CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- The final weekly field hockey award winners of 2010 helped to give their teams prime positions for the conference championships following the regular season finales on Saturday. Boston University sophomore back Jacinda McLeod (Whangarei, New Zealand/Whangarei Girls) gave the Terriers the third seed with a game-winning goal to pick up the Player of the Week award, while University of New Hampshire back Megan Bozek (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland) threepeat as the Rookie of the Week by playing a hand in the Wildcats' first undefeated league slate.
McLeod helped the Terriers end a three-game losing streak by scoring just 85 seconds into overtime to complete a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Maine in the regular season finale on Saturday. The game-winning goal, McLeod's sixth tally of the season, gave Boston U. the three seed for the upcoming conference championship. McLeod also played a key role in the Boston U. defense that held the Black Bears' attack below its season averages in scoring and shots.
Bozek earned her third straight Rookie of the Week award with a goal in the regular season finale win over Albany. Bozek scored UNH's third goal in the 64th minute to give the Wildcats' a cushion over #15 Albany. The victory gave UNH the America East regular season championship and a 5-0 record in league play. Bozek's efforts in the backfield also helped limit Albany to one goal on just five shots.
The 2010 America East Field Hockey Championship hosted by the University of New Hampshire at Memorial Field in Durham, N.H. begins with the semifinals on Friday, November 5, and concludes with the title game on Saturday, November 6. The America East Champion will host the champion from the Northeast Conference in an NCAA play-in game on Tuesday, November 9.
2010 America East Field Hockey Championship
All games hosted by New Hampshire at Memorial Field
Friday, November 5
#4 Maine at #1 New Hampshire 3 p.m.
#3 Boston U. vs. #2 Albany 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 6
Championship Game 4 p.m.
Tuesday, November 9
NCAA Play-In Game
NEC Champion at America East Champion TBD
Team Notebooks:
#15 Albany (13-5 overall record, 4-1 in America East) dropped the final game of the regular season in a 4-1 loss to New Hampshire on Saturday... Junior forward Christina Patrick (Reading, Pa./Reading Catholic) scored the Great Danes' lone goal... Albany managed just four shots on goal in the game, led by Patrick with two... Goalkeeper Kristi Troch (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) played all 70:00 in the cage, making five saves... The Great Danes have earned the second seed in the conference tournament, making their sixth consecutive appearance in postseason play... Albany will meet Boston U. on Friday in a rematch of last week's shootout win.
#16 Boston University (10-7, 3-2 AE) wrapped up the regular season with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Maine to end a three-game losing streak and secure the No. 3 seed for the America East tournament... After the Black Bears opened the scoring late in the first half, junior Andrea Greene (Santiago, Chile/Universidad Diego Portales) sent the game to overtime in the 69th minute off a corner play that was assisted by sophomore Nicole van Oosterom (Lower Hutt, New Zealand/Chilton Saint James School)... Sophomore Jacinda McLeod (Whangarei, New Zealand/Whangarei Girls) provided the overtime heroics when she blasted home a shot to the lower right corner of the cage off a direct insert from senior Maryette Stuart (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) just 1:25 into the extra session... Senior Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) turned in a strong six-save performance in goal for the Terriers... Smith, Stuart and classmate Allie Dolce (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown) were honored for Senior Day prior to the contest... With the victory, Boston U. secured its seventh straight 10-win season. l Boston U. vs. Maine Highlights l
The Fairfield Stags (9-10, 1-4 AE) won their last regular season game at home against visiting Vermont on Saturday... Amanda Sullivan rebounded an initial shot two minutes into the second half to put Fairifeld on the board. Nearly 20 minutes later, freshman Christy Starsinic finished a pass from freshman Jill Keeney to go up by two... Vermont had one last effort with 30 seconds left in regulation time as Emily Bastiaanse put one past Maddy Sposito to put the Catamounts on the board... Sposito finished the game with five saves... Fairfield enjoyed a 14-10 shot advantage and edged Vermont in penalty corners, 6-4... With the win, the Stags celebrated their five seniors, Sullivan, Anne Nieuwenhuis, Melanie Leo, Michelle Onofrio, and Julianne Bosse... Sullivan is second on the team with 20 points on eight goals and four assists... Leo leads the team with eight assists, as Nieuwenhuis leads the team and the league in defensive saves... Junior Marit Westenberg finished in the lead with 28 points (11G, 6A) on the season... The Stags posted their best season since the 2001 campaign when they had 11 wins.
Maine (13-5, 2-3 AE) dropped its season finale at #16 Boston University on Saturday evening, 2-1, in overtime... Kelly Newton (Vancouver, B.C.) scored the lone goal for Maine... It was Newton's 18th goal of the season, a new career high for her, and it was her 43rd point of the year... She is just two points away from matching Maine's school record for points in a season which was set in 1996 by Annie Elkanich who notched 45 points that season... Newton ends the regular season as the America East leader in total points in conference (11) and points per game (2.20)... The loss to Boston University gave Maine the #4 seed in the America East tournament where it will face top-seeded UNH on Friday... The last time Maine and UNH met, the Wildcats scored the gamewinner at Maine with just five seconds in regulation in hurricane-like conditions... This is the third-straight trip to the America East Championship for Maine... The loss also snapped Maine's five-game win streak as it is 5-1 in the last six games heading into post-season play... The Black Bears finished the regular season with 62 goals, the second year in a row they have notched 60+ goals in a season.
#20 UNH (13-6, 5-0 AE) completed its first undefeated conference campaign with last Saturday’s 4-1 victory against 15th-ranked Albany to capture its first outright league regular-season title since 2000; the Wildcats shared the 2002 regular-season crown… UNH will be the top seed and host the America East Championship on Nov. 5-6; it is the second time the ‘Cats are the #1 seed (2000) and first time the league tourney will be held in Durham, N.H… The 13 victories marks the team’s highest single-season total since the 2000 team won 14 games… UNH entered last week’s national poll at #20; the ‘Cats had not been ranked since the final poll of the 2000 season… UNH limited Albany to five shots… Meg Callanan (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) recorded her first career points with her goal that gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead… Emma Erler (New Hampton, N.H./Newfound Regional) tallied a career-high three points vs. Albany… Both Kyle Lyons (White River Junction, Vt./Kimball Union) and Megan Bozek (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Lakeland) have scored a goal in each of the last three games… Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) has tallied an assist in three consecutive games; Rausch’s 13 assists are the most by a Wildcat since 1998 and tie for No. 5 on the program’s single-season list… Kendall Deck (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) has 11 assists to mark the first time since 2000 that teammates have 10+ assists in a season… UNH has an 8-2 home record with the edge in goals (28-14), shots (145-92) and corners (71-56)... Goalkeeper Katherine Nagengast (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) has a 1.41 GAA and .767 save percentage at home. l UNH vs. Albany Highlights l
Vermont (5-13, 0-5 AE) wrapped up the 2010 season over the weekend with a pair of road losses... The Catamounts fell at Fairfield in their America East finale on Saturday, 2-1... Junior Emily Bastiaanse (Granby, Conn./Granby Memorial) scored the Cats' lone goal, the first of her career... Vermont fell at Dartmouth on Sunday, 9-4... Sophomore Callie Bellimer (Bridgewater, Vt./Woodstock) led the Cats with a pair of goals, the first two of her career... Senior Jenna Horowski (Zionsville, Pa./Emmaus) added a pair of assists in the loss... Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Zygmunt (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) made her first career start against the Big Green, making nine saves.