Stony Brook earns draw with No. 21 Harvard

This story is courtesy of the Stony Brook Independent. 

 

By: Dan Cristofaro

The story was Stony Brook men's soccer toppling No. 21 ranked Harvard, until the last minute, when the Crimson knocked in a goal to send it into extra time and an eventual 1-1 tie.
The Seawolves seemed like they had an upset in the bag, but after 89 minutes and 23 seconds Harvard forward Brian Rogers sent a shot into upper right part of the net to tie the game at one-a-piece.
“We kind of gave the game away,” Stony Brook Head Coach Cesar Markovic said.“It's a little bit of a bittersweet type of thing. We'll take it. It's better than losing.”
The first half was scoreless for both sides and shot attempts were scarce too. Stony Brook only took three shots and Harvard took two.
The Seawolves began the second half on the right foot, with sophomore forward Brian Gobeil being taken out in the box by Harvard goalie Brett Conrad, prompting a penalty kick. Gobeil fired the kick to the left, past Conrad, for the 1-0 Stony Brook lead in the 48th minute. Gobeil was carded for removing his shirt during the celebration.
Then Harvard tied the game.
Despite what the score indicated, Stony Brook's shot attempts outnumbered Harvard's 13-6 at the end of regulation.
In the 99th minute of the first overtime period, Gobeil led a break down the field, but it was broken up by the Harvard's Conrad. That was the closest the Seawolves would come in the first overtime.
In the 102nd minute, Harvard's Rogers almost tallied his second goal of the evening to escape LaValle Stadium with a win, but Seawolves goalie Stefan Manz came up with a tremendous diving save.
The second overtime delivered chances for both sides, but neither team could capitalize. The Seawolves would have to settle for a hard-fought draw.
“We had a couple of dangerous opportunities,” Markovic said. “Overall it was a good game, great crowd.”

Hitting the Links: 9/25/2010

It's almost here! For real!

That's right, America East women's soccer opens its conference schedule tomorrow at noon. Eight of the nine teams will take the field against conference foes.

Here's the slate of games for tomorrow afternoon:

Maine at Binghamton, 12 p.m.
Vermont at UMBC, 12 p.m.
New Hampshire at Boston U., 1 p.m.
Hartford at Stony Brook, 2 p.m.

The above links in the schedule are to the team sites and the previews posted on those sites for Sunday's games. And take an extra few minutes to check out Vermont's preview video.

Also making news in America East this week is the release of the men's and women's basketball prospecti. Each prospectus gives a complete overview of the nine teams in the conference, including rosters, notes and non-conference schedules. You can check out both the men and the women at americaeast.com.

Finally, in the lacrosse column of Hitting the Links earlier this week, I mentioned the 2010 Laxie Awards by Inside Lacrosse. While I did point out that former Albany Great Dane Brett Queener and current Stony Brook Seawolf Kevin Crowley received nominations, I missed to former UMBC Retriever laxers. Brendan Mundorf, a member of the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse as well as the World Champion U.S. National Team, is nominated for Inside Lacrosse Player of the Year. Also, Peet Poillon of the MLL's Chesapeake Bayhawks is nominated for MLL Player of the Year and Breakthrough Performance of the Year (a category in which he competes with Crowley). So, once again, with apologies for the initial oversight of the Retrievers, go and vote!

Well that will do for the Links today, enjoy your Saturday and some America East action!

Hartford Softball Raises Awareness of Juvenile Diabetes

The University of Hartford softball program came together to participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's two-mile walk in East Hartford this past weekend. As mentioned in the article from Hartford Athletics, this event was particularly relevant given the fact that sophomore pitcher Nicole Springer was recently diagnosed with diabetes.

It appears that this was an incredibly successful walk, as the Hawks raised over $500 for JDRF. Hartford head coach explained the impact and significance of the walk to Hartford Athletics:

“I am very proud of our team for doing such a wonderful job of supporting Nicole and the fight to help find the cure for diabetes,” commented head coach Diana Consolmagno. “Not only did our team raise donations and walk but they also showed their support for Nicole by wearing lime green headbands in our games against Marist on Saturday. It really shows how much our team cares about each other.”

AExtra would like to applaud the great effort of the Hartford softball team. There are many players and coaches throughout the America East that give their time and effort to help support some truly great causes. AExtra will continue to profile these events throughout the year. 

Hitting The Links

Hello, and happy Friday, AExtra fans.

With the weekend just hours away, let's take just a few minutes to peruse America East as it is seen by the media that covers it. In other words, let's go to the Links.

WTBU Sports Radio, student radio at Boston University, released its women's soccer power rankings as the women head into their conference schedule. The Terriers top that list, followed by
Albany and Maine. Along with the ranking, each team, 1-9, is also afforded a recap of its season thus far.

Also regarding America East women's soccer, Maine's Kelsey Wilson was featured in the Bangor Daily News. The Gorham, Maine native was profiled regarding her new-found role as a scorer for the Black Bears. Wilson, a senior, scored six goals in her first three years at Maine. This season, she has matched that total in her last four games!

On the pitch, a pair of women's teams received some ink for recent wins. Stony Brook's 4-1 triumph over Manhattan, which was the team's first win of the season, was recapped on northshoreoflongisland.com. New Hampshire's 1-0 victory last night over in-state rival Dartmouth was featured in the Portsmouth Herald.

