Field Hockey Plays Host to Maine on Senior Day (Nov. 1, 1 p.m.)

Friday, October 30

Lowell, Mass

3:30 PM

University of New Hampshire

University of Massachusetts Lowell

Field Hockey Plays Host to Maine on Senior Day (Nov. 1, 1 p.m.)

10/30/2015 12:27:00 AM | Field Hockey

Game 18: Sunday, Nov. 1 (1 p.m.) – SENIOR DAY – No. 18 Maine (15-3, 5-1 America East) at UNH (7-9, 3-3 AE) – Memorial Field – Durham, N.H. – Stats – Video

THE GAMES: The UNH field hockey plays host to No. 18 University of Maine on Senior Day – Nov. 1 (1 p.m.).
UNH's six-member senior class – Meg Carroll, Emma Compagna, Meg Flatley, Chandler Giese, Lynne Lehman and Taylor Rideout – will be honored prior to that regular-season finale vs. the Black Bears.

VOTE FOR NERBONNE: Junior midfielder Lindsey Nerbonne is UNH's candidate on the ballot for the 2015 America East Fans' Choice Field Hockey Player of the Year. Voting ends Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Click here to vote.

AUDINO RECEIVES AMERICA EAST ROOKIE AWARD: Freshman forward Katie Audino was named America East Rookie of the Week this past Monday (Oct. 26). Last Friday at Vermont, she scored the first goal of the game at 11:56 and struck again with 44 seconds remaining in the first half to extend the lead to 2-0 en route to UNH's 4-0 victory.

THE MATCHUP – UNH vs. UMass Lowell: UNH has won all three previous matchups against UMass Lowell. The Wildcats shut out the River Hawks each of the first two meetings and earlier this year (Sept. 26) at Memorial Field, the 'Cats were 2-1 victors. New Hampshire jumped out to an early two-goal lead on goals 95 seconds apart by Meg Flatley (at 3:50) and Lindsey Nerbonne (at 5:25). UML's Georgia Cowederoy lifted the visitors within a goal at 43:44 The 'Cats called time out at 58:33 and controlled the majority of play the rest of the way; the River Hawks did not penetrate the circle the last four minutes of the game. Melissa Rize made five saves while Kelsey Federico stopped eight shots defending UMass Lowell's cage. UNH recorded a 17-11 shot advantage, including 9-4 in the first half, while UML had a 7-6 edge in penalty corners.
The Wildcats won 5-0 in the inaugural meeting between these programs at Memorial Field in October 2013. Last year, the 'Cats prevailed 6-0 on the road with a 25-10 shot advantage and 6-4 edge in penalty corners. In that matchup, Flatley scored at 7:32 to quickly give New Hampshire a 1-0 lead. Gianna Bensaia, Lynne Lehman and Nerbonne also scored in the first half to extend the advantage to 4-0; Taylor Scafidi closed the scoring with 27 seconds left in the game. In her third career game, Rize played the final 11:15 and stopped the only shot on goal she faced.

THE MATCHUP – UNH vs. Maine: UNH has 28-12 record against Maine since the first game in 1982 (2-1 UNH win). The Black Bears ended the Wildcats' streak of seven consecutive wins in the series earlier this year (Oct. 16) with a 4-1 victory at Maine's Field Hockey Complex.
In that game, Lindsey Nerbonne gave the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead with a goal at 7:25, but Maine responded with goals by Marissa Shaw and Jessica Skillings at 18:48 and 21:25, respectively, two quickly turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead. The Black Bears added second-half goals by Sydney Veljacic (at 41:53) and Samantha Wagg (57:58) to secure the victory. Maine tallied a 15-10 shot advantage despite UNH's 10-5 edge in corners. Melissa Rize was credited with four saves; Maine used a goalkeeper tandem of Emily Corbett (1 GA, 2 saves) in the first half and Emma Cochran (3 saves) in the second.
In New Hampshire's seven-game win streak, five of the seven games were decided by one goal and that included a pair of overtime games.
New Hampshire has won three consecutive home games and has a 14-4 home record in the series; the last time the Black Bears triumphed at Memorial Field was Oct. 3, 2009 (6-3).
In the 2014 America East conference semifinal at UAlbany, the Black Bears took an early 2-1 lead but New Hampshire tied the score just two minutes later and the 'Cats scored the only three goals of the second half to pull away for the 5-2 win. Flatley and Nerbonne paced the attack with six points apiece; Flatley scored three goals while Nerbonne tallied two goals and two assists.
In last year's regular-season game, Maine led 2-1 at halftime but the Wildcats tied the score in the second half – they controlled play with an 11-2 shot advantage and 5-0 edge in penalty corners. Emma Compagna scored at 11:36 of OT to lift New Hampshire to a 3-2 victory.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: UNH enters the weekend with a 7-9 overall record that includes 3-3 in America East (2-1 home, 1-2 road) as well as 2-7 on the road and 4-2 at home; furthermore, the Wildcats are 1-7 against nationally-ranked teams (0-2 at home vs. nationally-ranked teams; 0-5 against teams in the Top 10).
New Hampshire is averaging 2.19 goals per game on 13.9 shots per game with a .157 shooting percentage; the 'Cats are also averaging 6.2 penalty corners per game. In comparison, the opposition is at 2.75 goals and 12.2 shots per game for a .226 shooting percentage, as well as 4.6 corners per game.
The Wildcats have a 3-4 record the month of October and they are coming off last Sunday's 4-3 home loss to 10^th-ranked University at Albany. Prior to that, the 'Cats defeated UVM (4-0) and Harvard (3-1).
New Hampshire has been outscored 24-16 in the first half and the opposition has accrued a 108-95 shot advantage in the first half. Opponents also have a 20-18 goals scoring edge in the second half, when the 'Cats have the advantage in both shots (123-87) and corners (56-37).
Nine Wildcats have started all 16 games and another has been in the starting lineup 13 of 14 games.

