Women’s Soccer Begins Title Defense at Maine in AE Quarters (Oct. 29; 7 p.m.)

Thursday, October 29

Orono, ME

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

University of Maine

Photo by: Paige O'Donnell

Women’s Soccer Begins Title Defense at Maine in AE Quarters (Oct. 29; 7 p.m.)

10/28/2015 3:34:00 PM | Women's Soccer

DURHAM, N.H. – The defending America East champion No. 5 University of New Hampshire women's soccer team will take on the No. 4 University of Maine on Thursday, Oct. 29 (7 p.m.) in the America East Championships quarterfinals at Mahaney Diamond.

LAST TIME OUT FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE (6-9-3, 4-4-0 AE)
The Wildcats were defeated, 2-0, in their regular season finale Thursday, Oct. 22 to the University of Hartford at Al-Marzook Field. The loss was followed by the news that the University of Maryland, Baltimore County fell 1-0 to Binghamton University, securing a playoff spot for UNH.

Against Hartford, sophomore Brooke Murphy (Monson, Mass.) recorded five shots to lead the 'Cats. Classmate Nikki Sloan (Stow, Mass.) rifled two shots on net in her third consecutive start. In goal, junior Mimi Borkan (Medfield, Mass.) made two saves, closing out her regular season record at 6-9-3 overall.

New Hampshire has secured a playoff berth the last two seasons.

LAST TIME OUT FOR MAINE (9-7-1, 4-3-1 AE)
The Black Bears are also coming into the playoffs following a loss. Maine fell to the University at Albany, 1-0, in Albany (Oct. 25), earning the fourth seed for the tournament.

Four players notched two shots as senior Charlene Achille and freshman Vivien Biel each placed one of their two attempts on goal. Junior goalkeeper Claudia Dube-Trempe made four saves in net, solidifying her record at 9-6-1 overall through the regular season.

Maine has competed in the playoffs the last four seasons and still searches for its first league title.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. THE BLACK BEARS
With a win this season, Maine holds a 14-13-1 record all-time against UNH. The last playoff matchup between both teams was on Oct. 29, 2009 when the 'Cats fell 2-1 at Maine in the opening round of the America East Championships. This season, the Black Bears pulled out a 2-1 overtime win in Durham on Oct. 15.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
New Hampshire is led offensively by forward Murphy who has totaled 26 points on 11 goals and four assists. The 2015 America East Striker of the Year is followed by Murray, the 2015 America East Midfielder of the Year, who has 10 points on one goal and eight assists. Both senior Gabrielle Sloan (Stow, Mass.) and junior Kelsey Pratt (Milford, Mass.) have scored three goals and dished an assist for seven points. Borkan has allowed 1.38 goals against per game and holds a 0.752 save percentage this season.

SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Offensively, Achille has compiled 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Beil, the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year, ranks second on the team with 11 points on three goals and leads the team with five assists. Freshman Anetra Byfield has dished four assists to rank second on the team. Netminder Dube-Trempe has started in 15 of 16 games with a 0.98 goals against average and a 0.832 save percentage.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Wildcats earned their first program title last season with the America East Championship win over Hartford. Before that season, the 'Cats had not made it past the first round since 2007 when the squad defeated Stony Brook, 2-1, in double overtime to move onto the semifinals against Boston University. New Hampshire made a five-season streak from 2003 to 2007 where it competed in the semifinals of the America East Championships.

CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS
The America East announced Wednesday (Oct. 28) that five Wildcats earned All-Conference awards following the conclusion of the regular season. Murphy, Murray and senior captain Kirsten O'Neil (Hampton, N.H.) were named to the America East All-Conference First Team. UNH hasn't had a member on the first team since 2011 when Monique Lamotte was named to the team. The last time three Wildcat student-athletes were named to the team was back in 2004. Freshman Gaby Dorsey (Hubertus, Wis.) was an honoree on the All-Rookie team after scoring two goals in the regular season for four points. Both Borkan and Murray are stars on the field as well as the classroom, receiving recognition on the 2015 America East All-Academic Team. Borkan is a repeat selection for the squad with a double major in statistics and kinesiology: sport studies. In 2014 and 2013 she was on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll. Murray earns her first selection to the team as a Psychology major. She was on the 2014 America East Commissioner's Honor Roll last season as well as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-East Honorable Mention.

MURPHY SCORES BIG
Murphy has been an offensive weapon for the 'Cats this season, leading the league in shots (71), points (26), points per game (1.44), goals (11) and goals per game (0.61). Last season, the then freshman was on the America East All-Rookie Team and finished the season tied for second in points (23) and was second in goals with 11. She is tied for 30^th in the nation in goal scoring this season.

SHARING IS CARING
While Murphy is scoring most of the team's goals, Murray has found her stride on the assist column, totaling eight to lead the conference this season. Her largest assist output was on Sept. 27 when she dished two in a 6-0 win over Binghamton. Murray is tied for 22^nd in the country in total assists.

AMERICA EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
Mimi Borkan – Co-Player of the Week (Aug. 24)
Brooke Murphy – Player of the Week (Aug. 30)
Brooke Murphy – Player of the Week (Sept. 28)
Gaby Dorsey – Rookie of the Week (Sept. 28)
Brooke Murphy – Co-Player of the Week (Oct. 5)

DUE NEXT
With a Wildcat win, New Hampshire will travel to Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 1 (2 p.m.) in a rematch of the finals a year ago at Al-Marzook Field. The finals are to be played on the highest remaining seed's field Saturday, Nov. 7.

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