Senior Day Matchup vs. Vermont on March 21 (AE.tv)

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Vermont (0-1-0, 0-1-0 America East) at UNH (4-1-0, 1-1-0 America East)
Sunday, March 21 | 2 p.m.
Wildcat Stadium | Durham, N.H.

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UNH Women's Soccer Home Page | UVM Women's Soccer Home Page

UNH ATHLETICS COVID-19 SPECTATOR POLICY | CLICK HERE to read more

UNH Athletics is currently permitting a limited number of undergraduate student spectators to the March 2021 UNH athletics events at Wildcat Stadium.
Attendance at Wildcat Stadium is strictly limited to UNH-Durham undergraduate students.
Members of the general public are not permitted to attend any UNH Athletics events for the safety of all UNH students, student-athletes, and essential staff working events.
There are no tickets available for visiting teams or families of UNH student-athletes for events at Wildcat Stadium.
Students interested in attending events at Wildcat Stadium must set up a student ticket account in order to claim an electronic ticket for a specific event and assigned seat in advance.

THE MATCHUP | CLICK HERE to view series history, boxes & recaps

New Hampshire has a 21-9-7 lifetime record against Vermont.
In the 2019 matchup at Virtue Field, the Wildcats were 2-1 victors with all three goals scored in a five-minute span. UNH struck first in the 20^th minute, Vermont tied it 1-1 in the 21^st minute and then the Wildcats went back in front 2-1 in the 25^th minute.
The Wildcats have a 6-2-2 edge the past 10 meetings; six of those 10 were decided by one goal, and UNH won five.
The road team has won each of the past three matchups and the home team is 0-4-1 in the last five; the last win by a home team was September 2014, when UNH prevailed 1-0 at Bremner Field.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

UNH enters Sunday's game with a 4-1-0 record that includes 4-0-0 at home and 1-1-0 in America East (1-0-0 in America East home games).
The Wildcats' four-game winning streak ended with last Sunday's 2-0 loss at UMass Lowell.
New Hampshire trailed for the first time this season last Sunday when UMass Lowell took a 1-0 lead in the 14^th minute; the 'Cats played 378 minutes this season before facing a deficit.
The 4-0-0 start was the best in program history; the Wildcats did get off to a 3-0-0 start in 2017.
This marked the fourth time in seven years under coach Welham that New Hampshire was unbeaten through the first three games of the season; the Wildcats were 1-0-2 in both 2015 and 2016.
The 'Cats christened the Spring 2021 season with a 2-0 win vs. Northeastern (Feb. 14), then upended Merrimack College, 5-1 (Feb. 24), Rhode Island, 2-0 (Feb. 28) and Maine (1-0, OT, March 7).

CLEAN SHEETS AND SHUTOUT STREAKS

UNH has recorded shutout streaks of 237:31 (Feb. 24- March 14) and 140:30 (Feb. 14-24) this season; the former included back-to-back shutouts of Rhode Island and Maine, and ended last Sunday at UMass Lowell when the River Hawks scored in the 14^th minute.
New Hampshire recorded three clean sheets in the first four games. The last time the Wildcats shut out three of the first four opponents was 2016.
UNH's one goal allowed in the first four games was the fewest since that '16 squad also surrendered one goal through four games.
The Wildcats were blanked for the first time this season last Sunday at UMass Lowell.

SHEPPARD'S EIGHT SHUTOUTS

Junior goalie Cat Sheppard, a two-time America East Defensive Player of the Week honoree this season, recorded her second consecutive shutout, third of the season and eighth career with two saves in UNH's 1-0 overtime win against Maine on March 7.
Sheppard's shutout streak of 216 minutes, 49 seconds ended March 14 UMass Lowell when the River Hawks scored in the 14^th minute; it is the third-longest shutout streak of her career.
She tallied her seventh career shutout with a two-save effort in the Wildcats' 2-0 win vs. Rhode Island on Feb. 28.
Sheppard tallied her sixth career clean sheet with a three-save effort in UNH's 1-0 victory against Northeastern at Wildcat Stadium on Feb. 14.
Sheppard shut out five opponents in the 2019 season with back-to-back shutouts twice; her longest shutout streak is 260:17, and her second longest is 250:50.

