Game Notes: Field Hockey Battles Pacific In America East Quarterfinal

America East Championship (quarterfinal)

UNH Wildcats (8-10, 4-4 America East) vs. Pacific Tigers (10-7, 4-2 America East)
Friday, Nov. 6 (2 p.m.) – Alumni Turf Field – Albany, N.Y.
Video • Live Stats

The Matchup
The No. 3 East seed University of New Hampshire field hockey team plays No. 2 West seed University of the Pacific in an America East Championship quarterfinal matchup Nov. 6 ( 2 p.m.) at the University at Albany's Alumni Turf Field.
The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be videostreamed online at americaeast.tv while the championship game will be online at ESPN3. Visit www.unhwildcats for links to live stats and video.
UNH enters the postseason with an 8-10 overall record and finished third in the East division with a 4-4 conference record. Pacific is 10-7 overall and went 4-2 in conference play.
New Hampshire has a 5-1 lifetime record against Pacific and three of those six meetings were at a neutral site. The Wildcats have won each of the last three meetings, including a 3-1 victory Sept. 8, 2013 at Stanford. The 'Cats recorded home wins in both 2012 (7-1) and 2007 (1-0).
The Tigers' only victory in this series was Sept. 2, 2006, when they prevailed 1-0 at Cal.
UNH won the inaugural meeting, 3-0, on Sept. 30, 1990 at Memorial Field and also defeated Pacific in a September 1994 matchup at Maine by a score of 5-1.
In the most recent meeting, the Tigers struck first on a goal 3:21 into the game, but UNH limited them to only one more shot the rest of the way to rally for a 3-1 victory. Four Wildcats from that starting lineup are on this year's roster – Emma Compagna Meg Flatley, Chandler Giese and Aggie Sutherland – and one of them (Sutherland) is redshirting the season.
Flatley fueled the comeback with a goal in the 17th minute, then the 'Cats struck twice quickly in the second half – in the 37th and 41st minutes – to get the W.
UNH finished with a 13-3 shot advantage, including 7-1 in the second half, and a 9-1 edge in penalty corners (6-0 in the first half).

And then...
The winner of Friday's quarterfinal advances to Saturday's 12 p.m. semifinal against the winner of East No. 1 Albany vs West No. 4 UC Davis. The title game is Sunday, Nov. 8, also at 12 p.m. The NCAA selection show is that night at 10 o'clock.

Five 'Cats Feted By America East
A total of five UNH field hockey players were honored at Wednesday night's America East annual banquet. Sophomore midfielder Gianna Bensaia and junior midfielder Lindsey Nerbonne headlined the list on the All-Conference First Team.
Freshman forward Katie Audino was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
Senior back Chandler Giese and senior forward Meg Carroll were voted to the All-Academic Team. It marked the second consecutive year Carroll was bestowed that honor.

Nerbonne Is Fans' Top Choice
Lindsey Nerbonne was voted the 2015 America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year. The conference made the announcement this past Tuesday. Voting for the award via social media platforms was held Oct. 28 through Nov. 3.
Nerbonne was one of nine candidates on the ballot – every America East team had one representative. Nerbonne received 1,229 of the 4,168 total votes (29.5%).

The State of New Hampshire
UNH enters the postseason with an 8-10 overall record that includes 4-4 in America East, 1-0 at neutral sites and 3-7 on the road, as well as 1-8 against nationally-ranked teams (1-0 neutral; 0-5 road).
The Wildcats alternated wins and losses the last four games of the regular season and lost 3-2 at home to 18th-ranked University of Maine in the Nov. 1 regular-season finale.
This is New Hampshire's ninth consecutive appearance in the America East Championship. The Wildcats have advanced to the title game each of the last five years. They were top seed and host of the event four consecutive years (2010-13). UNH won the tourney crown in '11 and '13.