Also, in Albany, Great Dane goalkeeper Breanna Maggio, in shutting out Bryant Wednesday, moved into sole possession of first place for career shutouts for the Great Danes at the Division I level. The sophomore has five career shutouts and seven wins overall.

In Vermont, it is the men's soccer team that has been grabbing the headlines. Today, the "goalkeeping duo," as the Burlington Free Press calls it, of Xan Rousselle and David Ramada is featured, talking about how the two have teamed up to push the Catamounts to a 4-1-3 start. Vermont will need the strong play in net when they host No. 22 Brown tomorrow afternoon.

Out of Hartford, some fall tennis action is making some waves. The Hawk men came back against Siena by winning the Nos. 3 and 5 singles matches, taking the team win over the Saints, 4-3. For more on the match, check out the video interview with Hartford tennis head coach Mike Raymond (below).



UMBC also is getting some fall work in for a spring sport. As reported in the Baltimore Sun, the men's lacrosse team recently welcomed 13 newcomers to the UMBC campus as the Retrievers begin their fall practices.

Finally, in a story on a past America East performer, the Toronto Sun ran a profile on former Binghamton Bearcat pitcher Scott Diamond. The lefty, as the article states, is the best starting pitcher for the Canadian national baseball team as it prepares for play in the Pan-Am Games qualifier next month. Diamond is a pitcher in the Braves farm system. The Links would like to wish Diamond luck as he heads into competition.

That is all for the Links this Friday. Come back tomorrow for a weekend round, right here at the Links!

Binghamton's Athlete of the Week: Kyle Manscuk

Binghamton University Athletics named men's soccer defender Kyle Manscuk the school's Athlete of the Week for last week after being named the MVP of the Colgate Red Raider Classic.

Here's a video interview with Manscuk, courtesy of Binghamton Athletics.

Wildcats Win Second Straight Against Dartmouth

The UNH women’s soccer team defeated interstate rival Dartmouth, 1-0, on Thursday at Lewis Fields. It was the first home win for UNH against the Big Green in 20 years. The Wildcats’ lone goal came courtesy of junior Brooke Duchaney, who scored her second goal in as many games.
   
“It feels awesome,” Duchaney said of finally defeating Dartmouth at home.
  
For Duchaney, it was her second game in a row of not only scoring, but also providing the goal that gave her team the deciding advantage in a pair of 1-0 games. She scored on a breakaway on Thursday, when junior Stephanie Gilkenson received the ball in the center of the field and lofted the ball down the right sideline. Duchaney chased the ball down, took a few dribbles to the top-right corner of the box and struck the ball past the Dartmouth keeper and into the back of the net with 11:47 left in the half.
   
“Brooke is one of those individuals who has that unique quality of creating things,” UNH head coach Michael Jackson said. “She’s scoring big goals here.”
 
 Defensively, the Wildcats once again held an opponent scoreless, as freshman goalkeeper Erica Correa picked up her second shutout in a row. Correa leads the America East conference in saves this season with 55 and has quickly adjusted to the college game as a first year player.
   
“The girls are really helping me out and they really make me feel comfortable back there because they always have my back,” Correa said.
   
Correa and the Wildcat defense did a good job of stopping a Dartmouth attack that outshot UNH 9-2 in the second half. With the game winding down and the Big Green getting desperate, the defense was able to clear all threats on goal and preserve the 1-0 victory.  Coach Jackson thought the UNH offense could have played better in the second half and taken some of that pressure off the defense.
  
“I think it was a combination of they [Dartmouth] got a little bit tougher and more efficient on defense, and we didn’t execute well enough in the final third,” Jackson said.
   
In the first half, the Wildcats were the aggressors, outshooting Dartmouth 7-2. It wasn’t until Duchaney’s goal towards the end of the half that UNH was able to capitalize on one of those opportunities. Nonetheless, it was all the scoring the Wildcats would need to secure their second straight victory.
  
“It’s the competitive spirit, it’s the passion, that’s what we knew we needed to bring,” Jackson said. “It’s the drive to win… I think we showed up with it today.
   
UNH will begin America East conference play this weekend, as they will travel to Boston University on Sunday. With a record of 4-4-2 in their non-conference schedule, the Wildcats are currently fourth in America East standings. In conference, UNH will hope to improve upon last year’s 3-5 America East record. The Wildcats will have a good shot at doing so if they continue to play with the effort they have exhibited in the last two games.
  
“We just need to keep clearing the ball like we did today, up and away, and play aggressively and win all the balls in the box and the air,” Correa said.
  
Sunday’s game against BU is slated to start at 1 P.M. at Nickerson Field in Boston.

      

UMaine on ESPN U

The University of Maine men’s basketball team has a rare occasion this coming season. The Black Bears get to play in front of a national television audience, when they face America East rival Stony Brook on ESPNU, on February 12.

“We have seen great progress from these two programs the last few years and this opportunity represents just another step for them,” said America East Commissioner Patrick Nero in a press release. “We are excited and thankful that ESPN will give both teams a national audience to show how good they have become.”

Coach Woodward sees the game as an exciting opportunity, but not a contest that should be held on a higher level than any others, and his team echoed that statement.

“I think you always have to enjoy what college athletics is about,” Woodward said. “Being able to play on national television broadcast is a tremendous opportunity and one that I’m proud our program will have the chance to participate in. At the same time, we will work hard the entire year to maintain focus, understanding that our record is 0-0 and you play the games on the court.”

“I think we just see it as any other game. We can’t get to high or to low,” said junior guard Gerald Mclemore.