EIGHT WAS NOT ENOUGH

Sheppard made a career-high eight saves in last Sunday's 2-0 loss at UMass Lowell; six of those stops were in the first half.
That total surpassed her previous high of seven saves at Stony Brook on October 27, 2019; that was also a 2-0 loss.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

New Hampshire has scored nine goals in five games for an average of 1.80 goals per game and has surrendered just three goals, which is 0.60 goals per game.
UNH is averaging 11.8 shots per game with 37 of its 59 shots on target (62.7%). In comparison, the opponents are averaging 7.8 shots with 19 of 39 on goal (48.7%).
The Wildcats average 5.4 corners per game and the opponents average 3.2.

CONFERENCE CALL

UNH sits atop the conference leaderboard in scoring average (1.80 goals per game) and scoring defense (0.60 goals per game).
The Wildcats are the only America East team to score more than three goals in a game this season with five against Merrimack on Feb. 25.

CONFERENCE LEADERBOARD

With three goals allowed in 433 minutes, 37 seconds, Sheppard ranks second in America East with a 0.623 goals-against-average. Sheppard is #4 in save percentage at .833 (15 saves; 3 GA).
Picicci ranks #8 in the conference in shots on goal per game (1.40) and is #10 in shots per game (2.40).
Picicci and sophomore Whitney Wiley are tied for the lead with three goals. Wiley is atop the leaderboard in points per game (1.75), followed by Picicci at 1.40 points per game.
Wiley is also #7 in shots on goal per game (1.50).
Freshmen Emily Bini and Anna Hewlett are tied for the lead (with three other players) at two assists.

'CAT NIPS

Wiley and Picicci have scored six of UNH's nine goals this season with three apiece. Both have one assist, which has come on a goal scored by the other.
No other Wildcat has more than two points.
Picicci scored a goal three consecutive games against Merrimack, Rhode Island and Maine (Feb. 25 to March 7). That streak ended with last weekend's shutout loss at UMass Lowell.
Bini tallied an assist back-to-back matches vs. URI and Maine, and she is tied for the team lead in assists with fellow freshman Anna Hewlett, who tallied an assist the first two games of the season.
Mayer recorded her first career point with an assist on Picicci's golden goal March 7 vs. Maine.
Nine Wildcats have started all five games.
Freshman back Ella Dudley has played all 454 minutes.
With the absence of Wiley at UMass Lowell, freshman forward Logan Nicholson made her first career start; she recorded two shots (both on goal) in playing all 90 minutes.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

New Hampshire opened the Spring 2021 season with four consecutive home games and won all four.
Dating back to the 2019 season, UNH has won seven consecutive home games.
Spanning the 2019 and Spring 2021 seasons, UNH is 10-3-0 at home.
The Wildcats' most recent loss in Durham was Oct. 13, 2019 (2-0 to UAlbany).

UNH PREVAILS IN BORDER BATTLE vs. MAINE

A golden goal by Picicci in the 95^th minute lifted New Hampshire to a 1-0 overtime win against Maine at Wildcat Stadium last Sunday.
In a succession of passes, freshman Keegan Mayer, near the midfield line along the left touchline, centered the ball to Bini, whose thru ball sprung Picicci past three Black Bears.
Picicci touched the ball past the sliding tackle of goalie Kira Kutzinski 28 yards from the goal line and left-footed the ball into the open net from 17 yards to end the game at 94:19.
Sheppard was credited with two saves to record the clean sheet.
UNH finished with a 16-4 shot advantage, including 7-2 on goal. The 'Cats recorded the only two shots in the extra session.
The Wildcats recorded a 6-2 edge on corner kicks.