Fabulous Fifty
Senior forward Meg Flatley scored her 50th and 51st career goals Nov. 1 vs. Maine to climb into a tie for No. 4 on UNH's leaderboard with Hayley Rausch (2008-11). That game marked her first multiple-goal game of the season.

'Cat Nips
Senior forward Meg Carroll scored a goal at UMass Lowell and tallied an assist vs. Maine to extend her point streak to four games, the longest by any Wildcat this season.
Junior midfielder Lindsey Nerbonne matched her career high of two goals with tallies 1:55 apart at UMass Lowell that erased a two-goal deficit and sent the game into overtime. Nerbonne scored a goal in seven of the last 11 regular-season games.
Freshman forward Katie Audino recorded an assist in both games last week. In the 4-3 win at UMass Lowell, she set up the game-tying goal in the 50th minute that sent the game into overtime. Against 18th-ranked Maine, Audino set up the first goal just 53 seconds into the game to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. She tallied a point five of the last seven regular-season games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Rize had a 3-2 record the last five games of the regular season with a 2.03 GAA, .730 save percentage and one shutout.

Not Very Neutral
UNH's only neutral-site game of the regular season was the second game of the year, when the Wildcats defeated then-No. 18 UMass, 4-3 in overtime, in a Tri-Conference Cup matchup at Boston University's New Balance Field.

Scoring, Shots, Corners
UNH is averaging 2.28 goals per game on 14.7 shots per game with a .155 shooting percentage; the 'Cats are also averaging 6.8 penalty corners per game. In comparison, the opposition is at 2.78 goals and 12.4 shots per game for a .223 shooting percentage, as well as 4.5 corners per game.

Emerging Offense
The Wildcats scored three or more goals in four of the last five regular-season games; the only exception was a two-goal output in the aforementioned regular-season finale vs. Maine – to average 3.20 goals per game while allowing 2.20 per game.
In comparison, UNH scored 3+ goals just three times the first 13 games of the season, and two of those were back in August.

Lots of Shots
New Hampshire recorded a season-high 32 shots last Friday at UMass Lowell. The Wildcats also finished with a season-high 14 penalty corners that game.
UNH recorded 30+ shots one other time this season with 30 in a 3-1 win against Vermont on Oct. 9. The 'Cats also tallied double-digit corners that game with 13 and reached double figures in corners two other games with 10 against both UMass (Aug. 28) and Maine (Oct. 16).

Half by Half Breakdown
The 'Cats have been outscored 25-18 in the first half and the opposition has accrued a 118-112 shot advantage in the first half. Opponents also have a 25-21 goals scoring edge in the second half, when the 'Cats have the advantage in both shots (142-103) and corners (68-42).

We Need Three
UNH's longest win streak this season is two (twice). The Wildcats have to win three consecutive games – in as many days – to win the 2015 America East conference tourney title.
UNH seemingly needs three goals (or more) to win. The 'Cats have a 5-2 record when scoring 3+ goals in a game in comparison to 3-8 when not reaching that mark.

POSTSEASON HISTORY
UNH is making its 21st America East Championship appearance this week; it is the program's ninth consecutive tourney appearance. The Wildcats have a 13-17 overall tournament record with titles in 1998, 2011 and 2013.
In the 2014 America East Championship (at Albany), the Wildcats advanced out of the semifinals with a 5-2 victory against Maine, but the home team captured the tournament title with a 5-0 win vs. the 'Cats.
Friday's game will mark UNH's first America East quarterfinal game as well as the program's first postseason matchup vs. Pacific.
New Hampshire has a 10-10 record in semifinals but has advanced to the championship game with a semifinal victory each of the last five years.
UNH has a 7-11 ledger at neutral sites and that includes 6-8 in the semifinals.
The 'Cats have a 3-7 record in conference championship games, including 0-2 on road and 1-3 at neutral sites. The title games on the road were 2008 at Albany (2-1 loss) and 2014 at Albany (5-0 loss).
UNH and Albany have faced off each of the past seven postseasons (2008-14) with the Great Danes holding a 5-2 advantage. If both teams win their quarterfinal game, the streak will extend to eight consecutive years with a semifinal matchup; the home team has won the previous two semifinal meetings – UNH in '11 and Albany in '09.

