Durham, N.H.- The top two seeds will meet for the 2010 America East Field Hockey Championship for the fourth straight year as top-seeded University of New Hampshire Wildcats and second-seeded University at Albany Great Danes won semifinal contests on the first day of the conference tournament held at UNH's Memorial Field. New Hampshire and Albany will meet in a rematch of the 2008 title game at 4 p.m. Saturday, November 6.
UNH earned a 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded University of Maine. Second-team all-conference junior Hayley Rausch scored the game-winning goal with 7:06 remaining from dead center of the circle.
First-teamer Whitney Frates fed her the ball with a diving pass forward to set up the play. It was Rausch's second goal of the game, as she also scored the first tally of the game for the Wildcats to tie the game at one apiece in the first half. Frates finished with two assists and a goal for the game.
The Black Bears struck first just under eleven minutes into the game. Second-team all-conference forward Jocelyn Mitchell, who finished the game with three points, tallied her 16th goal of the season off of a shot from Brittney Cummings. Less than two minutes later, Rausch netted the equalizer, which was also assisted by Frates.
The America East Offensive Player of the Year Kelly Newton put Maine back on top, 2-1, in the 20th minute by deflecting Mitchell's shot high into the back of the net. It was Newton's league-leading 19th goal of the season, and tied the Black Bears' program record for points in a season (45). Maine's lead again did not stand for long as UNH tied the game at 2-2 late in the first half, where the score would stand until Rausch's gamewinner.
Maine's second-team all-conference goalkeeper Brittany Fleck made nine saves, while her UNH counterpart, Katherine Nagengast, made five stops. The Wildcats outshot the Black Bears, 18-12, and edged them in penalty corners, 7-6.
The Great Danes punched their ticket to their fourth straight final with a 2-1 defeat of third-seeded Boston University. Albany's first-team all-conference forward Christina Patrick assisted on the first goal of the game and then scored the gamewinner for a three-point evening. Not even four minutes into the game, Patrick crossed a pass from the left wing to Chelsea Neff to place into the top right of the cage.
The 2010 Midfielder of the Year Nicole van Oosterom from Boston U. notched the tying goal, unassisted, about three and a half minutes later. The first half ended with the Terriers having a slight advantage in shots, 5-4, and both teams having one penalty corner.
The second half was played just as tightly, with both teams getting off five shots and both squads having two penalty corners, but it was Patrick's eventual gamewinner during the 41st minute that made the difference. The junior redirected Nina Walters' ball into the goal behind Boston U. goalkeeper Amanda Smith at 40:39.
Smith made two saves, while Albany netminders Christine Hoffman and Kristi Troch, the 2010 Goalkeeper of the Year, combined for three saves.
The America East Champion will host the Northeast Conference Champion on Tuesday, November 9 in an NCAA play-in game.