UAlbany Wins 6th #AEFH Title
PALO ALTO, Calif. – For the third time in five years, the UAlbany Great Danes are America East field hockey champions. The East's top seed scored twice in the first half against East #2 seed Maine and shut out their opponent for the sixth time in the last eight games. The team celebrated their sixth America East title on Sunday at Stanford University, the site of the 2018 championship.
The Great Danes have now won 14 of their last 16 games and their six titles are the third-most in league history. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and will play Maryland in the first round on Friday, November 9.
The #21 team in the country will make it's sixth appearance in the NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The Great Danes became the first #AEFH team to reach the national semifinals in 2014.
Cosima Rocktaeschel opened the scoring for the Great Danes in the 15th minute on a penalty corner, assisted by Viola Von der Muhlen. In the 32nd minute, a transition goal made it 2-0 as freshman Elaina Burchell capitalized on a crisp pass from Katie MacCallum across the goal mouth.
Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Melissa Nealon recorded her second shutout of the tournament and league-leading tenth of the season. The junior was named to the All-Championship Team and also took home the league’s Elite 18 award. Nealon holds a 3.83 GPA as a double major in Human Biology and Human Development.
UAlbany student-athletes Frederike Helmke, Dana Bozek and Ghislaine Beerkens were also named to the team. Beerkens scored a goal in UAlbany’s win over Pacific in the semifinals.
Maine’s Samantha Wagg, Casey Crowley and Brianna Ricker were also named to the All-Championship Team. The other members of the team inlcuded Pacific’s Kriekie van Wyk and Karlijn Roijakkers, Stanford’s Emma Christus and Molly Redgrove, Vermont’s Claudia Cotter, California’s Melina Moore, UC Davis’s Chelsea Bigelow and New Hampshire’s Rachel Bossi.
For all box scores, highlights and recaps from the 2018 America East Field Hockey Championship, visit Championship Central.
2018 America East Field Hockey Championship
At Stanford University
*All times Pacific
Quarterfinals – Nov. 1
Game 1 – #W1 Stanford 4, #E4 New Hampshire 3
Quarterfinals – Friday, Nov. 2
Game 2 – #E1 UAlbany 1, #W4 UC Davis 0
Game 3 – #E2 Maine 4, #W3 California 3 (2OT)
Game 4 – #W2 Pacific 4, #E3 Vermont 3
Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 3
Game 5 – #E2 Maine 3, #W1 Stanford 0
Game 6 – #E1 UAlbany 4, #W2 Pacific 3
Final – Sunday, Nov. 4
Game 7 – #E1 UAlbany 2, #E2 Maine 0
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