'CAT NIPS: Sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Rize recorded her second shutout of the season – and her career – with a three-save effort at Vermont (Oct. 23).
Junior midfielder Lindsey Nerbonne recorded two goals and an assist in two games last week. She tallied a goal and an assist to factor in two of UNH's three goals vs. Albany. Nerbonne's goal gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead and her assist set up the tally that put UNH in front, 3-2, in the second half.
Nerbonne scored a goal in both games last weekend at Vermont and vs. Albany, and she has scored a goal six of the last nine games.
Freshman forward Katie Audino tallied career highs in both goals (two) and points (four) to propel UNH to a 4-0 victory at UVM. She scored the first goal of the game at 11:56 and struck again with 44 seconds remaining in the first half to extend the lead to 2-0.
Senior forward Lynne Lehman scored a goal against both UVM and Albany.
Sophomore back Ashley Mendconca was one of four 'Cats to record an assist at UVM; she moved into a tie atop the team leaderboard with junior back Jackie Hozza (Sinking Spring, Pa.) at three.
Gianna Bensaia, Meg Carroll and Emma Compagna were the other three UNH players credited with an assists against the Catamounts.
No Wildcat has tallied multiple assists in a game this season. Mendonca is the only 'Cats with an assist in consecutive games – Oct. 18 at Harvard and Oct. 23 at Vermont.

DEVELOPING THE PLAYOFF PICTURE: With one weekend remaining in the regular season, there is still a lot to be determined in both the East and West divisions of the newly-aligned America East conference. If postseason started this weekend, UNH would be the East #3 seed and play the West #2 seed – Stanford University OR University of the Pacific in a Nov. 6 quarterfinal at the University at Albany (pre-determined championship site). The Wildcats are locked into the #3 seed.

CORNERING IN: New Hampshire has struggled converting penalty corners into goals this season. The Wildcats generated 13 corners in two games last weekend, including nine at Vermont, but none of those chances produced a goal.
In the Oct. 16 game at Maine, when the Wildcats generated 10 corners, including a stretch of six consecutive corners in the second half – but did not produce a goal. And in the Oct. 9 game against Vermont, UNH recorded 20 corners but did not score.
On the other hand, the Wildcats converted their first two corners into goals at 15:14 and 19:08 for a 2-0 lead in the Oct. 18 game at Harvard.

CONFERENCE CALL: New Hampshire is fourth – of nine teams – in the America East conference in scoring (2.19 goals per game) and is seventh in scoring defense (2.75 goals/game); UNH ranks third in penalty corners per game (6.12) and fourth in shots per game (13.94).
Lindsey Nerbonne is No. 2 in goals/game (0.62), No. 3 in points/game (1.31) and No. 4 in shots/game (3.44) No other 'Cat is ranked among the leaders on offense.

ANOTHER CONFERENCE CALL: In six America East conference games, Melissa Rize has a 3-3 record with a 2.33 GAA and .622 save percentage. Lindsey Nerbonne (6g, 1a) and Meg Carroll (2g, 1a) are the top goal scorers and point producers in league games.

THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS: Seven of UNH's 16 games have been decided by one goal, including consecutive 2-1 victories against Providence College (Sept. 25) and UMass Lowell (Sept. 26), as well as a 4-3 overtime win against then-No. 18 UMass. Including those games, the Wildcats have a 4-3 mark in one-goal games.

FIRST BLOOD: New Hampshire has scored the game's first goal in 8 of 16 games, including each of the last four. In the eight games the opposition has struck first, they extended the lead to 2-0 seven times. The 'Cats took a 2-0 lead a total of four times – against both Providence and UMass Lowell, as well as at Harvard and at Vermont.