REVAMPED ROSTER

UNH's Spring 2021 team, led by seventh-year head coach Steve Welham, has a very different looking roster from the one that went 10-8-0, scored 28 goals (the most by UNH since '07), shut out six opponents and advanced to the America East semifinals in the 2019 season.
This year's roster is comprised of three seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and 12 freshmen.

THE CAPTAINS

Seniors Casey Peterson and Picicci are the captains.
Peterson is one of three returning starters. The midfield/forward played in 16 of 18 games, was in the starting lineup 15 times and played 1,312 of a possible 1,621 minutes. She tallied one point on an assist and a total of nine shots. Peterson has 30 starts the past two seasons.
Picicci, a forward/midfield player, saw action in all 18 games and was in the starting lineup once (Sept. 29 at Binghamton University); she played a total of 440 minutes.

WILDCATS RECEIVE A PAIR OF WEEK 3 CONFERENCE AWARDS

Junior goalkeeper Cat Sheppard and freshman midfielder Emily Bini were named the America East Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, this past Tuesday.
The duo led New Hampshire to a 1-0 overtime win in last Sunday's America East conference opener at Wildcat Stadium.
Sheppard was credited with two saves to record the clean sheet vs. Maine and extend her shutout streak to 203 minutes, 7 seconds.
Bini's thru ball set up the only goal of the game – the golden goal in the 95^th minute. Bini controlled the ball at midfield and sent a pass behind three Maine defenders to spring Francesca Picicci, who won the race to the loose ball and scored into the open net.

WILDCATS RECEIVE A PAIR OF WEEK 2 CONFERENCE AWARDS

Wiley and freshman back Alivia Kelly were named the America East Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on March 2.
Wiley scored a total of three goals, including two game-winning tallies, and an assist for seven points as UNH defeated Merrimack, 5-1, on Feb. 24 and URI, 2-0, on Feb. 28.
She matched her career high of two goals and also had an assist for a personal-best five points against Merrimack.
It is the first career conference Player of the Week award for Wiley.
Kelly anchored UNH's backline as the Wildcats allowed a total of four shots on goal and one goal. The 'Cats yielded five shots – two on goal – vs. Merrimack. And with Kelly once again directing the defensive unit against URI, the Rams recorded seven shots and once again only two were on goal.

ALIVIA KELLY RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Freshman back Alivia Kelly was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's Team of the Week: Feb. 9-15. She scored the game's only goal in a 1-0 victory against Northeastern University on Feb. 14 and helped the Wildcats record a clean sheet by limiting the Huskies to six shots (three on goal).

SHEPPARD RECEIVES CONFERENCE HONOR IN FIRST WEEKLY AWARDS

Junior goalkeeper Cat Sheppard was named America East Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 23. Sheppard stopped all three shots on goal to backbone UNH to a 1-0 season-opening victory against Northeastern University at Wildcat Stadium on Feb. 14. She was credited with two saves in the first half and maintained the clean sheet with one more save in the final 45 minutes.

UNH PICKED FIFTH IN AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL

The University of New Hampshire women's soccer team was picked fifth in the Spring 2021 America East Women's Soccer Preseason Poll that was released Feb. 10.
Stony Brook University received all nine possible first-place votes and a total of 81 points in the poll. The University of Hartford received the other first-place vote and 70 points. The third through sixth spots were separated by 11 points with UAlbany (58 points) followed by UMass Lowell (53), UNH (50) and Binghamton University (47).

WHO'S IN OUR DIVISION

The America East conference is split into two divisions this season. UNH is in Division A with Hartford, Maine, UMass Lowell and Vermont. Division B is comprised of UAlbany, Binghamton, UMBC, NJIT and Stony Brook.
The top two teams in each division qualify for the America East Women's Soccer Championship, which will be held at the tournament's top seed April 15 & 17.

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