CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- With help from America East Player of the Week Christina Patrick (Reading, Pa./Reading Catholic) and Rookie of the Week Corrine McConville (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton), University at Albany went 3-0 last week as the conference slate begins this week.
Patrick, who leads the Great Danes in goals (8) and points (19), scored at least one goal in each game last week, finishing with four goals and one assist on 14 shots. In the final game of the week, Patrick scored the goal needed to defeat UMass on the road, finding the back of the cage on a tough-angle shot. Earlier in the week, the junior forward tallied two goals in a 6-1 win over St. Louis, and a goal and an assist in a shutout win over Bryant.
McConville scored three goals in three games for the Great Danes last week on a team-high 18 shots. She scored once at St. Louis, and then struck for two more, including the gamewinner, in the 3-0 win over Bryant. Both goals against the Bulldogs came on penalty corners, with hard, direct shots on the cage. The rookie forward has 10 points on the season and leads America East in shots with 42 on the season.
America East Conference play begins this Friday with Vermont hosting preseason favorite Boston University at 3 p.m. and Maine welcoming New Hampshire for a 5 p.m. contest. Fairfield entertains Albany on Saturday at 2 p.m. in each team's league-opener. A slew of interesting non-conference match-ups are set for Sunday, including the Terriers' trip to North Carolina to face #13 Duke and the Wildcat's excursion to Boston to play former league-foe Northeastern.
Team Notebooks:
#19 Albany (7-2 overall, 0-0 America East) won all three games played last week, including shutout wins over Bryant and Massachusetts... The Great Danes defeated Saint Louis, 6-1, and UMass, 1-0, on the road, while defeating Bryant, 3-0, at home... The Great Danes outshot their opponents, 79-22, for the week, including a 41-7 margin at Saint Louis and a 27-2 advantage against Bryant... Junior forward Christina Patrick (Reading, Pa./Reading Catholic) led the Great Danes with four goals and one assist on the week... Patrick scored two goals against Saint Louis and added one in both games against Bryant and UMass... Freshman forward Corrine McConville (Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton) scored three goals on the week, including two versus Bryant... Goalkeepers Kristi Troch (Lehighton, Pa./Lehigton) and Christine Hoffman (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) combined for 12 saves on the week... Troch did not allow a goal in 105 minutes played... Albany will play three games this week, hosting crosstown-rival Siena on Tuesday before visiting Fairfield and Providence on Saturday and Sunday.
#11 Boston University (6-3, 0-0 AE) dropped a hard-fought 1-0 contest to perennial power Old Dominion on Sunday... The Terriers recorded 16 shots and earned a season-high 12 corners but were unable to get on the board... ODU broke the scoreless deadlock 3:34 into the second half off its only corner of the contest... Boston U. held a 16-6 advantage in shots for the game and controlled possession for the vast majority of the contest... Senior goalkeeper Amanda Smith (Avon, Conn./Avon) recorded three saves for the Terriers... Boston U. appeared at No. 8 in the first NCAA RPI ratings of the season... The Terriers have their highest national ranking since 1996, as they were 11th in last week's Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I Coaches' Poll... The Terriers will return to action on Friday (Oct. 1) when they open America East play with a road contest against Vermont... Game time is set for 3 p.m... They will then travel to Durham, N.C., to take on #13 Duke on Sunday (Oct. 3) at 1 p.m. l Old Dominion Highlights l
After a 5-0 loss to Hofstra University last weekend, the Stags (5-4, 0-0 AE) returned home to their undefeated turf. The Stags are now 3-0 at University Field, and 5-4 overall after holding off Holy Cross 2-1... The Stags were led by seniors Anne Nieuwenhuis (Leidschendem, Netherlands), Melanie Leo (Mountaintop, Pa.) and Amanda Sullivan (Somers N.Y.). Nieuwenhuis tallied both of the Stags' goals off penalty corners from fellow classmate Leo. Amanda Sullivan assisted Nieuwenhuis' first goal off a penalty corner to go ahead 1-0... The Crusaders evened it out early in the second half off a goal from Jamie Caniglia, but Nieuwenhuis answered right back with her second, and game-winning, goal... Leo finished with two assists, and Sullivan with one... Junior Caitlin O'Donnell (Flourtown, Pa.) earned the win in goal playing all 70 minutes and recording three saves... The Stags will return to action on Tuesday (September 28) as they travel to Providence R.I. to take on Brown University. They finish the week at home with back to back games on the weekend as they open conference play October 2 against Albany, and then play St. Joseph's on Sunday (October 3).
Maine (7-2, 0-0 AE) picked up its fifth win in a row when it defeated Quinnipiac, 6-1, at the Maine Field Hockey Complex on Friday evening... Junior Jocelyn Mitchell (Kanata, Ontario) picked up her second hat trick in three games, recording the hat trick in just 14:27 and scoring her first goal just 19 seconds into the contest... Junior Stephanie Gardiner (Vancouver, British Columbia) scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the win... With the win, Maine climbs to a perfect 4-0 on its home turf... Mitchell now has 10 goals on the year and seven in her last three games... During their current five-game win streak, the Black Bears are outscoring their opponents by a 25-6 margin... Senior goalkeeper Brittany Fleck (Vancouver, British Columbia) has won her last six decisions and has lowered her goals against average to 0.99... Maine will open up conference play on Friday when New Hampshire comes to the Maine Field Hockey Complex.
UNH (7-3, 0-0 AE) split a pair of games in the state of Michigan last week with a 2-1 loss to Michigan and a 4-1 victory vs. Central Michigan... Sophomore midfielder Emma Erler (New Hampton, N.H./Newfound Regional) scored her first collegiate goal against Michigan; that tally pulled the Wildcats into a 1-1 second-half tie... Junior forward Whitney Frates (Woodstock, Vt./Kimball Union Academy) recorded her second career multiple-goal game and equaled her personal best of two goals vs. CMU; the four points also matched her career high... Freshman forward Tori Welch (East Hampstead, N.H., Pinkerton Academy) tallied her first career multiple-assist game with two against Central Michigan... Frates, senior captain Kara Connolly (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) and junior back Kyle Lyons (White River Junction, Vt./Kimball Union Academy) are tied for the team lead in goals with five apiece... Kendall Deck (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) tallied her team-leading sixth assist of the season at UM... In eight September games, the Wildcats went 5-3 while averaging 2.63 goals per game and yielding 2.25 gpg; the 'Cats scored 2+ goals six times and surrendered 2+ goals three times... UNH opens the America East portion of its schedule Oct. 1 at Maine.
Vermont (4-6, 0-0 AE) dropped a pair of games last week, falling on the road against Massachusetts (2-0) and then at home to Monmouth on Sunday (7-1)... Junior Brooke Crane (Lancaster, N.H./White Mountain) made 12 saves against UMass, while sophomore Callie Bellimer (Bridgewater, Vt./Woodstock) made her first career start in the contest… On Sunday Monmouth broke open a 1-1 tie in the second half with six straight goals... Trailing 1-0 early on, sophomore Taylor Silvestro (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) tallied her fifth goal of the season ... Silvestro carried the ball along the end line and even with a tough angle, took a shot that beat Monmouth keeper Melissa Katz to the far side... Crane made 11 saves in goal for the Catamounts, while Stephanie Zygmunt (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) made her first collegiate appearance for Vermont by taking over for the final 8:14 of play... Silvestro is now tied for the team lead with Brittanie Booker (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant), as each has five goals on the year... This week the Cats host a pair of games, including their America East opener vs. Boston U. on Friday (3 p.m.)... Vermont will also host Siena on Sunday (1 p.m.). l Monmouth Highlights l