UMBC Digs Pink

By Curtis Schickner, UMBC '12

The UMBC volleyball team hosted Stony Brook University Friday evening at the RAC Arena, in Baltimore. Dig Pink is the name of the Breast Cancer awareness rally that takes place in gyms all over the country during Breast Cancer awareness month (October). High school and college volleyball teams from all over the nation are participating in this fundraising event for breast cancer research and women living with breast cancer. The Retriever women took the court donned with pink headbands and pink colored uniforms. Pink UMBC volleyball t-shirts were on sale, as well as a number of snacks and beverages provided by local volleyball teams to raise money. Several local volleyball programs also showed up to support the UMBC women and the dig pink game.

Stony Brook won three straight sets to move to 2-1 in conference play. The Retrievers play home again this weekend against Hartford on Sunday, at 1pm. The volleyball match raised over $1,100 towards the Dig Pink foundation. The Retrievers’ game will be broadcasted on www.umbcretrievers.tv on Sunday.

Hitting the Links: 10/8/2010

Happy Friday, AExtra fans!

And a long weekend to boot. This weekend kicks off with a full slate of men's soccer matches on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. All eight America East men's soccer teams will be in action. Let's take a look at some of the matches that lie ahead.

At 11 a.m., Stony Brook heads to Albany to take on the Great Danes. Both teams in this match are looking to get their first conference win of 2010. For more on this match, check out the preview on the Stony Brook athletics website here.

At 2 p.m., Hartford takes on the Terriers from Boston U. in Boston. This game is a rematch of a non-conference game between these two teams earlier this season in Hartford on September 4. Boston U. took that one, 3-0, on the road. Both the Hartford and the Boston U. websites have previews published. You can see Hartford's look ahead here, and its Boston U. counterpart here.

A pair of matches kick off at 7 p.m. UMBC and its explosive offense travels north to take clash with the suffocating defense of New Hampshire. Both teams are in search of their first conference victory of the season. You can take a look at how this match shapes up at the UMBC website, linked here.

The other evening match pits Vermont and Binghamton in a match between two teams without a conference loss in 2010. Vermont gave New Hampshire its first loss of the season while Binghamton earned a draw with UMBC. For an outlook on the matchup, hit the Vermont athletic site, linked here.

Last night, it was the women's soccer teams taking center stage. Stony Brook's "dominating" win over Vermont, 3-0, graced the pages of the Stony Brook Statesmen. Maine's 1-0 shutout win over UMBC, with the one goal coming in the first minute of the game, was picked up by three publications: the Bangor Daily News, the Portland Press Herald, and UMBC's Retriever Weekly. Boston U. stayed undefeated in league play as stretching its shutout streak to six matches with a 3-0 win over Hartford. Finally, Albany grabbed a conference victory with a 2-1 comeback win against New Hampshire.

That will do it for the Links this Friday. Enjoy your extra day and don't forget to check back to AExtra for all that is America East.

UMBC Athlete of the Month and Plays of the Month Videos

Here is a video showing the Athlete of the Month nominees for UMBC

This video shows all the top performances and plays of September for UMBC Student Athletes, plus it names the winner of the Athlete of the Month vote

Albany earns thrilling victory in women's soccer action

Here are some highlights courtesy of Albany athletics from the thrilling 2-1 women's soccer victory over New Hampshire.

Boston University Makes Statement in Rout of Hawks

The top two teams in the America East faced off Thursday night in a pivotal game to determine who will be top seed in the conference tournament at the end of the month.  Boston University came into Hartford’s Al-Marzook Field with the confidence of an undefeated slate in conference play thus far and a five-game winning streak, while the Hawks needed a big win in order to be cemented in the tournament.

            Boston University midfielder Shauna Kelleher floated a shot off the crossbar from about 30 yards out in the fifth minute.  The ball bounced off the bar twice before falling perfectly for Junior Tiya Gallegos to head it into the back of the net and give Boston University a 1-0 lead.

            The Terriers (9-5) dominated possession in the first half, allowing the Hawks (4-7-3) rare, short-lived attacks to which the visitors always countered with precise, thoughtful ball movement.  Hartford was without their leading scorer, Breeanna Robinson, after she went down awkwardly in the 14^th minute.

            “We lost her about ten minutes into the game,” said seventh-year Head Coach John Natale, “she’s a hard forward for other teams to deal with.”

