaten in three of its last four contests, kicks off the slate against UMBC (0-6-1) at 12 p.m. The Black Bears are the top scoring team in America East with 1.43 goals per game and are paced by senior Laura Martel, who individually leads the league with five goals and 10 points. The Retrievers, which snapped a four-game losing skid with a tie against Atlantic 10-foe George Washington last week, are led by goalkeeper Mo Van Vlerah, who is tied for first in the league with 7.57 saves per contest.
Binghamton (3-3-1), which has won a league-best three straight games, visits two-time defending champion Boston University (4-4-2) at 1 p.m. The game will feature two of the top goaltenders in the league as the Bearcats' Jen McEachron and the Terriers' Janie Reilly rank first and second in goals-against average with 0.57 and 0.60 marks, respectively.
Albany (5-5-0), which has already tied its Division I record for wins in a season, will face Vermont in Burlington at 2 p.m. The Great Danes,who are looking for their first-ever America East Championship bid, have scored a league-best 12 goals this season. The Catamounts, in search of their first win of the year, will rely on goalkeeper Eliza Bradley, who is tied for the league lead in saves per game (7.57).
Stony Brook (1-7-1) will host New Hampshire (1-7-1) in a rematch of last year's America East quarterfinal contest. The Seawolves, which won that game and advanced to their first conference title game since 2002, rank fourth in the league in scoring, but last in goals allowed. The Wildcats, who reached the finals in 2007, are looking to snap an eight-game winless streak.