Conference play in field hockey hits the midway point Friday as all six teams take the field for America East contests. If the third week of conference play in anything like the previous two, today's games will be close. All six America East games to this point have been decided by two goals or less, including four one-goal decisions and three overtime contests.
Upcoming Games
Friday, October 12
#23 Albany at Fairfield, 3 p.m. -- Live Stats
Fairfield, Conn.
• Both teams shoot for their first conference wins after dropping one-goal decisions in each of their first two conference games.
• #23 Albany (6-7,
0-2 AE), which is coming off a 2-0 win over Columbia Sunday, has not lost more than two America East games since 2004.
• Fairfield (7-7, 0-2 AE) dropped a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker at Maine Saturday.
• The Great Danes are 5-0 all-time against the Stags and outscored them 21-2.
• This game will feature one of the league's best offenses against one of its top defenses as the Stags rank second in goals per game (2.55 gpg) and the Great Danes lead the league in goals-against average (1.43 GAA).
Vermont at #20 New Hampshire, 3 p.m. – Live Stats | Live Video
Durham, N.H.
• UNH (6-6, 2-0 AE) tries to improve to 3-0 in America East play while Vermont (1-11, 0-2 AE) goes for its first conference win.
• The Wildcats lead the league and rank 14th nationally averaging 2.96 goals per contest.
• Vermont goalkeeper Stephanie Zygmunt leads the conference and ranks in the top 10 nationally averaging 9-3 saves per game.
• New Hampshire's Hannah Richard ranks second in the league in both points (24) and goals (10).
• UNH is 25-5
all time against Vermont and has won five straight in the series,
including a 2-1 victory in Burlington last year.
#25 Maine at #12 Boston U., 6:30 p.m. – Live Stats | Live Video
Allston, Mass.
• The two teams with the best overall records in America East square off when Boston U. (8-4, 2-0 AE) hosts Maine (9-5, 2-0 AE) in a battle of conference unbeatens.
• The winner of this game will control its own destiny toward winning the America East regular-season title.
• Maine comes in having won eight of its last nine
• Three of the conference's top goaltenders will likely see time in this game. Boston U.'s Jess Maroney leads America East with a 1.26 GAA, while Maine's Alicia Frisch is second (1.44) and the Terriers Valentina Cerda is fourth (1.61).
• These two teams squared off in last year's America East Championship semifinals with Boston U. winning 4-0. The Terriers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two teams.