            In the 31^st minute, junior midfielder Jessica Luscinski lined up a free kick from the left corner of the penalty box, about 25 yards out.  Curling toward the back post, she put the ball just out of the reach of Hartford keeper Lauren Brodeur as the ball scraped the net on its way in.  It was Luscinski’s sixth goal of the year, and her second free kick, which made it 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

            Hartford’s first shot on net didn’t arrive until early in the second half, and even then their build-up to goal looked disorganized and frantic.  The first ten minutes of the second half displayed the Hawks’ best structure and composure.

            Then on a counterattack by Boston University, Senior Corie Halasz crossed the ball in from the right side, which took a turn towards the opposite corner of the goal, making it 3-0 Terriers.

            Boston University didn’t let up, dominating Hartford for the second half and pelting shots at will until the final whistle.  One bright spot for the home team, though, was the emergence of sophomore midfielders Caitlin Alves and Amelia Pereira, who both showed speed and footwork worthy of starting positions.

            “We’re in a pretty good position,” said Natale, whose squad remains in second place for the time being.  “We just need to get healthy and prepare for our next conference game.”

With the Hawks’ upcoming away conference schedule, they will need to play well away from home in order to solidify their spot in the America East tournament. Their next game is at Vermont next Thursday night, with a 7:00 pm kickoff scheduled.   

The Terriers look to close out the season undefeated in conference, as five of their next six games are against America East rivals.  Barring the extraordinary, Boston University will seal up the top seed when the tournament starts on October 28^th.

Hitting the Links:10/7/2010

Hello, AExtra fans!

Today, the Links would like to point out a few things that America East schools have been doing off the court/field. America East teams day in and day out that the conference is for more than just athletics. Players and coaches often participate in community service projects (AExtra even published an article this week showing Boston University men's basketball players participating in a breast cancer walk). Student-athletes often prove that they are students first and athletes second. Today, the Links brings you just a sampling of these exploits from America East student-athletes.

On Sunday morning, more than 125 Stony Brook student-athletes participated in the 17th-annual Walk for Beauty. The event, sponsored by Stony Brook University Medical Center and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, raises money to go to breast and prostate cancer research.

Another group of America East student athletes involved in a run/walk last weekend was the Vermont men's basketball team. The team ran in the Kevin Roberson 5K Memorial Run/Walk last Saturday. Proceeds from the event go to the Kevin Roberson Scholarship Fund, set up to assist "eligible student-athletes in pursuit of their athletic and academic passions."

Vermont lacrosse is also getting into the charitable spirit. This upcoming Sunday, the Catamounts host the Catamount Classic-Lacrosse for a Cure, a fall lacrosse tournament to benefit testicular cancer research. In the first two years of the event, nearly $60,000 has been raised and donated. Two other America East lacrosse teams, Albany and Hartford, will also be playing in the event.

Another way Albany is getting involved in the fight against cancer is through Coaches vs. Cancer. This year, the head coach for the Great Danes men's basketball team, Will Brown, will team up with Siena head coach Mitch Buonaguro at the Coaches vs. Cancer Basket Ball in Troy, N.Y., on November 3. For more on this story, check out the blog post at the Albany Times Union.

Academically, two America East softball teams and their players have been recognized recently for their achievements in the classroom. The Binghamton University softball team was recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) as the program with the eighth-highest team grade point average in the nation. Additionally, nine players from last year's squad earned NFCA scholar-athlete honors, recording GPAs of at least 3.5 for the 2009-10 academic year. Albany had seven of its softball players named to the NFCA scholar-athlete list.

This is just a view of activities and publications of the exploits of America East student-athletes this week. All year, the young men and women of America East teams work to make an impact in the community and in the classroom. We here at AExtra, through both features and the Links, will continue to showcase how those scholar-athletes from all nine universities make their collective presence felt.

Until tomorrow, this is the Links, signing off.

Dartmouth uses late rally to drop Vermont

On a rainy day in Burlington, UVM appeared to be on its way to a victory over Dartmouth. The Catamounts held a 2-1 lead entering the 80th minute but allowed goals in the 83rd minute and 84th minute and fell 3-2 to Dartmouth on Wednesday afternoon. Nick O'Neill and Yannick Lewis tallied for Vermont, who fall to 6-3-3 on the year. Vermont looks to get back on track against Binghamton this Saturday night. Highlights above.

