DURHAM, N.H. -- The 2012 America East Field Hockey Championship, which will feature three nationally-ranked teams, gets underway on Friday with semifinal action. All games of the tournament will take place at UNH's Memorial Field for the third-straight year.
Top-seeded New Hampshire, which captured its third-straight regular-season title, hosts fourth-seeded Fairfield at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal, while second-seeded Albany takes on third-seeded Maine in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. The two winners will advance to Sunday's championship game, which will take place at 12 p.m. Admission is free and free live video will be available for all three games of the Field Hockey Championship. Live Coverage Links
UNH (11-7), which is ranked 19th nationally, will try to become the conference's first repeat champion in five years with they take on Fairfield (10-9), which is making its first America East tournament appearance since joining the league as an associate member in 2007. The Wildcats ran through their America East schedule with a 5-0 mark, including a 3-2 double-overtime win over the Stags on Sept. 28, and have won all six meetings against Fairfleld since it joined the league.
The game will feature the conference's top two scoring teams. UNH leads the way averaging 3.06 goals per game, while Fairfield is second putting in 2.79 scores per contest. Two of league's top players will also square off as UNH's Megan Bozek, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, will face off with Fairfield's Felicitas Heinen, a first-team all-conference choice and the conference's leading scorer.
Albany (11-7), which is seeded second or better for the sixth time in seven years, takes on Maine (10-8, which will try to reach its first title game since 2006 and come away with the program's first-ever title. The 21st-ranked Great Danes, who are seeking their third America East crown in five years, beat the 23rd-ranked Black Bears,1-0, on Oct. 20 behind Daphne Voormolen's goal.
Voormolen is one of five America East major award winners who'll be featured in the second semifinal. The Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Voormolen split the award with Maine's Annabelle Hamilton. Albany's Laura Page and Maine's Cassidy Svetek shared the Rookie of the Year trophy and Albany's Kristi Troch earned Co-Goalkeeper of the Year accolades.
Visit America East Championship Central for complete coverage of the tournament, including live video, postgame highlights and more, and follow the conference on Twitter (@AmericaEast) for in-game updates all weekend long.