Meijer, Poulakis Score Two Goals Apiece in 6-4 Semifinal Win vs. UAlbany

Tuesday, November 4

Durham, N.H.

2 PM

University of New Hampshire

(11-6)

UAlbany

(12-7)

UAlbany

New Hampshire

Photo by: Rich Pettigrew

Meijer, Poulakis Score Two Goals Apiece in 6-4 Semifinal Win vs. UAlbany

11/4/2025 6:21:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. – Senior captain Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario) and sophomore Faye Meijer (Purmerend, Netherlands) both scored two goals to lead the University of New Hampshire field hockey team to a 6-4 victory against UAlbany in Tuesday afternoon's America East semifinal at Memorial Field.

Junior captain Kathelijne Knuttel (Groningen, Netherlands) recorded a goal and an assist and freshman Marlijn Swaan (Hilversum, Netherlands) scored UNH's other goal. Senior captain Tasmin Cookman (London, England) and junior Addison MacNeil (Brentwood, N.H.) were both credited with an assist.

Sophomore goalkeeper Abby Johnson (Walpole, Mass.) made six saves while UAlbany counterpart Emma Peeters stopped five shots and allowed five goals. Peeters was pulled for an extra field player in the final 4:06 of the game and Knuttel's goal into an empty cage with 20 seconds remaining secured the win.

Tessa Overgoor and Jette Kurz both scored two goals for the Great Danes. Overgoor was also credited with an assist.

UNH, America East regular season co-champs and tourney No. 2 seed with a 4-1 conference record, extended its winning streak to four games to improve to 11-6 overall. UAlbany ends the season at 12-7; the third-seeded Great Danes went 3-2 in conference play.

Six goals is UNH's highest total in a conference tournament game and the combined 10 goals marks the highest scoring game in America East tourney history.

UP NEXT

UNH advances to the America East championship game Nov. 7 (1pm) at top-seeded University of Vermont.

FIRST QUARTER

UNH built a 3-1 lead through 15 minutes.
Meijer gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 5:29 when her low blast from the top-right side of the shooting circle went past Peeters into the cage.
Kurz leveled the score, 1-1, at 8:57.
Poulakis put the 'Cats back in front to stay at 12:40. On a penalty corner, MacNeil inserted the ball to Cookman at the top. Meier then made a back-pass to the left side, where Knuttel's shot toward the middle was redirected in by Poulakis.

New Hampshire was awarded a penalty stroke with 35 seconds on the clock and Poulakis lifted a shot into the upper-left corner to extend the lead to 3-1.

SECOND QUARTER

The teams combined for three more goals in the second quarter as the score advanced to 5-2 in favor of UNH through 30 minutes.
Overgoor lifted UAlbany within 3-2 at 21:05.
UNH converted another corner into a goal and 4-2 lead at 25:40. The battery of MacNeil and Cookman set up Swaan, whose shot from the top of the circle sailed into the right side of the cage.

Seventy-four seconds later, the Wildcats capitalized on another corner to extend the margin to 5-2 at 26:54. Swaan's direct shot was blocked, but Meijer collected the loose ball in the middle of the circle and fired a low shot between Peeter's legs.

THIRD QUARTER

Kurz and Overgoor scored goals three minutes apart in the third quarter – at 39:34 and 42:36, respectively – to lift the Great Danes within 5-4.

FOURTH QUARTER

Johnson denied Lillian Willis in the 48^th minute and Kurz in the 51^st minute to preserve UNH's one-goal lead.
UAlbany pulled Peeters in favor of an extra field player with 4:06 on the clock.
She reentered the game at 57:01 to face another penalty stroke by Poulakis, and this time the Great Danes goalie made the blocker save to keep the score 5-4.
Peeters immediately went back to the bench for the extra attacker.

On UNH's second entry into the shooting circle, Knuttel corralled a deflected shot on the right side and deposited the ball into the cage for a 6-4 lead with 20 seconds to play.

UNH NOTEBOOK

This is this second consecutive year and 13^th time overall UNH will play in the conference championship game. The Wildcats' most recent tourney title was in 2013.
UNH improved to 13-11 in conference semifinals with a perfect 5-0 home record.
Poulakis, the America East Offensive Player of the Year, extended her goal streak to eight games and point streak to 14 with Tuesday's pair of goals. She has 22 goals and eight assists for 52 points during the streak.
On UNH's career leaderboard, Poulakis is #2 in both goals (59) and points (147); Poulakis is #5 in career assists (29).
On the program's single-season leaderboard, Poulakis is #5 in both goals (22) and points (52).
Cookman, named to the All-Conference First Team for the fourth consecutive year, is #4 in career assists (31), #5 in points (133) and #6 in goals (51).
Meijer, a Second Team honoree, has three career two-goal games.
Swaan, an All-Rookie Team selection, has scored a goal in back-to-back games.
Knuttel, also named to the First Team, has eight points (3g, 2a) the past two games.