Hitting the Links: 10/6/2010

Good Afternoon AExtra fans!

As I am sure you have noticed, each week, America East honors student-athletes in its in-season sports with Player of the Week honors. At the moment, this encompasses men's and women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country.

Every week, these student-athletes and their exploits in their sport for that week are documented and displayed on AmericaEast.com. However, this week, a number of media outlets picked up the America East Players of the Week.

Let's take a look.

New Hampshire volleyball player Lauren Laquerre's selection as co-Player of the Week appeared in the Concord Monitor in the aptly titled article, "She's a Hit." Laquerre leads the Wildcats with 218 kills this season. She was co-player of the week with Stony Brook's Alicia Nelson.

In women's soccer, Maine's Laura Bijman was named Rookie of the Week, the second time Bijman has picked up that award in 2010. Her story made it onto BrantNews.com, a website serving Brantford, Ontario, Bijman's hometown.

In men's soccer, Binghamton's Jake Keegan and his co-Player of the Week performance earned him some press in the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin. As the article state's the Bearcat sophomore shared the honor with Vermont's Zach Paul. Speaking of Paul, he was also named the ECAC Offensive Player of the Week. This story was also picked up by NewEnglandSoccerNews.com.

ECAC also honored New Hampshire field hockey player Whitney Frates. Frates was named this week's ECAC co-Offensive Player of the Week.

Finally, we'll end with a trio of stories about the UMBC men's soccer team. The Retrievers topped Bucknell last night on the road, 2-1. The win was mentioned in the Baltimore Sun's "Sports Digest" column. One of the two goals was scored by freshman Pete Caringi III, who also happens to be the coach's son. The father-son duo was recently featured in the Catonsville Times. Finally, senior forward Levi Houapeu, who leads the team in scoring (though he did not figure in the scoring last night), is featured on UMBCRetrievers.com for his rise from playing "West African Street Soccer" to being one of the top scorers in the NCAA.

That will do it for this mid-week madness that is The Links.

In The Polls - Wednesday, October 6

The first polls of October are out and it's Stony Brook cross country making a bit of noise a month into the fall seasons.

The Seawolves, who sat just outside the top-25 rankings as the first team receiving votes last week, made a big move to #12 in the nation this week in the USTFCCCA poll. This is the biggest jump of the week, and it ties Stony Brook's best ranking ever, which came just about two years ago to the date (October 14, 2008). A large reason for this national recognition is the success Lucy Van Dalen and the Seawolves had at the Notre Dame Invitational this past weekend. The team finished fifth against many ranked teams, including #1 Villanova, and Van Dalen took home the individual title in her first competition of the fall. Guess she didn't show any rust! For her solid outing, she received the America East Performer of the Week award yesterday. Below is a clip from Stony Brook athletics featuring Van Dalen. It's a little outdated, but gives you a great background story on the runner from New Zealand!

Continuing with women's cross country, Stony Brook remains at #3 in the Northeast Region poll, while Vermont sneaks in at #15 after a great showing at Lehigh's Paul Short Run. UNH moved up to #9 from #14, and Maine slipped to #14 from #11 despite a rout of Holy Cross in a dual meet.

On the men's side, Albany and Maine moved up to #10 and #11, respectively, while Binghamton moved down just one notch to #8.

Field hockey teams went a superb 7-for-8 in non-league games last week, with the only loss being Boston U.'s 1-0 defeat to then-#13 Duke. The Terriers (7-4 overall, 1-0 America East record) slipped to #13 in the NFHCA poll (Duke fell to #14), but still remain the team to beat in America East. Albany (10-2, 1-0) also slipped, but only one spot to #18.

With the Wildcats' 3-2 come-from-behind win at Maine in the league opener, and an overtime win over Northeastern, UNH thought it could crack the polls for the first time since 2000. With 99 points though, the Wildcats still need to impress the voters as they still sit outside the top-20. The Black Bears are right on the Wildcats' heels with 76 points.

Boston U. men's soccer (6-3-1, 1-0) improved its NSCAA regional ranking from 10th to tied for 9th with a conference win over Stony Brook this past weekend. Moving into the tie with the Terriers is fellow conference member Vermont (6-2-3, 1-0), who also had a big win to open the conference slate. The Catamounts handed UNH its first loss of the season on Saturday, 1-0. The Wildcats (5-1-2) sit in a tie for 10th after they upended Fairfield, 1-0, earlier in the week.