America East players of the week

Three University of Maine Black Bears received America East player of the week honors.

For the women’s soccer team, senior midfielder Kelsey Wilson walked away with player of the week honors. Not only has Wilson been on ascoring spree for UMaine, she has scored the game-winning goal in the last two games.

Wilson was named America East player of the week after scoring both goals in the win over Temple University. Wilson is tied for the conference lead with six goals, all of which have occurred in the last four Black Bear games. Wilson also leads the conference in shots per game at 3.57.

“The biggest reason I have been able to score goals and get shots off is because of how well my team is moving the ball,” Wilson wrote in an email. “We have been really effective at getting the ball wide and beating our defender down the line and getting great crosses into the box.”

As captain, Wilson has had a large hand in making sure this young soccer squad got off on the right foot.

“We have a very young team this year and everyone is more than willing to listen to advice and direction from the experienced players,” Wilson wrote.

For the second straight week, a Black Bear walked away with field hockey player of the week honors, as Jocelyn Mitchell was awarded the title after an eight-point weekend that saw her notch four goals over the weekend victories against Bryant University and Yale University.

Field hockey freshmen Alexa Binnendijk took home America East rookie of the week honors by compiling four points over the weekend. Binnendijk scored her first career goal in the 7-0 against Bryant. Binnendijk also assisted on the goal that sent the Yale game into overtime, with Maine ultimately winning.

Hitting the Links: 9/23/2010

Good afternoon, AExtra!

Quick question for you...

Did you know that the conference season is about to begin in America East?

Yes, this topic has appeared in the Links a couple of times in the last few days, including yesterday. But fact is fact. The conference schedule is fast approaching. Women's soccer opens conference play this Sunday. Field hockey and volleyball start October 1 and men's soccer starts conference play October 2. I, for one, cannot wait for conference play to begin. And the Links is not alone in this.

It seems that Boston U. is also in the mood to get America East play underway. The Boston University Daily Free Press published an article this morning about Terrier women's soccer gearing up for the "second season." The Terriers kick off against New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon. The match is previewed in the aptly titled article, "Conference Call."

From the men's side of the pitch, UMBC freshman Pete Caringi III has gotten off to a hot start in this, his first year as a Retriever. The coach's son has stepped up his game with clutch goals, earning him two America East Rookie of the Week nods in the first three weeks of the season. The young Caringi also earned a "boast" from the Potomac Soccer Wire.

Away from the soccer field, the Albany men's and women's cross country teams are grabbing some attention. The Albany Student Press profiled the two Great Dane squads who have gotten out to solid starts in their first two races of the season. Both the men and the women graced the USTFCCCA Northeast regional rankings this week, the men at No. 13 and the women at No. 15.

Hitting the hardwood, the Maine women's basketball team is preparing to hit the hardwood sooner this season. As reported by the Bangor Daily News, new NCAA guidelines allow teams to start full practices 10 days earlier this season. Now teams will start 40 days before their first scheduled games instead of 30. This extension puts the Black Bear women back on the court October 4, which has the team excited.

When you finish the section on the Maine women's basketball team, keep reading the article. There you will find that Maine's baseball team has received a verbal commitment from Brian Doran, an outfielder from Ontario who plays for the Canadian Junior National Team. Doran would head to Orono in September 2011.

To get back to basketball, two other notes are making news on the court. On the women's side, as reported in the Baltimore Sun, Abby Gordon will join the UMBC coaching staff as an assistant this sesason. From the men, former Stony Brook star and last year's America East Player of the Year Muhammad El-Amin signed a contract to play professional basketball in Hungary. The Statesman reports that El-Amin will play for the PVSK Pannonpower Pecs in Humgary's A Division.

Finally, Hartford softball got together this weekend to support a teammate and support a cause. The team participated in a walk to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation last Sunday. The team also was walking to support teammate Nicole Springer, the sophomore designated player for the Hawks who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. The Hawks raised more than $500 for the walk.

That is it for this Thursday installment of the Links. As always, check back tomorrow for the latest and greatest Links to America East.

Four-Game Losing Streak for Binghamton

Heading into its final non-conference game, the Binghamton University women’s soccer team was coming off of three straight losses, all shutouts. The Bearcats had been held scoreless for approximately 308 minutes since scoring in the 52^nd minute against Bucknell University, and although the Bearcats finally got on the score sheet in this game, the game was already out of reach, as Binghamton (2-7) fell to Cornell (3-3), 3-1.

There was rain in the area a couple of hours before the 7 p.m. start, and there was a very brief rainfall during the first half, but the turf on the Bearcats Sports Complex didn’t seem too affected by the weather.

Cornell had the majority of the possession early on in the first half, and Bearcat freshman goalkeeper Carrie Martin was tested on a few occasions. In the 18^th minute, Martin came off of her line, charging a ball to her right side. She attempted to dive for the ball, but couldn’t come up with it. Cornell sophomore Maneesha Chitanvis gained possession and crossed it into the middle for her teammate freshman Caedran Harvey, who put the ball into the empty net to give her team a 1-0 lead. The goal was Harvey’s second of the season.

The Big Red had a chance to open up a two-goal lead in the 44^th minute on a corner kick, but the ball was headed just wide of the post. Cornell led Binghamton in shots 10-5 at the end of the first half.

