Balanced Scoring Attack Sends No. 6 Field Hockey Past UNH 4-1
BOX SCORE
ALBANY, N.Y.- Three freshmen tallied at least one point on Sunday afternoon, as No. 6 University at Albany (9-1, 2-0 AE) extended its winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory against New Hampshire (4-6, 1-1 AE). Four different Great Danes scored goals, including the first career goal for newcomer Camryn Dias.
“Today was a good barometer for how conference play might go for us, and right now I like where we stand,” said head coach Phil Sykes. “I'm happy with the way we performed, particularly our ability to build the ball out of the defensive end. It was important to have success today leading into a trip to Maine next weekend.”
The Danes wasted no time getting ahead, as Liza Morgan tapped in a pass from Anna Bottino across the UNH net in the 2nd minute. Morgan has scored in four of her last five games.
An early 1-0 edge gave UAlbany the momentum to hit the scoring circle running. The Purple & Gold earned all three of its penalty corners in the first 12 minutes of the first half, but shots by Paula Heuser and Laura Page turned up empty.
Proving the third time is the charm, Megan Ma inserted a penalty corner directly to Frederike Helmke on the near side. The Berlin, Germany native fired across the UNH defensive line to bury her second goal of the season, good for a 2-0 Danes lead with just over 20 minutes to go in the first half.
The Wildcats continued to struggle moving the ball past the UAlbany 25-meter line, as the Purple & Gold turned up the defensive pressure. Turnovers in the midfield led the forwards on a number of counterattack opportunities. Bottino hit the post in the 19th minute, but the score remained 2-0 mid-way through the period.
The Danes finally broke through with five minutes left to play in the half. Dias drove down the left end line, waiting for a UNH defender. No one stepped up to challenge the freshman, and she cleared a shot into the upper right corner for her first career goal. She nearly put UAlbany up 4-0 to close the half.
UNH kicked off the second half with a penalty corner, but the window of opportunity proved small. After hitting the post in the first half, Bottino finally scored in the 57th minute. The sophomore spun in the middle of the circle on a pass from Heuser for a 4-0 Danes advantage.
As the game became more physical in the second half, the Wildcats managed to put UAlbany down three players. Dias, Jaclyn Hibbs and Page were all assessed cards in a two-minute span with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Danes spread the field and maintained possession as the team progressed back to full strength. Maxi Primus came off her line to kick away several UNH passes through the circle late in the period.
The Wildcats got on the board with less than five minutes to play.
Sunday's victory marks the third consecutive win for UAlbany in the series against UNH. The No. 6 Purple & Gold squad currently occupies the top spot in the East Division of the America East with a 2-0 league start.
Maxi Primus made two saves in her 43rd career victory. She is three wins away from passing Ashley Ross as the winningest goalkeeper in UAlbany program history.
Next up, No. 6 UAlbany field hockey (9-1, 2-0 AE) makes the trek to Orono, Maine to face the Black Bears (10-2, 1-0 AE) on Friday, Oct. 9 at 3:00 p.m.
