FARMINGTON, Maine - University of Maine at Farmington field hockey (11-4-0) will play host to Husson University (8-6-0) in the North Atlantic Conference East Championship on Sunday at 1:00pm. This is the third-straight season these two teams have met in the championship, with Husson earning a 1-0 double-overtime win in 2014 and a 2-0 victory last season.
UMF enters the game as the number one seed and winners of five straight against conference opponents. The Beavers display a combination of a high powered offense and a very stingy defense. The offense is lead by Emmah Spahr (Winthrop, Maine/Winthrop), who leads the NAC in goals scored (19) and points (38) and was also named NAC Player of the Year. The 19 goals are tied for the All-time single season record at UMF. Carly Raymond (Topsham, Maine/Mt.Ararat) has had a strong season with nine goals to go along with three assists and Jenessa Talarico (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston) (7 goals, 3 assists) gives UMF a third offensive player to watch out for.
The Defense leads the NAC with a Goal Against Average of 1.60. Senior goalie Patty Smith (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) has three shutouts in NAC games, including the 4-0 win against Thomas on Wednesday. Smith has a GAA of 1.20 in conference games and was named Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year in the NAC. Playing in front of Smith, Lee-Anne Greenleaf (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner) was named to the NAC All-Conference Team as a defender and Torrie Nightingale (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) make it difficult for teams to get the ball in the circle and on the cage.
Husson enters the Championship as winners of three straight NAC games, including back to back wins against Colby-Sawyer (1-0 & 5-3). The Eagles lead the league in NAC goals with 19 scored and also in shots with 131. Lauren Russell leads the offense with 12 goals and 4 assists which are tied for fourth in the NAC, Russell was selected as All-Conference in the NAC. Also selected to the NAC All-Conference teams was Mikayla Toth who leads the conference with 10 assists.
Coach Cyndi Pratt is aware of how dangerous the Husson offense is, "Husson has a very strong midfield that sets up their attack. We have to stay with those midfielders so they don't have open looks or lanes into their circle." Pratt also believes the UMF offense can help limit the Husson opportunities, "We need to keep possession of the ball and keep the pressure on their defense."
The Eagles defense is lead by NAC Defensive Player of the Year senior Whitney Arno. The Eagles are second in the NAC with a GAA of 1.60 and have two conference shutouts this year.
In the first meeting played on Prescott Field, UMF won 3-1. Spahr had all three goals for the Beavers and Smith made four saves in the victory. Husson held a slight edge in shots 12-11 and penalty corner 12-8, but UMF was able to put eight shots on goal to Husson's five.
Getting off to a fast start in the game was a key according to Coach Pratt, "The first meeting we scored on two corners which will be key to this game as well. Getting off to a good start, we must play fast to start the game and maintain the intensity for the entire 70 minutes of play."
It was the first time UMF had beaten Husson since 2012, a 4-1 victory played on Prescott. Since 2006 the teams have played 17 times overall and have had 7 playoff games. Husson holds a 10-7 advantage in the regular season and is 6-1 vs UMF in the playoffs. Games played on Prescott, UMF is 6-3 overall and 1-2 in playoff games during that time.
The NAC East champion will take on the NAC West champion, which will be played at Castleton University on Saturday, November 5, at a time to be determined. The NAC Crossover Champion will receive an automatic berth to the 2016 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.