It didn’t take much longer for Cornell to get that two-goal lead. In the 51^st minute, Chitanvis chipped a ball over a charging Martin and the ball rolled into the net. She earned her second and third points of the match, while bringing her season goal tally to two. The goal was unassisted.

Cornell wasn’t done yet. In the 58^th minute, freshman Rachel Nichols received a pass from junior Abigail Apistolas just outside the box on the right side, and placed a chip shot inside the upper left corner of the net, scoring her first collegiate goal.

The Bearcats weren’t short on quality chances in the half. Between Cornell’s second and third goals, they had three corners, but couldn’t put one past Big Red junior goalkeeper Kelly Murphy. Binghamton ended up with six corners at the game’s end, including five in the second half, while Cornell had three.

It seemed Binghamton was destined for a fourth straight shutout loss. However, the Bearcats finally ended their scoring drought with just 2:07 left in the match. Sophomore Candice Rowland set up Mary DeWitte a couple of yards outside the box and DeWitte fired a roaring shot past Murphy into the right side of the net, notching her first goal of the season, but the Bearcats were a day late and a dollar short. Cornell finished the match with a 13-9 edge in shots.

Regarding Cornell’s first goal, Binghamton head coach Sarah McClellan said: “There is a factor of, not necessarily luck, but there are a lot of variables for that type of goal to happen. So I have to feel like we’re going to catch a decent bounce one of these days, and I’d rather that be in conference than non-conference. I think we’ve paid our dues from that standpoint, and we’re just going to keep moving forward and keep our heads up.”

Surely the Bearcats didn’t plan on entering conference play with a four-game losing streak. The team was just two minutes away from being shutout for the fourth straight game as well, and getting that late goal may give the team the momentum it needs going into Sunday’s home match against the University of Maine.

“We were knocking at the door to score with those corner kicks, so that was great to finish,” McClellan said. “We felt very positive about that because that’s a positive step.”

Sunday’s conference opener is set to begin at noon. The men’s team will also be playing its first home match of the season that afternoon at 4 p.m. against Cornell.

Hilton Lifts 'Cats Over Bryant In Overtime

The UNH men's soccer team won in dramatic fashion Wednesday night when senior captain Brad Hilton scored the game-winning goal just over a minute into overtime to defeat Bryant University, 2-1. Hilton, who was assisted by Steven Palumbo, won the game with a right footed strike from thirty-five yards out, burying the ball in the bottom-left corner of the net.

“I saw Steve get the ball, I told him to turn, I was wide open in the middle and he played it to me. The defenders didn't step, so I just thought I'd have a go and fortunately it went in,” Hilton said.

The Wildcats had been frustrated with their play up to that point, unable to put Bryant away despite holding a 20-8 shot advantage through regulation. Hilton was visibly distressed with UNH's play, urging his teammates to play harder just after regulation ended. A minute later, he was the hero.

Still, Hilton thinks that the Wildcats need improve their play before America East play begins in October, suggesting a disappointing draw may have been better for the team in the long run.

“A tie might have sent a message to our players that the performance was not acceptable and we just need to play better,” Hilton said. “I thought our performance was terrible and I don't think we're going to win a game in conference if that's the way we play.”

In the first half, the Wildcats amassed a 12-1 shot advantage, clearly outplaying Bryant but unable to capitalize on their numerous opportunities. With the first 45 minutes wasting away, junior Jon Harris was finally able to give UNH the score they needed. Hilton passed the ball long down the right flank with the speedy Harris in pursuit. The Bryant goalkeeper, Victor Tutino, came out of net to clear the ball. Harris beat him to the spot, however, and shot the ball past Tutino into the left side of the net to give UNH a 1-0 lead with 1:18 left in the half.

Bryant would quickly even the score when, just 8 minutes into the second half, Bulldog Erik Lekstrom collected a deflected ball in the box and shot it past the diving Colin O'Donnell, into the back of the net.

“I thought that we let them back in the game,” UNH head coach Rob Thompson said. “I thought they were dangerous...I did feel like they got handle on the game.”

With the score knotted at one goal apiece, the Wildcats had opportunities to re-gain the lead in the second half, but they could not finish. Hilton himself nearly won the game with a minute to go in regulation. Freshman defender Jeffrey Turner played a long ball to the top of the box, where Hilton volleyed the ball directly into the keeper's arms. The captain was able to make up for it just moments later with the game-winner.

The Wildcats are still undefeated on the season at 3-0-2, but they have a tough test ahead of them in the University of Massachusetts. Thompson was happy with the win, but he recognizes that his team will need to play better if they want to beat Umass.

“This is a result oriented business; I don't really care whether we win 7-0 or in overtime,” Thompson said. “But I got news: UMass is a lot better, UMass is away. That's going to be a hard game.”

The Wildcats will be at Umass this Saturday. Game time is schedule for 1 P.M.  

UMBC Women's Soccer rallies, but falls in OT. Men's game cancelled due to lightning.

UMBC Women's Soccer rallies, but falls in OT

Courtesy of UMBC Athletic Communications

BALTIMORE—Loyola forward Nichole Schiro scored twice, including the game-winner 1:47 into overtime, to lift the host Greyhounds (3-5-2) to a 2-1 victory over the UMBC women’s soccer team (1-7-1) Wednesday evening at the Ridley Athletic Complex.

The teams played to a scoreless draw until the 44th minute, when Schiro gave Loyola a 1-0 lead with just 1:34 left in the first half, as she collected a through ball from midfielder Kelly Farrell at the top of the box, beat her defender one-on-one and sent a low shot into the left corner of the net.

