No. 12 Field Hockey Hosts America East Foe Vermont on Saturday, Visits Columbia on Sunday
ALBANY, N.Y.- No. 12 UAlbany field hockey (10-2, 1-0 AE) enters the weekend looking for its second conference win, hosting Vermont (0-11, 0-1 AE) at 3 p.m., on Saturday, before traveling to Columbia on Sunday for a 2 p.m., start.
The Great Danes reached 10 wins last week after downing Maine in Orono 2-1. It marks the first time since 2009 that UAlbany has won in Orono. UAlbany suffered its second loss to a top-10 opponent the next day, falling 2-1 to No. 4 Virginia.
The Great Danes are ranked second nationally in scoring average (4.17), goals against average (0.92) and scoring margin (3.25). Phil Sykes’s squad is also third in assists per game (3.33).
The 2013 UAlbany field hockey team is currently posting a Division I program-high 22.25 shots per game and 11.67 points per game.
With 107 points and 45 goals so far in her career, Daphne Voormolen ranks second all-time and first in the Division I era in career points and goals. She has scored 12 goals and tallied six assists in 2013. Voormolen is six goals shy of breaking the Division I single-season goal record, set in 2000 at 17 by Angie Stegel. She is seven goals short of the all-time single-season record of 18, set by UAlbany Hall of Fame member Tovah Atwell in 1997. The forward is tied for eighth nationally in points per game (2.50) and tied for ninth in goals per game (1.00).
Paula Heuser earned her third America East Rookie of the Week honor on Monday. The freshman scored the gamewinner against Maine and has totaled nine goals this season. Heuser needs three more goals to rank top-10 in Division I program history in single-season goals, and would be one of two freshmen on the list.
SCOUTING VERMONT
The Catamounts have yet to win a game this season. UAlbany has a 10-5 edge in the series, winning each of the last four meetings. Vermont’s goalkeeper Stephanie Zygmunt has now tallied 500 saves in her career, ranking fourth in Vermont program history. Captains Ashley McDonald and Colleen Slaughter are the squad’s leading scorers, with seven and five goals, respectively.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA
The Lions (4-6, 1-2 Ivy) are coming off a 2-1 win over America East’s UMass-Lowell, after losing four-straight games. UAlbany leads the series 2-1, shutting out Columbia in their last meeting 2-0 last season.
Freshman Katie Ruesterholz leads the Lions on offense with 10 goals. She ranks tied for first in the Ivy League in goals and second with 22 points. She is already Columbia’s all-time rookie leading scorer.
