CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University of Maine junior forward Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario/Earl of March Secondary) and freshman midfielder Alexa Binnendijk (Den Haag, Holland/VCL) swept the America East field hockey awards for the week ending September 19. Mitchell took home the Player of the Week award and Binnendijk received the Rookie of the Week honor after each played a role in extending the Black Bears' win streak to four games.
Mitchell, the second straight Black Bear to earn the Player of the Week award, recorded eight points on four goals last week. Three of her goals came on Friday against Bryant in the form of a hat trick. Mitchell spent little time completing the feat, as all three goals came in a span of 10:54.
Mitchell's fourth goal of the week was an important one. Mitchell scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Sunday to give Maine a 3-2 win over Yale and extend the team's win streak to four games.
Binnendijk registered four points in two games last week. On Friday against Bryant, the freshman scored her first career goal while also adding an assist.
Binnendijk also recorded an assist on the game-tying goal on Sunday against Yale which sent the game into overtime. She recorded seven shots on the week.
America East teams continue to have success during the non-conference slate so far. All six teams have a record of .500 or better, two teams are currently ranked in the national poll, while two others are on the doorstep to the top-20 with a siginficant number of votes. America East teams have winning records against the BIG EAST and Ivy League, as well as wins over teams from the ACC and Big Ten.
Team Notebooks:
#19 Albany (4-2 overall record, 0-0 America East) split two games over the weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich... The Great Danes defeated Quinnipiac, 3-0, before falling to Michigan, 4-3, in a double overtime contest... Forward Christina Patrick (Reading, Pa./Reading Catholic) scored two goals and added an assist, all against Michigan... She scored two game-tying goals, including one in the final 30 seconds of regulation that sent the game into overtime... Freshman Corrine McConville (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) finished with one goal and one assist on the weekend... McConville scored the Great Danes' first goal against Michigan and assisted on the third goal in the win over Quinnipiac... McConville had a team-high 12 shots on the weekend... Freshman Daphne Voormolen (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) scored the gamewinner against Quinnipiac... Goalkeeper Kristi Troch (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) recorded nine saves in two games for a .750 save percentage... The Great Danes have three games in the coming week, starting Monday at St. Louis... Albany will also host Bryant on Friday and visit Massachusetts on Sunday.
#13 Boston University (6-2, 0-0 AE) earned a split over the weekend at the Golden Flash Invitational at Kent State... After a 6-1 loss to No. 5 Michigan State on Saturday, the Terriers rebounded with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Kent State on Sunday... Boston U. fell victim to an efficient Spartan squad that scored on its first four shots and never looked back... Despite the result, the Terriers outshot MSU, 17-8, and held a 10-2 advantage in corners... Sophomore Jacinda McLeod (Whangarei, New Zealand/Whangarei Girls) scored Boston U.'s lone goal off a second-half corner with assists from classmate Rachel White (Norfolk, Va./Maury) and senior Allie Dolce (Jamestown, R.I./North Kingstown)... On Sunday, the Terriers answered an early goal by the Golden Flashes when sophomore Leslie Zules (Killingworth, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) tallied her first goal of the season off a redirect following a long pass by McLeod... Junior Andrea Greene (Santiago, Chile/Universidad Diego Portales) provided the game-winning goal on an impressive individual effort along the left side in the 48th minute... Greene is tied for the league lead in goals with seven and is second in points with 16... Senior Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) earned the win in goal and recorded three saves... The Terriers will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 26) when they play host to Old Dominion at 1 p.m.
The Stags' (4-4, 0-0 AE) four game win streak ended at Hofstra this week as they lost to the Pride, 0-5... So far through their first eight games, Amanda Sullivan (Somers, N.Y./Somers) and Marit Westenberg (The Hague, Netherlands/Maeriant Lyceum) have led the Stags' offense with seven points apiece. In goal, playing seven of eight games has been Maddy Sposito (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) who has a .791 save percentage so far this season... The Stags return home this week to play Holy Cross. Fairfield is undefeated at home this season.
Maine (6-2, 0-0 AE) picked up a pair of wins over the weekend in a home game against Bryant and a road contest at Yale... The two wins stretch Maine's winning streak to four games... The Black Bears notched seven goals in the game against Bryant, the second game in a row that Maine scored seven goals... Goalkeeper Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, British Columbia/Crofton House School) recorded her second shutout of the season in the 7-0 win over Bryant... Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario/Earl of March Secondary) picked up a hat trick in the game against Bryant... Mitchell scored the first three goals for Maine and notched her hat trick in just 10:54... Mitchell and fellow junior Kelly Newton (Vancouver, British Columbia/Crofton House School) are tied for the team lead in goals as they each have seven on the year... Newton leads the team in overall points with 17 on seven goals and three assists... The Black Bears' 3-2 overtime win at Yale was Maine's first overtime decision of the season... The Black Bears will host Quinnipiac on Friday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. before jumping into conference play at home against New Hampshire on Oct. 1.
UNH (6-2, 0-0 AE) was victorious in both games last week with a 3-1 win at home vs. Harvard and a 5-1 road victory against Holy Cross… The 6-2 overall record is UNH’s best start to a season since the 1999 squad went 8-2… Kyle Lyons (White River Junction, Vt./Kimball Union Academy) scored a career-high two goals vs. Holy Cross… Kara Connolly (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) matched her career high of two assists against the Crusaders… Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) recorded a goal and an assist in both games last week… Rausch leads the team in both assists (five) and points (13), and is tied for the team lead in goals (four)… Connolly and Lyons have also scored four goals… Casey Pohlmeyer (Millersville, Md./Severna Park) recorded her first career points with a goal at Holy Cross… Melyssa Woods (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) tallied her first points of the season with a goal in that game… In three relief appearances in goal, Renee Bernier (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kingswood Regional) has not allowed a goal spanning 19:30 of action… In the last 105 minutes, UNH has outshot the opposition 32-6 with a 22-4 edge in penalty corners… The Wildcats are undefeated when taking a 1-0 lead and winless when they surrender the game’s first goal… In five home games, UNH has outscored the opposition 14-4… The Sept. 18 game at Holy Cross marked the first of five consecutive road games… The Wildcats’ next home game is Oct. 6 vs. intrastate rival Dartmouth.
Vermont (4-4, 0-0 AE) went 1-1 on the week in a pair of games in the state of Virginia… The Catamounts opened the road trip with a 4-2 win over William & Mary on Friday night… Trailing 1-0, Vermont rattled off four straight goals on its way to victory… The win was the third straight for the Catamounts… Senior Brittanie Booker (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant) registered her team-high fifth goal of the season to knot the score at 1-1… Sophomore Taylor Silvestro (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) netted what proved to be the gamewinner at the 24:32 mark… Freshman Colleen Slaughter (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) scored her first collegiate goal to wrap up the Vermont scoring… The last time that Vermont won three straight was during the 2008 season when it topped Longwood, Ohio State and Monmouth early in the year… All four Catamounts that scored, each took only one shot apiece… UVM had won its last two games in the state of Virginia until the Cats fell to Virginia Commonwealth, 4-0, on Sunday… Vermont registered only three shots in the game against a team that is receiving votes in the latest national poll… The Catamounts return to action this week when they travel to face Massachusetts on Friday (6 p.m.) and then return home on Sunday to host Monmouth (12 p.m.).