Woods Stops 14 Shots in 2-1 AE Semifinal Loss to #17 UAlbany

Friday, November 4

Orono, Maine

3 PM

University of New Hampshire

(10-10, 3-5)

UAlbany

(14-4, 6-2)

UNH

UALB

Woods Stops 14 Shots in 2-1 AE Semifinal Loss to #17 UAlbany

11/4/2022 10:28:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

ORONO, Maine – Senior goalkeeper Jemma Woods (Frimley, England) made a season-high 14 saves, but the University of New Hampshire field hockey team was edged 2-1 by 17^th-ranked UAlbany in Friday afternoon's America East semifinal at UMaine Field Hockey Complex.

Woods made eight of her 14 saves in the third period and junior Lindsay Lee (Eindhoven, Netherlands) was credited with a defensive save. Senior captain Molly McAteer (Annapolis, Md.) scored her first goal of the season to tie the game, 1-1, in the 35^th minute.

UAlbany goalie Hannah Mangan made two saves. Sophia Schoommaker scored the first goal of the game in the 12^th minute and Elaina Burchell scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 42^nd minute.

Sixth-seeded UNH, which advanced out of Thursday's quarterfinal with a 2-1 shootout win vs. UMass Lowell, ends the season with a 10-10 overall record. Second-seeded UAlbany improved to 14-4.

"We were overall pleased that we stayed in it and had some good opportunities as we pressed in the third and fourth quarters," UNH head coach Robin Balducci said. "Jemma was outstanding again today.

"The kids fought super hard," she added. "Our legs, well we were a little tired from playing (Thursday) and you add to that a core of young players who are experiencing the tournament itself and back-to-back games, for the first time. So overall we were pleased with how we were able to fight, stay in it and give ourselves a chance."

FIRST QUARTER

UAlbany generated an 8-0 shot advantage and 5-0 edge in penalty corners in the opening 15 minutes.
Woods made a save on back-to-back UAlbany corners in the seventh minute to keep the game scoreless.
The Great Danes took a 1-0 lead at 11:12 when Blanca Orsola advanced down the circle and slipped a pass low on the left side, where Schoonmaker swept a low shot into the cage.

SECOND QUARTER

In a much more balanced second quarter, UAlbany had a 3-1 shot advantage while UNH recorded the only corner.
UNH generated its first corner and scoring threat of the game in the 18^th minute but the shot by Lee, who inserted the ball into play, at the left doorstep was blocked.

THIRD QUARTER

New Hampshire began to generate more offense following halftime, but the Great Danes tallied a 10-3 shot advantage in the third quarter.
UAlbany pressured in the 34^th minute but the 'Cats kept within a goal on Lee's defensive save and then stop by Woods to deny Schoonmaker twice.
Freshman Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario) pressured deep in the circle and her shot was stopped by Mangan, but the play resulted in a UNH corner.
The Wildcats converted that opportunity into a goal and 1-1 tie at 34:59. Lee inserted the ball to the top of the circle, where stick-stop Tasmin Cookman (Woking, England) set up twin sister Tamera Cookman (Woking, England.) After a quick touch, Tamera pushed the ball to the left side, where McAteer fired a low blast past traffic into the cage.
Woods made a flurry of five saves spanning the 39^th and 40^th minutes to keep the score level at 1-1.
UAlbany regained the lead, 2-1, at41:05 when Orsola's blast from the left side was redirected into the cage by Burchell.

FOURTH QUARTER

In a defensive fourth quarter, the Great Danes had a 2-1 shot advantage.
Woods stopped Alison Smisdom's direct shot on a corner in the 49^th minute to keep the margin at one goal.
In the 56^th minute, Tasmin Cookman entered the top of the circle and sent a rising shot over the cage.
UNH pulled Woods in favor of an extra field player with 2:39 remaining, but UAlbany did not allow a shot the rest of the way to secure the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UAlbany finished with the advantage in shots (23-5), shots on goal (17-3) and corners (8-2).

UNH NOTEBOOK

New Hampshire's 10 wins is the highest total since the 2013 squad finished 15-7
Woods entered the tournament ranked No. 5 in the nation at 7.12 saves per game and almost doubled that with her season-high 14 saves, which marked her fifth game of 10+ saves this year.
Tasmin Cookman, the 2022 America East Rookie of the Year, All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team honoree, increased her totals to 11 assists and 43 points. The 43 points is the most ever by a UNH rookie and No. 7 on the program's list of single-season superlatives.
Tamera Cookman finished the season with six goals and six assists for 18 points to rank third on the team in both of those stats; she was an All-Conference Second Team and All-Rookie Team selection.
Poulakis ends the year with 12 goals, eight assists and 32 points to rank second on the squad in all three stats; she was also a Second Team and All-Rookie Team honoree.
The end of the 2022 season also marks the end of UNH careers for McAteer and fellow senior captains Ava Mariani (Easton, Pa.) and Jaiden Wittel (Stroudsburg, Pa.), as well as grad student Juliane Ohmen (Bremen, Germany).
Seniors Leah Glidden (Kittery, Maine) and Woods will return in 2023.

SERIES NOTEBOOK

New Hampshire has a 14-21 lifetime record against UAlbany, which has won each of the past four meetings.
This was the ninth postseason matchup between the Wildcats and Great Danes; UNH has a 3-6 record with breakdowns of 1-1 at neutral sites and 2-2 in semifinals.