The Boston U. women (8-5-0, 3-0) remain in the middle of the Northeast regional rankings, in the 6 spot after picking up two more league wins last week over UMBC and Stony Brook to remain undefeated in America East action.

That will do it this week in the polls. Enjoy your week, and congratulations to all the teams being recognized!

Big Week for former AE stars

America East has had its share of moments in the sun when it comes to former league standouts making an impact on the professional level of their respective sport. Reggie Lewis (Northeastern) and Vin Baker (Hartford) combined to make five NBA All-Star teams. Jeff Bagwell (Hartford) won the 1994 National League MVP. Joe Nathan (Stony Brook) took home the 2009 American League Rolaids Relief Award. Several men's lacrosse players have made their presence felt in various leagues and on the world stage.

This week, three former stars- Marqus Blakely, Carlos Pena and Bouna Coundoul- are in the spotlight. All three have aspirations, either to fulfill a life-long dream of playing their game at the highest level or leading their team to a professional championship. All three made strides to that end this week.

Blakely, a 2010 Vermont graduate, began his quest to join Northeastern's Jose Juan Barea as the only former America East players currently in the NBA this week. The two-time league Player of the Year, Blakely began training camp with the Los Angeles Clippers last week and saw his first preseason action last night, contributing six points on 3-of-4 shooting and a rebound in just under 10 minutes of playing time. According to experts, Blakely has a legitimate chance at earning one of the final spots on the team, but only time will tell.

Pena, the 1998 Baseball Scholar-Athlete, helped the Tampa Bay Rays lock up their second American League East title in three years over the weekend. His team embarks on a playoff run this week, which begins against the Texas Rangers today. Despite hitting just .196 this season, Pena, who became the Rays' all-time home run leader early this year, did manage to belt 28 long balls. Only Alex Rodriguez has hit more dingers since 2007 among American Leaguers than Pena's 144. He'll attempt for the second time to bring Tampa its first World Series title. Pena hit .264 with three homers and 10 RBI in 15 playoff games during the Rays' 2008 run to the series.

Coundoul, who earned America East Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2002 and 2004 while at Albany, had his best week as a pro. Playing for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, Coundoul made a franchise-record 12 saves in a 1-0 win over Kansas City to clinch the club's first-ever playoff berth and vault them into first place in the Eastern Conference. Coundoul, who ranks second among league leaders in save percentage (.794) and is tied for fourth with 10 shutouts, earned MLS Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

Blakely, Pena and Coundoul all hope this week is just a sample of special moments to come in the coming weeks.

Boston University Men's Basketball Participates in Breast Cancer Walk

This story comes from Boston University Coach Patrick Chambers' blog.

For the second year in a row, our players volunteered their time on Sunday morning to help out at the Making Strides Walk for Breast Cancer. The team, along with countless other Boston University athletes, made it down to the banks of the Charles River at 7am on Sunday to help. They really enjoyed doing their part to help fight such a devastating disease. Check out the guys trying to stay warm:

Vermont Men's Basketball Participates in 5K Memorial

As part of the homecoming festivities on the University of Vermont campus, the Kevin Roberson 5k Memorial Run/Walk took place last weekend. This event helps raise proceeds to support the Kevin Roberson Scholarship Fund, which assists eligible student-athletes in pursuit of their athletic and academic passions. Here are some more details of the event from Vermont athletics:

"This year former head coach Tom Brennan sent the runners off with words remembering Kevin as well as Trevor Gaines '02, another former Vermont men's basketball standout who passed away unexpectedly on July 21 at the age of 29. This years proceeds will be donated to the Roberson Fund in memory of Trevor.

Roberson, one of UVM's all-time great players, finished his career with 1,503 points and is the Catamounts' all-time leader with 1,054 rebounds and 409 blocked shots (also third-best in NCAA history). His uniform number 33 was retired before Roberson's last regular-season game in 1992. He was killed in an automobile crash in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. in May 1993 and was inducted posthumously into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame the following October.

Gaines, a 6-7 forward and native of Farmington Hills, Mich., was a two-time captain and had an outstanding career with the Catamounts (1998-2002). He was known as a workhorse forward and excellent rebounder. Gaines finished his career scoring 1,255 points, ranking 13th all-time at Vermont, and collected 882 rebounds, good for third among UVM's career rebounders. He was one of six players to score over 1,000 points and grab over 700 rebounds in the program's history. Gaines also finished his career ranked 10th among the all-time America East leaders in rebounding."