Top 10 Career List
With two goals in the regular-season finale vs. Maine, senior forward Meg Flatley climbed into a tie for No. 4 on UNH's career leaderboard with Hayley Rausch (2008-11) at 51 goals. Ahead of that duo are No. 3 Whitney Frates (2008-11) with 52 and No. 2 Gaby Haroules (1977-80) with 56.
Flatley is No. 5 on New Hampshire's all-time points list with 118. Directly ahead of her is Haroules, who compiled 119 career points. Rausch is No. 3 at 136.

Silver Anniversary
The 2015 season is the 25th year at the helm of the UNH Wildcats for head coach Robin Balducci. She is the program's all-time winningest head coach by guiding the Wildcats to 254 victories, and her teams have advanced to postseason play 21 times in 25 years. She has an overall record of 254-246-4 that includes 95-62-2 in America East conference play.
Balducci guided UNH to the America East regular-season title and was honored as the America East Coach of the Year four consecutive years (2010-11-12-13). The Wildcats went 19-1 in conference action – including a perfect 5-0 record in 2010, 2012 and 2013 – during that span, won the tournament title in both 2011 and 2013, and finished as runner-up in '10 and '12.
Balducci has the most overall conference coaching awards with six (1998, 2000-10-11-12-13). Furthermore, she is a two-time Northeast Region Coach of the Year honoree (1998, 2011).
Under her tutelage, 18 Wildcats have received All-America honors and that includes First Team selections Stacy Fimple and Rebecca Provost in 1994 as well as Marcie Boyer in 2002, Whitney Frates in 2011 and Megan Bozek in 2013. Balducci's proteges have been selected America East Offensive Player of the Year three times in a four-year span (2008-09-11), the Defensive Player of the Year two consecutive years (2012, 2013) and Goalkeeper of the Year in '13.

Top 'Cats
Since the start of the 2010 season, the 'Cats have a 27-6 record in America East regular-season games. They completed perfect conference records in 2010, 2012 and 2013 and went 4-1 in both '11 and '14.
Including postseason play, UNH is 34-9 against America East teams spanning the 2010-15 seasons. That includes three perfect regular seasons, two tourney runner-up finishes (2010, 2012) and two tournament titles (2011, 2013).
Spanning the 2010-14 seasons, the only league team to defeat UNH was Albany. This year, both the Great Danes and Maine Black Bears defeated the Wildcats twice. Both UNH home games were decided by one goal, whereas both road games had three-goal margins.

Close, But No Cigar
New Hampshire played host to then-No. 10 Albany and then-No. 18 Maine the last two Sundays of the regular season. UNH held a lead in both games. And in both games, the score was tied with 10 minutes left in regulation. But Albany scored with 1:44 remaining in regulation and Maine struck with 7:56 to play to edge the Wildcats.
In that Albany matchup on Oct. 25, Lindsey Nerbonne struck first at 6:38 to give UNH a 1-0 lead. The Great Danes responded with goals 72 seconds apart by Paula Heuser and Kelsey Briddell (at 15:06 and 16:18) to take a 2-1 lead. Lynne Lehman scored at 30:40 to tie the score heading into halftime. The Wildcats regained the lead, 3-2, on a Meg Carroll goal at 44:10 but Heuser scored at 51:44 and 68:16 – the latter on a penalty stroke – to lift Albany to victory.
Heuser scored three goals on 10 shots – Albany tallied 15 shots – and Maxi Primus recorded five saves. UNH goalkeeper Melissa Rize was credited with seven saves.
In the Nov. 1 game against Maine, Meg Flatley scored 53 seconds after the opening whistle to quickly give the 'Cats a 1-0 lead. The Black Bears leveled the score in the 27th minute on Sydney Veljacic's goal and took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute. Flatley struck again 3:58 later to tie the score, 2-2, at 52:40. Maine went back in front with 7:56 to play and at that point UNH removed Rize from the game in favor of kicking back. The Black Bears' defense didn't allow a shot the rest of the way, however, to keep the 'Cats at bay and preserve the victory.