CENTURY CLUB: Senior forward Meg Flatley became the fifth UNH player to reach the 100-point milestone with her second-half goal in the Aug. 28 season opener at 20^th-ranked Boston University. She entered that game with 98 career points and attained the milestone with her 43^rd goal, which complemented her 14 assists for a total of 100 points.
Flatley, who has a total of six goals and two assists this season for 14 points, is currently No. 5 on the program's all-time points list with 114 (48-16-112); Gaby Haroules (1977-80) is No. 4 at 119.
Flatley scored her 46^th career goal Sept. 26 against UMass Lowell. That tally gave Flatley sole possession of No. 5 on UNH's career leaderboard; she was previously tied with Katie White, who was on the UML sideline as an associate head coach; Hayley Rausch (2008-11) is No. 4 with 51.

COMPETING AGAINST THE BEST: New Hampshire has played eight games against nationally-ranked teams and one of two games this weekend is against a ranked team. On opening weekend, the Wildcats played then-No. 20 BU and No. 18 UMass; the 'Cats have also traveled to No. 1 UConn, No. 10 Maryland, No. 6 Albany (home and road) and No. 19 Maine, and played host to No. 10 Boston College. No. 18 Maine (home) looms ahead on Senior Day this Sunday.

MADE OF GRANITE: Three student-athletes on the 2015 roster hail from New Hampshire. They are sophomore midfielder Brittany Marshall (Hopkinton), junior midfielder Lindsey Nerbonne (Bow) and freshman Courtney Sweeny (Windham).

SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL: UMass Lowell has a 5-12 overall record including 0-6 in America East and 3-5 at home. The River Hawks have lost 11 consecutive games since defeating Brown University, 2-1, on Sept. 13; of the 11 losses, five have been by one goal (one in overtime).
In the their most recent game (last Sunday at Cushing Field), the River Hawks fell to Vermont 4-1. Freshman Torrie Huk scored for the River Hawks, who celebrated Senior Day that game.
UML is led by 14^th-year head coach Shannon Hlebichuk, who guided the team to a pair of Division II national championships (2005, 2010).
As a team, the River Hawks average 1.76 goals per game and 11.0 shots. However, they allow their opponents to score 2.94 goals per game and record 19.3 shots.
Huk leads the team in both goals (seven) and points (15). Junior Georgia Cowderoy and sophomore Christa Doiron are tied for second on the team with 13 points; both have tallied five goals and three assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Federico has started all 17 games for the River Hawks posting a 5-12 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and .695 save percentage

FAMILIAR FACE: Katie White, a four-year standout on the UNH field hockey team from 2002-05, is in her fourth year on the UMass Lowell coaching staff and she was promoted to associate head coach in May 2015.
White completed her Wildcat playing career with 45 goals and five assists for 95 points, which at the time ranked third in goals and fourth in points. She led the team in both goals and points as a sophomore and senior. White's collegiate accolades included America East Rookie of the Year (she is the most recent UNH player to receive that award), All-Conference First Team, NFHCA All-Region First Team and Second Team.
After graduating from UNH in 2006 with a Psychology degree, White began her coaching career at Colgate University (2006-07). She went on to the University at Albany (2007-10) and College of the Holy Cross (2011) before landing at UMass Lowell.

SCOUTING MAINE: The 18^th-ranked University of Maine enters the weekend with a 15-3 overall record that includes 5-1 in America East and 6-1 on the road. The Black Bears play host to the University of Vermont on Friday afternoon (Oct. 30) before traveling to play UNH on Sunday.
Maine suffered its first loss since Sept. 20 as they fell to 10th ranked Albany, 3-1 last Friday; that result ended the Black Bears' eight-game win streak.
Junior Sydney Veljacic leads the team in goals (10) and shots with 51, including 27 on goal; she is tied atop the points leaderboard with 22. Freshman Liby Riedl also has 22 points; she ranks second in assists with 10. Junior Danielle Aviani and senior Marissa Shaw are tied for second on the team in goals with eight; Aviana has 21 points while Shaw has tallied 18. Jessica Skillings has a team-best 12 assists and is fourth in points with 20.
Maine has benefited from the 1-2 punch of sophomore goalkeepers Emma Cochran and Emily Corbett. Corbett has the slight statistical edge with a 1.09 GAA and .783 save percentage; she has an 8-2 record. Cochran is 7-1 with a 1.42 GAA and .675 save percentage.
The Black Bears head into the weekend atop the America East leader board in both goals scored and shots per game at 3.62 and 15.39 respectively. Maine also ranks second in the America East in defense (1.28 goals/game) and penalty corners (6.39/game).