ALBANY, N.Y. – For the second-straight year and fifth time since 2008, University at Albany is the America East field hockey champion. The Great Danes, the top seed out the East Division, scored a pair of first-half goals en route to a 2-0 win over East #2 seed Maine to capture the conference title and earn a spot in the NCAA Field Hockey Championship.
America East Midfielder of the Year Paula Heuser and Kelsey Briddell scored the goals for the Great Danes, the nation’s eighth-ranked team, as they won their 10th-straight game.
Albany’s Anna Bottino, who totaled four goals and a pair of assists in Albany’s three tournament wins, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship.
Heuser, an All-Championship selection for the third-straight year, got the scoring started less than 10 minutes into the game. The Great Danes pressured the Black Bears and were awarded a penalty stroke. Heuser converted the attempt for her 33rd goal of the year 9:30 into the first half.
The Great Danes (19-2) added to their lead shortly before the break when Briddell with scored with 3:34 left in the half. Bottino, a second-team All-Conference selection, fed Briddell from the right endline and she found the back of the cage.
The second half was evenly played but neither team could break through as both teams only had a pair of shots in the period.
Maxi Primus turned away all three Maine shots she faced to record the shutout and help lift Albany to the title. Emma Cochran made three spots for Maine (19-4) in the first half while Emily Corbett made one stop in the second half.
Bottino and Heuser were joined on the All-Championship team by teammates Jaclyn Hibbs and Fiori Van Rijswijck, Maine’s Danielle Aviani, Katie Bingle and Nicole Sevey, Pacific’s Kelsey Gulledge and Malia Robertson, Stanford’s Caroline Beudoin and Jessica Chisholm, California’s Marie Lankneus, UC Davis’ Martha Duterte, New Hampshire’s Meg Flatley and Vermont’s Lauren Tucker.
The Great Danes, who had the eighth-best RPI in the country entering the week, will learn their NCAA draw during the selection show Sunday night at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com. 13th-ranked Stanford and 19th-ranked Maine will await word on at-large bids.
Maine concludes its season with a program-record 19 wins.