Both teams had good opportunities earlier in the period. In the 30th minute, Schiro made a long run down the right side and crossed it into the box, where forward Alex Reed beat a defender and got around UMBC freshman goalie Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas), but her shot was cleared off the goal line by a Retriever defender. Then, with under seven minutes remaining in the half, senior defender Erin Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Methacton) dribbled to within 15 yards and passed to freshman forward Amy Savage (Ottawa, Ontario/Sir Wilfrid Laurier) on the left side. Savage took the shot from 10 yards out, but Loyola keeper Danielle Ippolito made a diving save.

While the Greyhounds dominated play in the first half, outshooting the Retrievers, 12-5, and taking seven corner kicks, UMBC controlled the tempo in the second stanza with an 8-3 advantage on shots and 6-0 on corners.

The Retrievers knotted the score in the 63rd minute, when freshman midfielder Nicole Clark (Ellicott City,Md./Howard) sent a corner kick into the scrum that was cleared out by a Loyola defender. The ball, however, found the feet of senior back Christine Sadowski (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood), who hit a hard shot into the left side of the goal from 16 yards out.

UMBC had a good opportunity to take the lead in the 73rd minute when sophomore back Aly Gazarek(Manassas, Va./Freedom/South Florida) collected a long cross-field pass and rocketed a shot from 10 yards out, Ippolito made a diving save to knock the ball out of bounds.

The Greyhounds took a pair of shots in just 107 seconds in the overtime period. Midfielder Gianna Mangione’s open look at 91:02 was stopped by Kadet, but just 45 seconds later she pushed a pass out wide to Farrell, who dribbled about eight yards inside the end line and crossed a pass to Schiro, who headed the ball into the rid side of the net for the game-winner.

Kadet had five saves in the game, while Ippolito stopped seven shots. Loyola finished with a 17-13 shot advantage and a 7-6 edge on corner kicks. Both teams took eight shots on goal.

The Retrievers return to action on Sunday, when they open America East Conference play at Vermont.

MEN'S GAME Cancelled

Courtesy of UMBC Athletic Communications

Baltimore—The men’s soccer match between UMBC and Loyola (Md.) was cancelled this evening due to persistent lightning around the Ridley Athletic Complex.

The match at was halted in the 28^th minute with the score tied at 0-0 when game officials spotted lightning. The two teams waited for approximately 50 minutes, but the lightning did not relent and officials cancelled the contest at around 8:50 p.m.

UMBC travels to Fairleigh Dickinson for a Sunday night contest with the Knights.

Hitting the Links: 9/22/2010

Hey AExtra fans. Welcome to fall!

Summer is now officially over. Now that the calendar's season matches the sports season and conference play is just about to begin (women's soccer conference play starts Sunday afternoon), I want to talk to you about lacrosse.

Yes, I realize that I just made a big deal that it is fall and the first thing I want to talk about is a spring sport. However, in defense of the Links, for a spring sport, men's lacrosse brings to the table a solid profile of fall news.

For instance, out of the Hartford Informer, the Hartford Hawks lacrosse team is going to be playing to fight cancer. The Hawks will play in the Catamount Classic, hosted by Vermont. The one day tournament will be held on October 10 at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., and will feature 12 lacrosse teams. Three of those teams, Hartford, Vermont and Albany, will be representing America East. Proceeds from the event will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for testicular cancer research. For more information on the tournament and about making a donation, visit catamountclassic.com.

In other lacrosse news, Inside Lacrosse has opened the polls for its annual "Laxie" awards. The Laxies are given out in several categories and to high school, college and professional lacrosse players. This year, America East boasts ties to three categories. Stony Brook midfielder Kevin Crowley is nominated in two categories: "D1 Men's Player of the Year" and "Breakthrough Performance of the Year." Former Albany Great Dane Brett Queener is nominated for "Lacrosse Personality of the Year," an honor he has won the past two years. So go out and vote to support America East!

(Note: The description that goes along with Queener's nomination reads, "The two-time reigning Personality of the Year knocked down 2010, highlighted by heading a lacrosse ball into the goal in his first attempt at the MLL Freestyle Competition in a World Cup homage.")

The last lacrosse story of the day comes from the Baltimore Sun, which reports that in 2014, the NCAA Lacrosse Championships will be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. As they were in 2010, the UMBC Retrievers will be one of the four universities, along with Johns Hopkins, Towson and Loyola to play host for the tournament.

Finally, the ECAC weekly honors came out yesterday. Stony Brook's Leonardo Fernandes won the Offensive Player of the Week award for men's soccer while Maine's Jocelyn Mitchell was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Week for field hockey. Congratulations to both players for their honors.

That will do it for this first day of fall edition of the Links. We've made it to mid-week. Now get that second wind and push for the weekend!

Blodgett Continues to Put Her Stamp on Women's Basketball Program

When Cindy Blodgett was named head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Maine in 2007, it immediately sent a rush of excitement and hope throughout the program. With the news recently being released that Blodgett had agreed to a two-year contract extension, it appears that her commitment to the program is starting to pay dividends.

“I think it comes down to your passion and pride,” said Blodgett. “When you have represented a school as a player and a student-athlete, the success of the program is something that is very personal and means a great deal to me. That makes it extremely easy to get up in the morning and come to work. We are at a phase where we have spent the past three years trying to overhaul our roster and get our young players to understand what we are trying to do and what we are chasing.”

