BOSTON – By a narrow margin, Monmouth has been chosen to win the field hockey championship per the preseason coaches’ poll which was revealed Wednesday afternoon.
The Hawks top the poll for the second consecutive year after winning at least a share of the regular season title in each of their two seasons in the league. Carli Figlio’s squad received five first-place votes and a total of 61 points to barely edge Maine, which received four first-place votes and 61 points. The Black Bears earned a share of the regular-season crown last spring. Here is the full poll:
2021 America East Field Hockey Preseason Poll
No. School Points (1st Place Votes)
1. Monmouth 61 (5)
2. Maine 60 (4)
3. UAlbany 43
4. UMass Lowell 40
5. New Hampshire 33
6. Stanford 30
7. California 28
8. Vermont 16
9. UC Davis 13
Several 2020 major award winners return for the 2021 season led by Midfielder of the Year and All-American Hana Davis (Maine). The Black Bears also return another All-American in 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Cassandra Mascarenhas. Goalkeeper of the Year Eleonore Boekhorst returns after helping UMass Lowell finish in the top-four last season.
The regular season starts Friday, Aug. 27 with six teams in action before the remaining three take the turf the following day. Conference play begins Friday, Sept. 24 with a single round robin format for the second consecutive season. Full Schedule
The regular-season champ will host the #AEFH Championship featuring the top six teams in the standings. The quarterfinal round is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 4.
Fans will once again be able to watch the majority of #AEFH this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEDigitalNet Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East field hockey news all season long and use #AEFH to join the conversation.
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