Working Overtime
New Hampshire played two overtime games in 18 regular-season games and went 2-0; both games were decided in the first extra session. UNH has won four consecutive games decided beyond regulation; last year, the Wildcats won at Maine (3-2) and at Harvard (1-0); they also lost to Miami (3-2) and Stanford (1-0).
Most recently, as in just last Friday, the Wildcats rallied from a 3-1 deficit at UMass Lowell to defeat the River Hawks, 4-3. After the 'Cats surrendered three goals in a span of 3:12, Lindsey Nerbonne scored goals 1:55 apart (at 49:20 and 51:15) to tie the score at 3. Meg Carroll completed the comeback victory with a goal 11:14 into overtime.
Earlier this season – the second game of the year back on Aug. 29 – the Wildcats also erased a 3-1 deficit to prevail 4-3 in overtime against then-No. 18 UMass, 4-3. Nerbonne scored off a penalty corner at 60:16 and Gianna Bensaia converted a penalty stroke into a goal with 1:45 remaining in regulation to tie the score. Nerbonne's penalty-stroke goal – her second and team's third of the game – gave the 'Cats a 4-3 win at 74:20.

The Slimmest of Margins
Half of UNH's 18 regular-season games were decided by one goal, including each of the last three, and the Wildcats have a 5-4 record in those games.
Last weekend, the 'Cats won 4-3 in overtime at UMass Lowell (Oct. 30) and then lost 3-2 to No. 18 Maine. Prior to that, 10th-ranked Albany recorded a 4-3 victory on Oct. 25.
Back in late September, UNH recorded consecutive 2-1 victories against Providence College (Sept. 25) and UMass Lowell (Sept. 26).

National Competition
UNH also played half its games against nationally-ranked teams and had a 1-8 record in those games, five of which were vs. a Top 10 team. The lone victory was Aug. 29 against then-No. 18 UMass, 4-3 in overtime, in a neutral-site game (at Boston University's New Balance Field).
The Wildcats have also traveled to No. 20 Boston U., No. 1 UConn, No. 10 Maryland, No. 6 Albany and No. 19 Maine. The 'Cats played host to No. 10 Boston College, No. 10 Albany and No. 18 Maine.
UNH's most recent win against a Top 10 opponent was Sept. 27, 2013 (3-2 OT at #7 UMass). Since then, the 'Cats have lost nine straight vs. the Top 10.

Conference Call
New Hampshire is fourth – of nine teams – in the America East conference in scoring (2.28 goals per game) and is seventh in scoring defense (2.78 goals/game); UNH ranks second in penalty corners per game (6.72) and third in shots per game (14.72).
Lindsey Nerbonne is No. 2 in goals/game (0.67) and No. 3 in both points/game (1.39) and shots/game (4.11). Meg Flatley is tied for sixth in goals/game (0.50).

Another Conference Call
In eight America East conference games, Melissa Rize went 4-4 with a 2.49 GAA and .636 save percentage. Lindsey Nerbonne (8g, 1a), Meg Flatley (5g) and Meg Carroll (3g, 1a) are the top point producers in league games.