Congratulations to all that participated in this event and the great community service that is taking place on all nine of the America East campuses.

Former Seawolf Koehler Needs Your Vote for Double A Best Starter!

Former America East baseball standout Tommy Koehler (Stony Brook '08) hasn't made it to the big leagues yet.... but he's sure making a name for himself. After a dominant season for the Florida Marlins Double A affiliate Jacksonville where he was named a Double A All-Star, Koehler was tabbed the Southern League's Most Outstanding Pitcher last month.


Now, Koehler is up for an award determined by the fans. Voting for Double A's Best Starter is open to the public now, and closes on Monday, October 11, so all Koehler fans should get their votes in now! Koehler finished the 2010 season with a 16-2 record, 2.61 ERA, and 145 K's. His win total led the league, while his ERA and strikeout total both ranked second. While Koehler did lead the Suns to a Southern League championship, he's up against stiff competition from pitchers who won Texas League and Eastern League championships.

You can vote through MiLB.com here.

Drafted by the Marlins in the 18th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Koehler was promoted to the Suns in April. Last season, he went 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA in six starts for the Jupiter Hammerheads of the Advanced-A Florida State League. Koehler was a two-time America East All-Conference Second Team choice, and currently still holds the conference record for strikeouts in a season with 111 during his senior season..

Terriers Grab Program Record Fifth Straight Shutout

Last year the Boston University women’s soccer team faced its biggest conference challenge against Stony Brook University. The Seawolves shocked the visiting Terriers during the regular season with a 2-1 victory. The two teams met again in the America East semi-finals this time at Nickerson Field. The Seawolves grabbed a one goal, but gave up a second half goal before falling in overtime. The Terriers went on to win the America East Championship. Needless to say when it comes to America East women’s soccer the biggest rivalry is between Boston University and Stony Brook.

The Terriers and Seawolves teams entered Sunday’s game as two of the four teams still undefeated in conference play and were predicted to finish first and second in the preseason poll respectively. Any jitters Boston University might have had were not seen on the field, as the home team ran away with a 4-0 victory. The Terriers (8-5-0, 3-0-0 America East) controlled possession early and often and wore out the visiting Seawolves (2-8-2, 1-1-1).

“Running and defending against their possession is a tall task,” SBU coach Sue Ryan said. “They are a tough team to play. You have to give credit where credit is due. They are effective in their attacking and they executed really well.”

“It wears the other team down,” Boston U. coach Nancy Feldman said. “It’s a lot easier to have the ball than not have the ball in soccer. I think [Stony Brook] got worn down because they did not have the ball as much as we did and they had to defend more than we did. There is a physical issue and I think there is a morale issue [to playing constant defense] and I think in both ways you can really win a game [through possession]. You might not see it in the first 30 minutes, if you [control the possession] consistently it has a cumulative effect and I think that is what we saw at the end of the game."

Boston University had the better of the chances in the first half but was not able to find the back of the net until the 29th minute. Junior Brittany Heist, who was positioned at the top of the box, found classmate Tiya Gallegos wide open on the right side. Gallegos controlled the ball and tucked it in the bottom right corner past a sprawling Chelsea Morales. The goal was Gallegos’ second of the year, but it was all the Terriers could muster in the first half even though they out-shot the visitors 12-1.

“I think we came out strong in the first half and it was unlucky for us to only got one goal, but we came out even stronger in the second half,” freshman Emma Clark said. “At halftime [coach Feldman said] we have to be more aggressive going forward. They kind of slowed us down in the attacking third and we needed to keep our speed up so that we can play in and get behind them to get some shots on net.”

The Terriers came out of halftime with greater offensive aggression as they looked to build on their one goal lead. Clark added to her impressive first year campaign as she scored a highlight reel goal to give the home team a two goal lead in the 56th minute. Senior captain Shauna Kelleher found Clark in the box, who eluded one defender and took an arching shot that hit the crossbar and bounced over the line.

“[Emma] Clark played great,” Feldman said. “She has been an important starter for us, really contributing early in her career, learning a lot from Shauna [Kelleher] and [Brittany] Heist. [She’s] been open to learning [and] today was a really great game for her.”

