Senior Day vs. Dartmouth (Oct. 28) Closes Regular Season

SENIOR DAY
Sunday, Oct. 28 ~ 1 pm ~ Memorial Field ~ Durham, N.H.
Dartmouth (6-8, 2-3 Ivy League) at UNH (5-11, 3-5 AE) ~ Video ~ Stats

DEVELOPING THE PLAYOFF PICTURE

Four of five teams in the East Division advance to the America East Championships held Nov. 1-4 at Stanford University.
Three teams – UAlbany, Maine and Vermont – have already clinched a tourney berth, which leaves UNH and UMass Lowell battling for the final spot.
New Hampshire defeated No. 17 UAlbany, 2-1, on Friday to keep its playoff hopes intact. The Wildcats now need a UMass Lowell loss to Maine (on Sunday) to get into the conference tourney.

SENIOR DAY

UNH's senior class of Katie Audino, Rachel Bossi, Erin McNamara, Kelsey Rudert and Rachel Thomson will be honored prior to Sunday's regular-season finale vs. Dartmouth.

UNH vs. DARTMOUTH

UNH has a 22-19-2 lifetime record against Dartmouth College and that includes last year's 4-3 road loss at Chace Athletic Center. • Recap • Box
- In that game, UNH recorded a 23-10 shot advantage, but the Big Green scored on 4 of 7 shots on goal.
- Bloem van den Brekel finished the game with a goal and an assist.
- Rachel Bossi lifted the Wildcats within 4-3 with 82 seconds remaining. DC called time out and did not allow a shot the rest of the game.
New Hampshire has won five of the last seven meetings.
The last time these teams met at Memorial Field (Oct. 30, 2016), UNH was a 6-2 victor on Senior Day. • Recap • Box
This series dates back to a 1-1 tie in 1975. Since then, these intrastate rivals have met every year with one exception – 1990.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE • Home page • Schedule • Roster • Stats

UNH has a 5-11 overall record that includes 4-6 at home. The Wildcats are 2-6 in non-conference play, including 2-4 at home.
New Hampshire ended a five-game losing streak last Sunday (Oct. 21) with a 2-1 win at the University of Vermont.
The Wildcats were outscored 14-4 during that five-game losing streak.
UNH has a 4-4 record in games decided by one goal. Both games last weekend were decided by a score of 2-1, and this past Friday was a 1-0 win against 17th-ranked UAlbany.
The Wildcats have a 2-6 record against nationally-ranked teams that includes a 3-2 home win against No. 18 Maine on Sept. 28 as well as the aforementioned victory vs. UAlbany. The 'Cats have lost to No. 19 Boston University (4-0), No. 15 Harvard (4-1), No. 14 Iowa (2-0), at No. 9 Boston College (6-0), at No. 24 UAlbany (2-1 in overtime), and at No. 17 Maine (4-0). [Note: all rankings at date of game]
UNH is averaging 1.31 goals per game as well as 9.9 shots and 4.9 penalty corners. Opponents are averaging 2.38 goals, 12.1 shots and 6.0 corners.
The 'Cats have shut out the opposition twice and been blanked five times.
Six Wildcats have started all 16 games; they are Katie Audino, Nicky Bajus, Rachel Bossi, Finn Caron, Kayla Sliz and Bloem van den Brekel. Three others have started 15 of 16 and goalkeeper Kelsey Rudert has started 14 of 16 (she was a DNP Sept. 21 & 23).

LAST WEEKEND RECAP

UNH was upended 2-1 by UMass Lowell last Friday (Oct. 19) at Memorial Field and then the Wildcats were 2-1 victors in Sunday's Battle of the 'Cats against the University of Vermont Catamounts in Burlington.
Bloem van den Brekel scored a goal in both games, and Finn Caron recorded a point in both games with a goal vs. UMass Lowell and game-winning goal at UVM.
van den Brekel tied the score, 1-1, in the 58^th minute on a direct shot from a penalty corner, but UML's Jenna Berger scored her second goal of the game 79 seconds later to give the River Hawks a lead they would not relinquish. • Recap • Box
van den Brekel struck first at Vermont in the 28^th minute and Caron broke a 1-1 tie in the 51^st minute. In the frigid conditions at Moulton Winder Field, the teams combined for a total of 12 shots. • Recap • Box

INSIDE THE STATS

The opposition has recorded the shot advantage 10 of 16 games; UNH has a 1-3 record when recording the shot advantage, as well as an 0-2 mark when the shots are even (that has happened two of the last three games; 15-15 at Maine and 10-10 vs. UMass Lowell).
UNH had the edge in penalty corners 6 of 16 games – 4-1 vs. UMass in the opener, 10-4 at Brown, 14-4 vs. Bryant, 5-2 against Vermont, 7-5 at Maine and 10-5 vs. UMass Lowell.
New Hampshire has scored on 21 of 159 shots (13.2%) with 100 of 159 shots on goal (62.9%); in comparison, the opposition has scored on 38 of 193 shots (19.7%) with 120 of 193 shots on goal (62.2%).
UNH has been outshot 101-78 in the first half and 90-81 in the second half, as well as 2-0 in overtime.

