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The University of Maine and the University of Alabama field hockey teams both needed a win on Saturday to advance to the America East championship tournament. The two teams met for their regular season finale on Saturday morning on a warm and sunny day on Morse Field in Orono. It was Senior Day for the Black Bears and the seniors led their team to their most impressive win of the season. Maine won the game 7-0.
Both teams came out strong and ready to play. For Maine a win would mean a number three seeding in the tournament and for Albany a win would guarantee them either the third of fourth seed. Maine came out shooting and proved to be not only the better team but also the team that wanted it more.
Senior Jana Ouellette, who had perhaps her best game of the season, was the first to score for Maine. With 15:40 gone by, Ouellette put the Black Bears up one with an unassisted goal. Albany stayed with Maine and was close to tying the game on several occasions, but Senior goalkeeper Jaye Lance made several saves and the Maine defense kept them in the game in the first half. With less than a minute to go in the first half, senior Karly Bundy changed the course of the game. Instead of having just a one-goal lead going into the second half, the unassisted goal by Bundy put the Black Bears up 2-0.
In the second half Maine turned it up a notch and the scoring began. At 51:29 junior Amie Dubois scored from junior Rachael Hilgar. At 55:17 senior Rebecca Ouellette added a goal on a penalty shot, and at 60:08 Hilgar added a goal of her own, giving her a team-leading 13 goals on the season. Jana Ouellette scored for a second time, again unassisted, at the 62:08 mark. The score was 6-0 and Maine was well on its way to playing the winner of the Northeastern and New Hampshire game played later in the day. Freshman Kristen Costa gave Maine another goal with 63:45 gone by. It was her first goal of the season and of her college career.
“It was a difficult game because of the importance of it and it was also an emotional game, being home with our six seniors,” said head coach Terry Kix. “In their mind [the seniors] hoped that their efforts could give us a team win, a berth in the America East Championship. I think we were anxious initially…the second half was phenomenal. It was exciting, a very exciting win.”
“What a great win for senior day,” said senior tri-captain Karly Bundy. “This is exactly the definition of a team win. We played together. It was do or die today and we made it.”
Northeastern defeated New Hampshire on Saturday 1-0, therefore the seeding for the tournament will be: #1 Northeastern, #2 New Hampshire, #3 Maine, and #4 Boston University. Maine will play New Hampshire on Friday Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. in Boston. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Northeastern vs. Boston University game.
“On Thursday we’re heading out,” said Bundy. “I’m really excited. I was not ready for my career to end here. I want a shot at both of them [UNH and Northeastern, the two teams Maine lost to during their conference regular season schedule]. If we win on Friday, we get a shot at both the teams. I would love to see UNH first because I would love to beat Northeastern in a championship game. We are ready for both of them.”
Bundy and her teammates will get what she wanted. They will see the Wildcats first and if they win, they will play Northeastern, in a rematch of last season’s America East Championship game, which Northeastern won. The winner of the championship game will get an automatic bid into the 16-team NCAA tournament. Maine has never qualified for the tournament. In coach Kix’s 13 seasons at Maine this may be her best opportunity yet to make the national tournament.