Clark’s impressive game wasn’t over. Ten minutes later the York, ME., native sent a header from outside the box to a streaking Lisa Kevorkian who one touched the ball past Morales to give BU a three goal cushion. The goal was Kevorkian’s team and conference leading eighth of the season.

“Coach [Feldman] has been telling me to be more aggressive and take people on in the final third,” Clark said. “So that shot I took was her saying it in my head to me. On that assist I knew I wasn’t going to have a play on net, but Lisa [Kevorkian] is always moving so I knew she was coming off of it.”

A Terrier win would not be complete unless junior Jessica Luscinski got on the scoring sheet. Earlier in the game Luscinski had taken a corner and bent the ball into the net for what appeared to be a goal; however, a foul in the box negated the call.

A few minutes later Luscinski found herself taking another corner. The Terriers’ second leading scorer sent her corner kick almost to the goal line where junior Krista Minto was there to head it in for her first goal of the season.

In the previous games this season the goalkeeping duties for the Terriers has been shared by freshman Kelly King and junior Alice Binns. On Sunday afternoon coach Feldman decided to put in freshman Andrea Green for the final thirteen minutes of the contest. The three keepers along with the help of a shutdown backline, anchored by captains’ senior Corie Halasz and junior Lina Cords, led the Terriers to their fifth straight shutout, a new program record.

“I think we’ve really just gone back to basics [on defense] in the past couple of weeks,” Halasz said. “We have been buckling down in practice, working as a unit, and just trying to simplify the game for ourselves. Obviously the more [the offense] keep it the less we have to defend the ball. It just makes it easier for us. We can get the defense forward which is something we try to do. Once we get goals it feels like the whole team [breathes] a sigh of relief and we can calm down and settle into our game.”

Both teams return to play on Thursday October 7th. Stony Brook must recover quickly as they return home to face UMBC, while the Terriers now face a four game road trip, the first against the University of Hartford.

Hitting the Links: 10/4/2010

Hello, AExtra fans!

Hope you had a great weekend and are starting off this first full week in October on the right foot.

America East certainly started the month off right with a weekend packed with action in men's and women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country. It was a busy weekend, Friday through Sunday. So, just in case you missed anything, let's take a look at what happened this weekend.

Friday, volleyball and field hockey opened up conference play. The highlight of the Friday action though was Providence playing in its first ever America East volleyball match against Stony Brook. The Seawolves spoiled the evening for the Friars on the court, topping the Friars, 3-0, but a ceremony was held before the game to commemorate the first match in the conference for Providence. The evening was made even more special because it was played against the Seawolves, who are coached by Deborah Matejka-DesLauriers, a Providence College Hall of Famer as a volleyball player and also a former coach for the Friars. For more on this story, check out AmericaEast.com.

Also in volleyball, New Hampshire opened its conference schedule with a win over Hartford Friday night. The win was covered by the Foster's Daily Democrat. If you read on in that same article, you'll see that the Wildcat field hockey team won its first conference game of 2010, a 3-2 comeback victory over Maine. You'll also see that the New Hampshire cross country teams, both the men and the women, recorded solid team results at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh. The men finished third out of 40 teams in the Brown race while the women grabbed a ninth-place finish out of 41 teams.

In the Gold race at the Paul Short Invitational, Binghamton senior Eric Van Ingen finished eighth overall with a time of 24:04. His finish, as well as the team's 10th-place result, earned the Bearcats a place in the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin.

Binghamton also made some waves in that paper for its 1-1 draw against UMBC in the conference opener for men's soccer on Saturday. UMBC freshman Pete Caringi III put the Retrievers ahead, 1-0, in the 75th minute. However, Binghamton sophomore Jake Keegan knotted the game at one all in the 82nd minute to grab the tie.

Also in men's soccer, Boston University topped Stony Brook, 2-1, to break the Seawolves six-game unbeaten streak (covered by BigAppleSoccer.com), Vermont gave New Hampshire its first blemish 2010 with a 1-0 win over the Wildcats (covered by both the Burlington Free Press and NewEnglandSoccerNews.com) and Hartford broke the hearts of the Albany Great Danes with Patrick Boucher's last-minute, literally, goal to get a 1-0 win for the Hawks.

To wrap things up this Monday afternoon, how about a pair of profiles from the Links?

