On Nov. 4, the University of Maine field hockey team competed in their final game of the season against the University at Albany. Sunday night’s game was the end of the season for the Black Bears in the America East field hockey tournament, which the Black Bears had fought valiantly to compete in.
Sunday night’s game ended with a score of 2-1, with a win for Albany.
The Black Bears had played Albany twice this season, beating them in their Sept. 30 contest, which went into double overtime. The last time that the Black Bears faced Albany on Oct. 19 on home field, the Great Danes won by one point.
UMaine was seeded as the second place eastern team entering the tournament, making this their sixth appearance in the America East playoffs. However, this year marked the first year since 2014 that the Black Bears were competing for an America East title.
“It means a lot [to be back in the championships], and I know how hard it is to get here and we had this opportunity four years ago,” said UMaine Coach Josette Babineau. “Our seniors were all first-year players in our program, and I’m just so happy for them to have the opportunity to be in this game again as senior [competitors].”
Despite the Black Bears’ vigor, the Great Danes managed to shut down any goal attempts made by the Black Bears and managed to score twice during Sunday night’s game.
The first goal came from Cosima Rocktaschel, with an assist from Viola Von Der Mühlen 15 minutes into the game. The goal was scored on the third-consecutive penalty corner of the sequence. The second goal was scored 30 minutes into the game, bringing the Great Danes to their winning 2-1 lead.
Although the Black Bears didn’t take home the championship, multiple players of the UMaine team were chosen for the America East Field Hockey All-Championship Team.
Three Maine players, third-year forward Brianna Ricker, fourth-year back Samantha Wagg and fourth-year midfielder Casey Crowley, represented UMaine on the All-Championship team which competed on Nov. 4.
The Black Bears had an impressive 2018 season. They were noticed for being in the Top-10 scoring offense in the nation, with an average of 3.57 goals per game. They also earned a spot in the Top-15 defense in the country, with a 1.38 goals against average. The Black Bears also won four games over nationally-ranked teams during their 2018 season.
Ella Mosky, a fourth-year who will be leaving the Black Bears this year, took to twitter to express her gratification for her team.
Mosky retweeted the official UMaine Field Hockey account’s congratulations for the Black Bears’ hard work during Sunday’s game, commenting, “A heartbreaker but couldn’t be more grateful for my coaches, teammates & our supporters. This program has taught me so much over the past 4 years both on and off the field. Thank you for life long memories and my teammates that have become my best friends — UMaine Field Hockey really is family.”
Ricker, who had a breakaway in overtime during the Black Bear’s playoff game against the University of California Berkeley, was recognized for one of the top plays of the season by America East Field Hockey on Twitter.