Saluting the Seniors
This six-member senior class has led New Hampshire to the America East tournament all four years with two conference regular-season titles, one tournament title and an NCAA tournament appearance.
Meg Carroll has started all 18 games this season and has tallied single-season highs in both goals, with five, and points, with 13. Meg scored the game-winning overtime goal to lift the Wildcats to victory last Friday at UMass Lowell and then extended her point streak to four games with an assist in the regular-season finale vs. Maine. She has career numbers of 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points in 79 games. Her collegiate accolades include NFHCA All-Academic Squad, America East Commissioner's Honor Roll, America East Academic Honor Roll and America East All-Academic Team.
Emma Compagna has started all 18 games this season and 47 of 81 games in four years as a part of the UNH Wildcat forward rotation. She has tallied one goal and an assist this season. Emma recorded single-season highs in both goals, with five, and points, with 10, as a sophomore, when she started all 22 games. Her career statistics include eight goals and three assists for 19 points.
Meg Flatley, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2011, is one of the top goal scorers in UNH history. She enters the postseason ranked fourth in career goals (51) and fifth in points (118). Meg has started all 18 games this season and all 81 in her Wildcat career. This year, she ranks second on the squad in both goals (nine) and points (20). She was the team leader in both of those stats the previous two years. Meg tallied 17 goals and 39 points as a junior, and those numbers rank eighth on UNH's list of single-season superlatives. Her collegiate accolades include America East Commissioner's Honor Roll, America East Academic Honor Roll, America East All-Conference Team, All-Conference Second Team and All-Rookie Team.
Chandler Giese has started all 81 games in four years as a UNH Wildcat. More than that, she has played almost every minute in every game to give stability and leadership to the defensive unit. Chandler is a key part of New Hampshire's transition from defense to offense, and has also been an integral part of the Wildcats' defensive and offensive penalty corner units. Chandler has career numbers of two goals and nine assists for 13 points. Her collegiate accolades include NFHCA National All-Academic Squad, America East Commissioner's Honor Roll, America East Academic Honor Roll, NFHCA Northeast Region Second Team, America East All-Conference First Team, All-Rookie Team and All-Academic Team.
Lynne Lehman has played in all 81 UNH games the past four years with 28 starts. She is an integral part of the forward rotation and has recorded five points on two goals and an assist this season. Lynne scored five goals in both her sophomore and junior years and she finished with a personal single-season high of 13 points in the 2013 season. Her collegiate accolades include America East Academic Honor Roll and America East All-Rookie Team.
Taylor Rideout has played in all 18 games this season and in 62 games in four years as a Wildcat. The forward recorded her first career assist earlier this year in a win against Providence College. Taylor scored her first and only UNH goal last year against Hofstra University. Her collegiate accolades include America East Academic Honor Roll.

Consistent 'Cats
Nine Wildcats started all 18 regular-season games and another started 17 of 18.
New Hampshire's half-by-half scoring output is nearly equal with 18 goals in the first half and 21 in the second. The opponents' 50 goals have been split evenly.
Lindsey Nerbonne scored a goal three of the last four regular-season games and in seven of the last 11; overall, Nerbonne tallied a goal in 8 of 18 games with three multiple-point efforts, including a career-high three against UMass (Aug. 29).
Meg Flatley recorded a point in 10 of 18 regular-season games, including a goal in both games last weekend.
Katie Audino tallied a point five of the last seven regular-season games (Oct. 11–Nov. 1) with three goals and three assists for nine points in that span. She recorded her first career multiple-goal game Oct. 23 at Vermont.

Shooting to Score
Katie Audino has scored five goals on just 11 shots for an impressive .455 shooting percentage. Meg Flatley ranks second on the team in shooting percentage at .243 (9 goals/37 shots).

Slick Stickwork
Gianna Bensaia, a sophomore midfielder, has started all 18 games with three goals and two assists for eight points. Beyond the offensive stats, she is a linchpin of the midfield who utilizes strong stick skills to transition the Wildcats from defense to offense. She also plays on both the defensive and offensive penalty corner units, where she has the role of one of the primary stick-stops.

The Defense Never Rests
Senior Chandler Giese leads a defensive unit that includes junior Jackie Hozza, sophomore Ashley Mendonca and freshman Emily Howarth. All four Wildcats have started all 18 games, and all four have played 1100+ minutes (of a possible 1275).