Albany senior volleyball player, and 2009 America East Player of the Year and Setter of the Year Brooke Stanley was featured in The Troy Record yesterday. In case you were wondering, she's a fan of the Russell Crowe movie "Robin Hood." For more on Stanley, click the link.

The second profile is of a foursome of New Hampshire women's soccer players hailing from the Seacoast area of New Hampshire. Alli Rozelle, Kelsi O'Neill, Brooke Duchaney and Kelly Spencer are all from the region covered by the Portsmouth Herald.

That will do for this Monday edition of the Links. Check back tomorrow for more from inside America East!

Freshman Midfielder Emma Clark Speaks After Boston University win

Boston University athletics caught up with freshman midfielder Emma Clark following the 4-0 victory over Stony Brook. We will have a full recap of the Terriers impressive win later tonight on AExtra.

Wildcats shut out UMBC

The UNH women's soccer team captured its first America East win of the season over the UMBC Retrievers this past Sunday, winning by a final score of 2-0. Freshman goalkeeper Erica Correa made a career-high nine saves en route to her third shutout of the season. UNH started the game in attack mode and senior Carole LeBlanc scored just 1:30 into the first half, giving the Wildcats an early lead that they never relinquished.

"Its a big momentum changer when you score first, especially when you score that early," UNH head coach Michael Jackson said. "But then you have to be careful of backing off, of letting up, but I don't think we did that."

UNH grabbed the 1-0 lead when Chelsea Kuss received the ball on the right flank and passed the ball to LeBlanc at the top of the box. LeBlanc had space to take a touch and fire a shot into the back right corner of the net. As her coach indicated, LeBlanc thought the fast start was key in the UNH win.

"One of our goals was to come out with momentum, that's what we worked on," LeBlanc said. "The ball got played, we served it in and I just put pressure on it."

The Wildcats had numerous chances to increase their lead throughout the first half, perhaps none better than in the 30th minute. That is when UNH was able to draw a penalty kick off of a held jersey in the box. Amy Avitable took the PK and tried burying the ball in the right corner, but UMBC's goalkeeper Lauren Kadet made a diving save to knock the ball out of bounds.

UNH kept the pressure on the Retrievers for the remainder of the half, outshooting UMBC 8-5 in the first 45 minutes. In the 41st minute, sophomore forward Drea Nogueira and Kadet both chased down a loose ball at the top of the box and collided. Junior midfielder Stephanie Gilkenson picked up the loose ball, and calmly shot the ball in the net as Kadet watched helplessly from the ground. The Wildcats took that 2-0 lead into the half.

In the second half, UMBC was able to put some of that pressure back on UNH, outshooting the Wildcats 10-5 on the half. New Hampshire's defense was able to lock down on the Retrievers and turn away each chance, preserving the win for the Wildcats. Jackson thinks that while there is always room for improvement, his team played a very good game.

"I always thinks that we can do things better, but given the goals that we set for the game, like to score early and to improve some things on team defense, I'm happy with the game. I'm very pleased," Jackson said.

UNH improved to 5-5-3 on the season, including 1-1 in America East. The Wildcats will travel to Albany on Thursday, October 7th to take on the Great Danes. Game time is scheduled for 3 P.M.

UMaine men's basketball volunteers at Ronald McDonald House

Even as the opening game of the college basketball season creeps closer, the University of Maine Black Bears took some time off to work on their most important aspect off the court — their character.

The Black Bears did just that by volunteering this past month at the local Ronald McDonald House. Located in Bangor, just outside of Orono, the Black Bears worked at the house that’s primary use is to accommodate families who have loved ones receiving treatment at nearby Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Head Coach Ted Woodward and the Black Bears worked in the children’s library at the house.

“We basically just helped out. Took books down and reorganized them,” senior guard Terrance Mitchell said. “We alphabetized the books, made it easier for the kids to find what they want to read.”

The players saw the experience as great opportunity to reach out to the community that comes to Alfond Stadium and cheer them on.

“It’s very important to give back to the community,” Mitchell said. “We want the community’s support, and the children see us as role models. It feels good to give back.”

Senior guard Malachi Peay touched on the fact that, even though he didn’t know what to expect, he came out happy that he had participated.

“I had never been there before,” Peay said. “It was definitely a good experience and a good cause.”

The Black Bears plan to re-visit the Ronald McDonald House each month during the school year. For October, the Black Bears are going to help with Halloween decorations.

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