While it has taken time for her to put her stamp on the program, Blodgett believes that they are close to turning the corner.

“I think the vision is becoming clearer to our players. I think if you are looking from a win/loss standpoint, I don’t think anyone would be satisfied with that. But from an overall growth standpoint, I think we are ready to take that next step and this year will be an important year towards that growth.”

One of the most difficult adjustments for any head coach, especially one who also played at a high-level, is learning how to focus on the future of the program, instead of only focusing on today.

“It is difficult, because you want to win now,” said the fourth-year head coach. “I think when you have been a part of a team that has won championships, you want to win more championships and you want to win them now. So the patience part is very difficult. You might be working on certain skills, with a certain player, because your intent is to move them to a different position the next year. It’s definitely very different as a coach. You have to be thinking a year or two down the line, while you want your players thinking about the here-and-now.”

With both Blodgett and the University of Maine showing a strong commitment to the basketball program, the hope is that it won’t be long before Maine returns to competing for the America East Championship.

“The University of Maine women’s basketball program has always had a rich tradition,” emphasized Blodgett. “We have been about winning championships and that is what we are pursuing. That is where we have set our goals and that is where we have set our sights. Every day when we go to practice, that has got to be the long-term goal. That will never deviate. I don’t want our team to be in the middle of the pack. I want us at the top where I believe that we belong.”

In the Polls - Wednesday, September 22

Our Wednesday tradition of "In the Polls" is back. With the way America East field hockey teams are playing, it shouldn't be any surprise that they continue to move up the polls.

Boston University (6-2), may have split last weekend's games with #5 Michigan State and Kent State, but they still improved two spots to #11 in this week's Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I Poll. The Flashes, who upended the Spartans and fell to the Terriers, entered the poll at #17 this week.

Holding steady is Albany (5-2), who remained at #19. The Great Danes, like the Terriers, also traveled out to the mid-west, and split a pair of games. Phil Sykes' crew defeated Quinnipiac, 3-0, and then fell to Michigan in overtime.

Both UNH (6-2) and Maine (6-2) still sit on the outside edge of the top-20 with 82 and 61 votes, respectively. The Wildcats beat Harvard and Holy Cross, while the Black Bears, thanks to Player of the Week Jocelyn Mitchell, topped Bryant and Yale last week.

The Boston U. women's soccer team (5-5) posted two strong, 3-0 wins over regional foes Harvard and UConn last week to enter the Northeast regional rankings at #6. This is the best time of the year to be playing at their strongest as America East conference play begins this weekend. The Terriers will host UNH on Sunday to begin the league slate.

With two ties against Colgate and Lafayette, the Vermont men's soccer team (4-1-2) is clinging to 10th in the NSCAA Northeast region poll. Boston U., Stony Brook and UMBC are all receiving votes for regional distinction.

Head over to the cross country coaches' poll and you'll find America East cross country teams keeping up with the best regionally, as well. Without even running a meet, the Binghamton men stood still at #7 in the Northeast. Albany and Maine, both with strong meets at Iona and UMass, also stood pat at #13 and #14, respectively.

The Stony Brook women is another squad that didn't run last week but held on to their regional ranking at #3. The Seawolf women continue their presence in the national poll, receiving nine votes as the third team just out of the rankings. New Hampshire (#11) and Maine (#14) held tight, while the Albany women, who competed well at the highly competitive Iona Meet of Champions, debuted in the rankings at #15.

Congratulations to all the teams and we wish you continued success this week!

Hitting the Links: 9/21/2010

Hello all, and welcome to Ladies' Night at AExtra.

Okay, so it's actually the middle of the afternoon, but that does not restrict the Links from showcasing the women from America East who are making headlines today. So ladies, the stage is yours...

The most publicized story out of all the America East campuses today comes from Orono, Maine, where Maine women's basketball coach Cindy Blodgett signed a two-year contract extension through the 2012-13 season. It is such a big deal that the story was picked up by the Boston Globe, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald. Blodgett, a star for the Black Bears when she played her college ball in the mid-'90s, was also recently profiled by the Portland Press Herald in an article written by Steve Solloway.

From, the north of the conference to the south, UMBC volleyball player Sabrina Hoeks has started her senior campaign in style, leading the Retrievers in kills (113) and aces (25). Hoeks is also second on the team in digs (107). However, she carries with her a more impressive number: 2. That is the number of season-ending ACL injuries Hoeks has come back from to get where she is now. Hoeks spoke to The Retriever Weekly about what it takes to come back from such devastating setbacks.

Another America East student-athlete who has come back from injury is Binghamton senior soccer player Leora Kenney. Kenney, who also suffered a knee injury, has emerged from the PCL tear she suffered as a sophomore to become a captain and leader for the Bearcats on the pitch. Kenney is featured this week as a Bearcat who is "Making an Impact."

Success is not limited to those who have come back from injuries. Case in point: Hartford freshman volleyball player Dionna Kirton. Kirton, in helping the Hawks to a 3-1 record last week and a first place finish in the Kristen Dickmann Memorial Tournament over the weekend, was named America East Rookie of the Week. Kirton was also named to the Kristen Dickmann Memorial All-Tournament team.

How about some winning women's teams?

Albany's field hockey team continues to win, most recently with a 6-1 thumping of St. Louis. The score however, does not accurately depict the Great Dane's dominance. The Great Danes outshot the Billikens, 41-7! Long story short, Albany can create some scoring opportunities. And if it weren't for the 26 saves made by St. Louis keepers, (26 Saves!) the Albany SID would still be writing the game story.

