DURHAM, N.H. - For the third time in four seasons and fourth in the last six, New Hampshire and Albany will decide the America East field hockey title as both teams earned semifinal wins Friday at UNH's Memorial Field to advance to Saturday's championship game.
New Hampshire, the tournament's top seed, scored four second-half goals to beat fourth-seeded Fairfield, 4-0, in the day's first semifinal while second-seeded Albany beat third-seeded Maine, 1-0, on Molly Mariano's second-half score in the second semi. The two teams will meet for the championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be video streamed live free of charge at AmericaEast.TV.
In the day's first game, New Hampshire (14-6) outshot Fairfield (11-6), 9-1, and had five penalty corners in the first half but could not find the back of the cage.
The regular-season champion Wildcats, who have won seven in a row and 12 of their last 14, made their chances count in the second half, scoring four times on eight shots. Chandler Giese started the scoring in the 43rd minute as her shot from outside the circle was deflected past Fairfield goaltender Caitlin Bennett. The goal was just her second of the year.
Emma Compagna scored the first of her two goals just 3:32 later off a feed from Giese. Compagna scored again, her fifth of the year, in the 54th minute to give UNH a 3-0 lead and Meg Flatley, a first-team All-America East standout, added a final insurance tally in the 64th minute.
The second game of the day was a defensive battle. Albany (16-4), the 16th-ranked team in the nation, controlled action in the first half, generating six penalty corners to Maine's zero but the Black Bears were up to the task as the Great Danes only managed three shots.
The Black Bears (11-9), who were seeking to reach their first title game since 2006, threatened early in the second half, taking three of the first four shots of the period. But, Albany, which is seeking its second-straight crown and fourth in six years, put the pressure on the Black Bears. The Great Danes nearly scored on back-to-back penalty corners and kept the ball in their zone, allowing Daphne Voormolen, the league's Offensive Player of the Year, to charge the cage and find a streaking Mariano, who tallied her sixth goal of the year, which proved to be the difference.
This will be the fourth time Albany and New Hampshire will play for the America East crown. The Great Danes won the previous three meetings, including a 3-1 victory last season. UNH won this year's regular-season meeting between the two teams by a 3-0 score in Albany. Coverage for Saturday's title game will begin at 2 p.m. on AmericaEast.TV.
Visit America East Championship Central for complete coverage of the tournament, including live video, postgame highlights and more, follow the conference on Twitter (@AmericaEast) for in-game updates and use #AEChamps to join the conversation all weekend long.
2013 America East Field Hockey Championship
All games at University of New Hampshire's Memorial Field, Durham, N.H.
Semifinals - Thursday, November 7
#1 New Hampshire 4, #4 Fairfield 0
#2 Albany 1, #3 Maine 0
Final - Saturday, November 9
Albany at New Hampshire, 2 p.m.