POINT PRODUCERS

Freshman forward Finn Caron and junior forward Bailey Fanikos – both first-year Wildcats – rank 1-2 in goals. Caron leads the team in goals (five), game-winning goals (three), points (11) and shooting percentage (.357). Fanikos has scored four goals.
Caron has recorded a point four of the last seven games with seven points (three goals, one assist) in that span.
Fanikos recorded career highs of two goals and four points Sept. 21 vs. Bryant University.
Bloem van den Brekel is tied with Fanikos for second in points (eight) and ranks third in goals (three). She has a team-high 30 shots.
Senior captain Rachel Bossi has a team-high four assists. She has also scored a goal for a total of six points.

D-D-D-D-FENSE

Nicky Bajus is the anchor of this year's young defensive unit. She has started all 15 games and never comes off the field.
Senior captain Katie Audino, who patrolled the midfield and frontline of attack her first three years as a Wildcat, has transitioned more into a defensive role. She has made a smooth transition, as evident by her team-high two defensive saves and spot on the defensive penalty corner unit.
Sophomore Erin Malone, who played in one game a year ago, stepped into a starting role at the start of the season and recorded a defensive save against nationally-ranked Iowa. Malone has played in just 1 of 6 October games (off the bench at UAlbany on Oct. 7).
Classmate Val Fay started four games in lieu of Malone, but Fay came off the bench last Friday vs. UMass Lowell and was a DNP at Vermont.

DEFENDING THE CAGE

New Hampshire's defense is anchored by third-year starting goalie Kelsey Rudert. The senior started the first six games this season, was a DNP the weekend of Sept. 21-23, and has started each of the last eight games.
Rudert recorded her first career shutout Friday against No. 17 UAlbany by stopping all three shots on goal, including one on an untimed penalty corner at the end of the game to secure the 1-0 victory.
In her return to the starting lineup, Rudert made a season-high nine saves to backbone the Wildcats to a 3-2 win against 18^th-ranked Maine on Sept. 28.
Rudert stopped eight shots in the 2-1 overtime loss at No. 24 UAlbany.
Rudert has a 4-10 record and has stopped 62 of 93 shots on goal for a 2.56 GAA and .667 save percentage.
Junior Madelyn McAteer received the starting nod consecutive games 3gainst Bryant and Boston College. She stopped three shots vs. Bryant for her first career win and shutout, then made a career-high five saves (5 GA in 40:43) at ninth-ranked BC. In three games, she is 1-1 with a .643 save percentage and 2.55 GAA.
Freshman Rachel Simkevich made her collegiate debut Sept. 30 at BC. She played the final 29:17 and stopped two of three shots on goal. Simkevich played the second half Oct. 14 at Maine and recorded four saves with one goal allowed. In two games, she has a 2.18 GAA and .750 save percentage.

SIX GOALS AND A SHUTOUT

New Hampshire's six goals in the 6-0 win vs. Bryant University (Sept. 21 at Memorial Field) marked the highest total since Oct. 30, 2016, when the 'Cats also scored six goals vs. Dartmouth College.
It was UNH's first shutout since Oct. 23, 2015 (4-0 win at Vermont).

BALDUCCI BIO

This is the 28^th season as UNH head coach for Robin Balducci.
She is the program's all-time winningest coach with 275 career victories
Balducci was inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame on Jan. 5, 2017.
She was inducted into UNH's Hall of Fame in 1998 and was also part of the 1985 NCAA national championship women's lacrosse team that was enshrined in 1994.
Balducci is a six-time America East Coach of the Year (1998, 2000-10-11-12-13).

SCOUTING DARTMOUTH • Home page

Dartmouth College (Hanover, N.H.) has a 6-8 overall record and is 2-3 in the Ivy League with a 3-3 road record. Darmouth plays host to Harvard University on Saturday before traveling across the Granite State to play UNH.
The Big Green has won its last two games – both on the road, and both by a 2-1 score – against Columbia and UMass Lowell.
Prior to the win streak, DC had lost four straight.
The Big Green as a 1-2 record against teams from America East with losses to Vermont (3-2 in OT) and Maine (4-0), as well as the aforementioned 2-1 win vs. UMass Lowell.
Dartmouth averages 2.29 goals, 15.9 shots, and 6.5 penalty corners per game. The opposition is averaging 2.93 goals, 17.9 shots, and 6.9 penalty corners per game.
Katie Spanos leads the Big Green with seven goals and 15 points. Katie Persin (4g, 2a) and Gracyn Campbell (4g, 1a) are the next top point producers.
Spanos has a team-high 48 shots; next on the list is Jessica Valvano with 27.

Hailey Valerio has played 983 of 997 total minutes. She has a 2.92 goals against average and .707 save percentage while posting a 6-8 record.

AMERICA EAST AWARDS

Finn Caron – Rookie of the Week (Sept. 25)

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Players Mentioned

Katie Audino

Nicky Bajus

Rachel Bossi

Finn Caron

Bailey Fanikos

Val Fay

Erin Malone

Madelyn McAteer

Erin McNamara

Kelsey Rudert

Rachel Simkevich

Kayla Sliz

Rachel Thomson

Bloem van den Brekel