Boston U. field hockey also ended the weekend on a high note. As covered in the Boston University Daily Free Press, the Terriers recovered from a loss to No. 5 Michigan State to take down Kent St. and get back on the winning track.

On the pitch, the New Hampshire women topped Bryant, 1-0, Sunday afternoon. The winning goal was scored by junior forward Brooke Duchaney. What makes her game-winning goal even more special is that it came against Duchaney's former team. Duchaney played her freshman year for the Bryant Bulldogs.

The Stony Brook women's cross country team maintained its stature as America East's elite team without even running a race. The Seawolves held onto their No. 3 Northeast regional ranking in this week's USTFCCCA poll. This is despite the fact that they didn't even have a meet this weekend.

And finally, let's end with a look at the future. Vermont recently announced the signing of Shanai Heber to play for the Catamount women's basketball team. The 5'9" guard, a transfer from Seton Hall, will sit out this season, per NCAA rules, and will be eligible to compete in the 2011-12 season.

That will do it for Ladies Night (Afternoon) at the Links. Until tomorrow, enjoy all that is America East.

Hartford Continues Its Great Women's Basketball Coverage

Hartford Athletics released the latest installment of their Women's Basketball Weekly Update. This week, senior guard Mary Silvia was featured.

UNH Women's Soccer Breaks Losing Streak

The Wildcat women's soccer team defeated Bryant University 1-0 on Sunday to end a four-game losing streak and hand Bryant their first road loss of the season. UNH was led by junior forward Brooke Duchaney, whose goal ended up being the difference in the defensive game.

"That (a win) is what we needed, especially going into conference," Duchaney said, talking about UNH's upcoming America East opener versus Boston University on September 26th.

UNH struggled to create opportunities in front of the net for most of the first half. Frustration was mounting, as the Wildcats had been caught offsides numerous times while trying to put together an attack (UNH had seven first-half offsides).

It was then that sophomore Chelsea Kuss received the ball on the left flank and crossed it into the box.  Duchaney sprinted towards the ball, slid and knocked it into the back of the net to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead with just under eight minutes to go in the first half.

The Wildcats had numerous opportunities in the second half to put the game away and go up 2-0, but they could not capitalize. In one instance in the 87th minute, senior Carole LeBlanc found herself one-on-one with the Bryant keeper on the right side of the box. LeBlanc floated the ball over the keeper's head, where it hit the left post softly and fell directly on the goal line. The ball stopped on the line for a split-second before the Bryant keeper was able to secure the ball and preserve the 1-0 game.

Nonetheless, the one goal would be all the Wildcats would need, as the defense was able to hold off Bryant's attack the rest of the way. UNH freshman goalkeeper Erica Correa was stellar in net once again with three saves en route to her first career shutout.

With the win, the Wildcats are now 3-4-2 and back on track after losing four games in a row. UNH head coach Michael Jackson did not point to any specific aspect of the game when explaining why his team was able to finally pull out a win. Rather, he said that his team was simply playing harder than they had in previous games.

"I think we started to get momentum and play with passion again," Jackson said. "The passion to compete and to play to win; that's the difference... We need to challenge ourselves to play the full ninety minutes with passion to execute our game plan."

The Wildcats will take on Dartmouth at Lewis Fields at 4 P.M. on Thursday, September 23rd. They will then begin their America East schedule at BU on Sunday at 1 P.M.

Highlights from UVM's women's soccer action

The UVM women's soccer team dropped both its games this past weekend as it gears up for the start of the conference schedule. Here are highlights from the 2-1 loss to Temple:



Highlights from the 2-0 loss to Colgate:

Hitting the Links: 9/20/2010

Good afternoon, AExtra! And happy Monday!

The work week, or school week, as it may be for some of you, has begun and is undoubtedly already in full swing. So let's make haste and jump in to this week in the Links.

A trio of America East teams open up this week on a high note after winning weekend tournaments. The volleyball teams from Albany and Hartford, along with the Binghamton men's soccer team, finished first in their respective weekend tournaments.

The Great Danes traveled down to Beaumont, Texas where they won the Lamar Volleyball Tournament. In a match against McNeese State, tournament MVP Casey Wright racked up an impressive 25 kills.

The Hawks took their talents to the Kristen Dickmann Memorial Tournament where they went 2-1, topping Navy and Maryland-Eastern Shore while losing to Howard, to finish first in the four-team tournament. Sophomore Kami Nethersole took home MVP honors for the tournament.

Rounding out the trio of weekend tournament champions is Binghamton, who fought to a 1-0 win over Lafayette (the Bearcats' first win of the season) and a 1-1 draw (covered here by the Binghamton Press Connects) against tournament-host Colgate to take the crown at the Colgate Raider Adidas Classic. Senior Kyle Manscuk powered the Bearcats, scoring the gamewinner against Lafayette and the equalizer against Colgate to win tournament MVP honors. Vermont also played in the tournament, earning draws in both of its matches.

Binghamton and Vermont are a couple schools that had success this past weekend, but that does not mean that those two are exclusive to the club. So who joins them?

How about Stony Brook? The men's and women's teams each won their matches at LaValle Stadium yesterday. The men topped Bryant, 2-1, to capture their third straight victory and level their record to 4-4-0. The women jumped all over Manhattan, grabbing a 4-1 win, their first win of the 2010 season.

