Back to the 'Ship: No. 8 Field Hockey Dominates Pacific 5-0 to Make Fourth Consecutive Trip to America East Title Game
BOX SCORE | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NOTES | HIGHLIGHTS
ALBANY, N.Y.- Anna Bottino and Paula Heuser combined for 11 points to send No. 8 University at Albany field hockey (18-2) to the America East Championship on Sunday at noon. The Danes face off against No. 19 Maine (19-3) from Alumni Turf. The first all-time championship final meeting between these two teams will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app in the United States, and AmericaEast.tv internationally.
“This was a well-balanced all-around effort today,” said head coach Phil Sykes. “To have so many players contribute both offensively and defensively is a great sign for tomorrow's championship.”
Bottino was out of the gate quickly for UAlbany, finding space in the circle with Paula Heuser heavily marked. The sophomore all-conference selection took a few off-target shots before finally hitting the back of the cage in the seventh minute. After a tackle in the midfield, Jaclyn Hibbs hit an open Bottino on the left side of the circle. Bottino tipped the ball on goal for a 1-0 Danes lead.
The fourth penalty corner proved to be the charm for UAlbany, as a muffed set resulted in a right-side shot for Bottino. She buried the attempt from Heuser, good for a 2-0 Purple & Gold advantage at the half.
Heuser got in the scoring column to start the second stanza. After seeing nearly no space in the first 35 minutes, the junior converted on a penalty stroke in the 38th minute.
Sykes & co., would go scoreless for the next 20 minutes, but not without a few quality looks on net. Five penalty corners failed to make an impression on the scoreboard, but Frederike Helmke nearly scored on a direct corner insert in the 44th minute. Her shot from Van Rijswijk went wide. Bottino searched for her third goal of the day mid-way through the half, but had her attempts blocked.
Bottino finally broke through on a penalty corner rebound. The midfielder attacked a shot-and-save by Heuser to score, giving the Danes a 4-0 edge. Heuser would wrap up scoring on a direct penalty corner insert by Van Rijswijk with four minutes left.
Despite the offensive effort, the defense also shined for the Great Danes. For the third time this season, UAlbany held its opponent without a penalty corner. The back line of Helmke, Hibbs, Laura Page and Van Rijswijk also did not allow a single shot in 70 minutes of action on Saturday afternoon. Maxi Primus posted her fifth shutout win of the season in the cage.
The Danes are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak dating back nearly one month. In the last three games, UAlbany has out-scored its opponents 21-4 and taken almost eight-times as many penalty corners (39-5).
UAlbany and Maine split their pair of regular season meetings, ending the year as America East co-regular season champions. The Great Danes suffered a 6-2 loss in Orono on Oct. 9, but battled back for a 3-1 victory in Albany on Oct. 23.
The Purple & Gold lead the series against the Black Bears 12-9, but the teams post a draw in the post-season, 2-2. Phil Sykes's squad has won the last two games against Maine in the America East semifinals, a 1-0 win at UNH in 2013 and a 4-1 victory in 2012. The Black Bears are making their first appearance in the conference final since 2006.
UAlbany field hockey (18-2) hits the turf against Maine (19-3) at noon on Sunday. The Danes will be going for their fifth America East tournament crown.