Cornering In
New Hampshire has struggled converting penalty corners into goals this season, which was evident last weekend when the Wildcats converted 1 of 14 corners into a goal at UMass Lowell and then were 0-for-9 vs. Maine.
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.

Rize-ing To The Occasion
Sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Rize has started all 18 games and played 1259:50 of a possible 1275:34 this season (which is all but 15:44). She has an 8-10 record with a 2.72 GAA, .642 and two shutouts. Rize made a career-high 11 saves at nationally-ranked Maryland (Sept. 20). She stopped eight shots in consecutive games against Dartmouth (Sept. 5) and UConn (Sept. 11).

D-D-D–Defense
The Wildcats limited the opposition to single digits in shots four times in the regular season, including two by Vermont in a 3-1 win Oct. 9 at UNH's Memorial Field; the Catamounts' goal accounted for the only shot on goal.
Other teams held to single figures were Northeastern University (three; Sept. 13), UMass (six; Aug. 28) and Providence College (seven; Sept. 25).

First blood
UNH scored the game's first goal in 10 of 18 regular-season games and went on to victory seven times. The Wildcats have struck first each of the last six games, and they extended the lead to 2-0 a total of four times – against both Providence and UMass Lowell, as well as at Harvard and at Vermont.
The 'Cats were 1-7 when falling behind 1-0; the only win was vs. UMass (Aug. 29; 4-3 in OT). In the eight games the opposition has struck first, they extended the lead to 2-0 seven times.

It's a 35-minute game?
New Hampshire won all five games in which it held a halftime lead. The Wildcats were 1-7 when trailing at the half with the lone win coming vs. UMass (Aug. 29; 4-3 in OT). UNH was 2-3 when the score was tied at halftime.

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).

What Day Is It?
UNH played a majority of its regular-season games on Friday and Sunday. The Wildcats were 4-4 on Friday and 2-6 on Sunday, and they were unbeaten in two Saturday games.

A Look Back at the Future
Back in August, the America East league coaches picked UNH to finish second in the final conference standings. The were correct about that, as well as the seeding for each of the top four positions. Here is a comparison of the final standings and Preseason Poll:
EAST DIVISION
Preseason Poll Final Standings
1. Albany (4) 16 t-1. Albany 7-1
2. UNH (1) 12 t-1. Maine 7-1
3. Maine 11 3. UNH 4-4
4. Vermont 6 4. Vermont 2-6
6. UMass Lowell 5 5. UMass Lowell 0-8
WEST DIVISION
Preseason Poll Final Standings
1. Stanford (3) 9 t-1. Stanford 4-2
t-2. Pacific (1) 5 t-1. Pacific 4-2
t-2. Cal 5 3. Cal 3-3
t-2. UC Davis 5 4. UC Davis 1-5

Scouting the Tigers
The University of the Pacific (Stockton, Calif.) boasts a 10-7 overall record – the most wins since the 2006 season and just the third double-digit win total in program history. The Tigers, in their first year as members of America East, went 4-2 in the West Division and they are the second seed in their division after tying Stanford University atop the standings.
Friday's quarterfinal vs. New Hampshire will be the team's first neutral-site game of the season.
Sophomore back Savannah Burns was honored as the 2015 America East Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to the All-Conference First Team. In addition to her defensive prowess, Burns leads the Tigers with eight goals and six assists and has recorded at least one point the past four games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Laura Pujade anchors the defensive unit with a 1.67 GAA, .763 save percentage and three shutouts while starting every game. She was named to the All-Conference Second Team.
Senior back Kesley Gulledge and sophomore forward Alicia Muinos joined Pujade on the Second Team.
Ali Campos and Rylee Comeau are the Tigers' other double point scorers with 13 and 10, respectively. Comeau and Justine Van Lathem were All-Reeokie Team selections.
Pacific is ranked No. 7 in the conference in offense (1.88 goals per game) and No. 4 in defense (1.71 goals allowed/game). In other stats, the Tigers are fifth in shots per game (14.35) and seventh in penalty corners per game (5.47).

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