Don't leave the Maine women out of the mix. The Black Bears bested Temple yesterday afternoon in Orono and were covered by the Portland Press Herald. The Black Bears won their third in a row while Kelsey Wilson is catching fire on the pitch. Wilson has scored two goals in each of her last two games and all six of her goals this season have come in the last four games.

Boston U.'s Jess Luscinski is also heating up. Luscinski, featured here by the Boston University Daily Free Press, has scored three goals in her last four games. Two of those goals came this weekend as gamewinners in a pair of 3-0 wins against Harvard and Connecticut.

Nothing like a weekend of success to get the juices flowing for a week in which, at least for women's soccer, closes out non-conference play and begins America East competition! Check your schedules everyone. Conference play begins Sunday, Sept. 26!

And AExtra will be there every step of the way to bring you coverage and, of course, the Links.

UNH Hosts Holly Young Invitational

This past Friday and Saturday, the UNH volleyball team hosted and competed in the annual Holly Young Invitational in Lundholm Gymnasium. The Wildcats went 1-2 in their three games, while the Sacred Heart Pioneers went undefeated on the weekend with three victories to win the tournament.

The Dartmouth Big Green and Rutgers Scarlet Knights rounded out the teams competing in the Invitational.
Despite their losing record on the weekend, UNH head coach Jill Hirschinger liked what she saw out of her team this tournament.

"I saw some really good things. I thought we competed well.... offensively we had some great attacks, we just made too many unforced errors," Hirschinger said.

The Wildcats started off the weekend with a huge 3-2 win over in-state rival Dartmouth, handing the Big Green their first loss of the season. Freshman Destiny Tolliver came up huge for UNH in their tournament opener, posting 17 kills, three blocks, 12 digs and three service aces. The Wildcats came from behind to win the match, with set scores of 22-25, 26-24, 23-25, 26-24, and 15-9.

On Saturday, the 'Cats struggled to capture the type of play that propelled them to victory against Dartmouth the night before. In their 12 P.M. matchup against Sacred Heart, UNH lost in straight sets 25-13, 25-19 and 25-22.

The Wildcats managed to play more competitively in their night game against Rutgers, but still lost in straight sets, 26-24, 25-20, and 25-22. In both the first and third sets, UNH had the score tied at 22 apiece but were unable to secure a win in either set. According to coach Hirschinger, the Wildcats made too many mistakes that costed them valuable points on Saturday.

"You can't give points away," Hirschinger stressed. "On [Friday] night, I don't think we did that, we focused and things just went our way, but [Saturday] we just had too many unforced errors."

UNH stands at 4-9 on the season, with two weeks to go before they open America East play on October 1st against Hartford. Hirschinger believes that a couple of things have to improve over those next couple of weeks for the Wildcats to be successful in conference play.

"We need to be more aggressive on our passing. We have let other teams score too many points in a row and we kind of get behind and then have to come back," Hirschinger said, noting that the team also has too clean up those unforced errors that plagued them this tournament before October 1st as well.

The Wildcats will next travel to Storrs, Connecticut to take on UConn this Friday, September 24th. They will then finish their non-conference slate at home against Harvard on September 28th.

Highlights and Interview from Maine women's soccer

The Black Bears pushed their record to 4-3-0 this season with a 2-1 victory over the visiting Temple Owls. Here are some highlights and interviews following the important home win.

Highlights:



Head Coach Scott Atherley:



Captain Kelsey Wilson:

Interview with Hartford women's soccer head coach John Natale

The Hartford Hawks picked up a key 3-1 home victory over St. Joseph's on Sunday. Hartford athletics was able to catch up with head coach John Natale following the win.

Postgame Reaction from Boston University men's and women's soccer action

The Boston University women's soccer team was able to avenge last season's NCAA Tournament loss to Connecticut, as the Terriers put together a convincing 3-0 win. Here is an interview with junior forward Jessica Luscinski






Boston University Athletics was also able to catch up with men's soccer head coach Neil Roberts following the Terriers 2-0 loss to Brown.

Hitting the Links: 9/19/2010

Hello, AExtra. I hope this Sunday afternoon finds you in good spirits.

Undoubtedly, there are several programs in America East that are in good spirits this weekend, and certainly some individuals as well.

One team that has plenty to be happy about is the UMBC men's soccer team. The Retrievers fell behind Mt. St. Mary's, 2-0, yesterday. However, they came all the way back, winning 3-2. Senior Levi Houapeu scored his sixth goal of the season in the win. The Retrievers can also smile knowing that the win grabbed the headline in the Baltimore Sun's "Sports Digest" column recap.

Another person smiling in Baltimore is Jeremy Blevins. Blevins, a former All-American goalkeeper for the Retriever lacrosse team, was hired onto the coaching staff for UMBC lacrosse. Blevins is not the only person getting play on the presses for a move within the coaching ranks.

The Maine Black Bears swimming and diving program named Susan Lizotte as its full-time head coach. Lizotte, a former swimmer for the Black Bears, was the interim head coach for the Black Bears last season. The announcement was made in June, but this week, Lizotte was profiled by the Penebscot Times. The article was reprinted by GateHouse News Wire.

Also within the coaching ranks, the Burlington Free Press "On Campus" reported that Vermont men's basketball promoted Hajj Turner from assistant coach to associate head coach. Turner held the assistant coach title for five years.

That will do it for this Sunday's Links. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and keep the good spirits rolling into Monday morning.