Field Hockey Edged 4-3 by No. 10 Albany

Sunday, October 25

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

(7-9, 3-3AE)

University of Albany

(15-2, 6-1AE)

UAlbany

New Hampshire

10/25/2015 4:10:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire field hockey team held one-goal leads of 1-0 and 3-2, but 10^th-ranked University at Albany rallied for a 4-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Memorial Field.

UNH, which entered the game on a two-game win streak, is 7-9 overall and 3-3 in America East. Albany extended its win streak to six games to improve to 15-2 overall and 6-1 in America East.

The Great Danes finished with a 15-12 shot advantage that included a 7-4 edge in the second half. UNH generated a 4-3 advantage in penalty corners, including the only one of the second half.

Meg Carroll (Mansfield, Mass.), Lynne Lehman (Landisburg, Pa.) and Lindsey Nerbonne (Bow, N.H.) scored for the Wildcats and goalkeeper Melissa Rize (Severn, Md.) made seven saves.

Paula Heuser scored three goals, including two on penalty strokes, the game-tying goal in the 52^nd minute and the game-winning goal with 1:44 remaining; she accounted for 10 of the team's 15 shots, including 8 of 11 on goal. Kelsey Briddell potted the Great Danes' other goal and Maxi Primus made four of her five saves in the first half.

UNH generated two dangerous scoring chanced the first two minutes of the game. Meg Flatley (Townsend, Mass.) drove along the right endline and her shot was stopped by Primus, who also denied Carroll off the rebound. The Wildcats earned a corner and Flatley inserted the ball directly to Nerbonne on the left side, and her low drive was also turned aside by Primus.

Flatley utilized her speed to race past an Albany defender down the right side of the field, was fouled from behind in the circle and the officials awarded a penalty stroke. Flatley beat Primus to the left side to give UNH a 1-0 lead at 6:38.

The Great Danes took their first corner at 8:30 and Heuser's blast on the direct shot was stopped by Rize, who had dropped to the turf. The ball deflected to the left side but Jackie Hozza (Sinking Spring, Pa.) cleared it out of the circle.

In the 12^th minute, the 'Cats earned another corner. This time Flatley's insert went to battery-mate Gianna Bensaia (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and then Ashley Mendonca (Brampton, Ontario) swung the ball to the left for Nerbonne, who struck a low shot wide of the near post.

Albany scored goals 72 seconds apart to quickly transform a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead. The Great Danes were awarded a penalty stroke at 15:06 and Heuser lifted a ball inside the left post to tie the score, 1-1. Briddell gave the visitors its first lead of the game, 2-1, at 16:18 when she collected Liza Morgan's centering pass from the left wing and drilled a low shot into the cage.

With 7:30 left in the first half, Heuser battled through four Wildcat defenders before firing a shot that Rize had to steer away.

With five minutes on the clock, UNH's extended pressure on a penalty corner produced a goal that leveled the score, 2-2, at 30:40. Primus stopped the direct shot off the stick of Jessica Schmidt (Warrington, Pa.), then Nerbonne poked the rebound toward the cage but Primus made that save. The Wildcats maintained possession, however, and Lehman's blast from the top-left side went inside the far post.

Albany generated a corner at 32:30 and Heuser's rising shot from the top-left was swatted away by Rize's blocker above her head.

The score (2-2), shots (8-8) and penalty corners (3-3) were all even through 35 minutes.

New Hampshire earned the only corner of the second half five minutes after play resumed, and once again Schmidt's low drive was stopped by Primus.

UNH regained the lead, 3-2, at 44:10. Nerbonne's entry pass on the right side was collected by Carroll, who settled the ball and lifted a shot over Primus into the cage.

In the 45^th minute, Hueser advanced across the top of the circle from right-to-left before striking a reverse-stick rising line drive that went wide of the right post. Five minutes later, Heuser advanced to the top right and hit another blast that forced Rize to make a blocker save.

The Great Danes tied the score, 3-3, at 51:44. Anna Bottino's initial shot from the top of the circle ricocheted off the right post. She corralled the rebound and sent a pass down low that Heuser swept into the cage.

Three minutes later, Emma Compagna (Canton, Mass.) beat a pair of defenders at midfield and her long hit was collected by Nerbonne near the top of the circle. Nerbonne, who had her back to the cage, pivoted to the left side to evade Primus charging from the line. Nerbonne settled the ball deep on the wing and lifted a shot past a defender, who had raced back to the goal line, but wide right.

With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, Flatley stole the ball at the 25 yard line and found Carroll low on the left side. Carroll lifted her shot over the sliding Primus but the ball sailed just wide of the right post.

Albany's Hueser dribbled to the top of the circle and Rize made another blocker save to keep the score deadlocked at 3-3, but the Great Danes pressured the rebound and were awarded their second penalty stroke of the game at 68:16. Heuser lifted another shot inside the left post to put the visitors back on top, 4-3.

UNH called time out and penetrated the circle three times the rest of the way, but Albany's defense immediately intercepted the entry pass and cleared the ball every time to keep the 'Cats at bay and preserve the victory.

New Hampshire returns to action Oct. 30 (3:30 p.m.) at UMass Lowell. The Wildcats conclude the regular season with Senior Day on Nov. 1 (1 p.m.) against the University of Maine.