QU Field Hockey Travels Up to Maine for Sunday Showdown Against the Black Bears at 1:00 PM
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (3-5, 0-0 MAAC) @
University of Maine Black Bears (2-5, 0-0 America East)
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2014 – 12:00 PM
UMaine Field Hockey Complex – Orono, Me.
All-Time Series vs. Maine: 4-8
Last Meeting: Sept. 8, 2013 (L, 5-2) @ Quinnipiac
- Quinnipiac Field Hockey Homepage
- Maine Field Hockey Homepage
- QU Field Hockey Stat Packet
- Live Stats: QuinnipiacBobcats.com
- Live Twitter: @QUAthletics; @QUFHBobcats
WELCOME TO THE MAINE EVENT
The Quinnipiac field hockey team comes into this weekend's road matchup at Maine riding a wave of momentum as the Bobcats are riding a two-game winning streak, both of which came in come-from-behind fashion. After defeating Vermont, 3-2, last Sunday after trailing at the half, the Bobcats picked up an upset win at home over Hofstra, 4-2, on Thursday afternoon. On Sunday, Sept. 28 the Black Bears and Bobcats will square off from the UMaine Field Hockey Complex beginning at 12:00 pm.
ALL-TIME AGAINST MAINE
These two regional foes have met 12 times since 2000, as these two annual non-conference opponents have faced off once every season except 2004 and 2009. The Bobcats are 4-8 in the all-time series against Maine including a 2-4 mark facing the Black Bears in Orono. They come into Sunday's meeting riding a four-game losing streak as their last win over Maine came on Sept. 21, 2008 in a 4-2 victory from Orono.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
Maine (2-5, 0-0 America East) comes into the weekend with a losing record but a closer look at the Black Bears' schedule shows they've faced some of the stiffest competition in the country through seven games. Among Maine's 2014 opponents thus far includes road matchups at Michigan State and UMass along with neutral site competition against Stanford, Harvard and Hofstra. All four of those meetings resulted in one-goal losses for the Black Bears including a pair of overtime defeats to Michigan State (L, 5-4) and UMass (L, 3-2). Maine did snap their five-game losing skid last weekend in their home opener as the Black Bears defeated the Bryant Bulldogs, 3-1. A traditional annual power in the Northeast, Maine has shown the ability to score goals this season as they've totaled 15 goals in seven games. Danielle Aviani (four goals, one assist), Cassidy Svetek (three goals, one assist), Nicole Sevey (three goals) and Holly Stewart (three goals) all come into the weekend with at least three goals this season. The Black Bears also possess a great distributor in Annabelle Hamilton who leads the team with four assists and six points overall through seven games. A pair of goalkeepers have split time in the cage for Maine this season as Emma Cochran (1-2, 1.14 GAA, .765 save percentage) has started three games while Emily Corbet (1-3, 2.79 GAA, .643 save percentage) has started four in 2014.
DANIELLE DOES IT AGAIN
Senior Danielle Allan's big night included five points (two goals, one assist) as the Bobcats' senior forward either scored or assisted on three of the four goals scored for Quinnipiac against Hofstra. Her five points against the Pride are the most for any Quinnipiac in a game this season and also the most scored by a Bobcat since Sept. 26, 2013 when Allan posted seven points against Holy Cross. Allan's multi-goal game is the seventh of her career and second of the 2014 season while she also extended her point streak to three games.
SECOND HALF SURGE
The Bobcats closed out their Thursday victory over Hofstra with three unanswered goals including two in the second half. Quinnipiac's offense continues to surge as the Bobcats have now scored nine goals over the last three games. Over the last five games, the Bobcats have now outscored their opposition, 7-2, in the second half of the last five games.
DIETRICHS-ING THE DEFENSE
One of the Bobcats' biggest contributors on the offensive end all season has been sophomore Lea Dietrichs. The sophomore midfielder has generated the most total shots (32) and shots-on-goal (16) of any player on the team through eight games. She finally broke through with her first career goal and points on the season last Tuesday against UMass Lowell. After tallying one assist at Vermont on Sunday, Dietrichs then came back with one goal and one assist on Thursday at home against Hofstra as she extended her point streak to three games.
FEDERICO'S FEAT
Freshman midfielder Michelle Federico made a little history this week as she became the first Bobcat in program history to take home MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. The Bobcats' most heralded recruit in program history put her full array of abilities on display this week as she tallied the first three points (one goal, one assist) of her career in two games. Federico notched her first career goal against UMass Lowell and also tallied her first career assist on Sunday at Vermont. The weekly announcement is also quite significant for the program as it marks the first time that a Bobcat has won a conference rookie of the week award since Danielle Allan was honored by the Northeast Conference back on Oct. 24, 2011.
COMEBACK CATS
Trailing 2-1 at the half, the Bobcats' 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Vermont on Sunday was their first win in which they overcame a halftime deficit since Sept. 17, 2013 in a 3-1 victory on the road over UMass Lowell. Before that comeback victory last season, the Bobcats hadn't overcome a halftime deficit on the road since a 3-1 win over Robert Morris on Oct. 24, 2010.
STRONG START FOR THE SPANIARD
Freshman Gemma Cirera's first career goal late in the second half against Vermont put the Bobcats up for good in a 3-2 road victory on Sunday. In what was her first career start, Cirera became the first Bobcat to have their first career goal be the game-winner since Haley Swartz's first career goal on Sept. 26, 2012 against Brown gave Quinnipiac the 3-2 win.
MOVIN ON UP
Quinnipiac's senior forward Danielle Allan had herself a five-point game (two goals, one assist) to up her team-leading total to 12 points (five goals, two assists) in eight games this season. Her second assist of the season against Hofstra was the 16th of her career as she is now tied with Amanda Danziger '14 for the 7th-most in program history. On Thursday, Allan also pumped in her 25th and 26th career goal and now is tied for 4th with Chelsea Osbrey '06 on the all-time list at Quinnipiac while she also increased her career point total to 68 and now sits in sole possession of 4th place.
Quinnipiac Career Goals List
| Rank | Player | Goals |
| 1. | Jess Rusin '14 | 40 |
| 2. | Heather Cady '02 | 31 |
| 3. | Catie Canetti '01 | 30 |
| T4. | Chelsea Osbrey '06 | 26 |
| Danielle Allan '15 | 26 | |
| T6. | Kimberly Cunniff '12 | 25 |
| Kristin Crosby '02 | 25 | |
| 8. | Julie Smith '02 | 24 |
| 9. | Kristen McCarthy '06 | 22 |
| T10. | Kaitlyn Notarianni '12 | 20 |
| Danielle Avenoso '07 | 20 |
Quinnipiac Career Points List
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | Jess Rusin '14 | 94 |
| 2. | Heather Cady '02 | 80 |
| 3. | Catie Canetti '01 | 69 |
| 4. | Danielle Allan '15 | 68 |
| 5. | Chelsea Osbrey '06 | 67 |
| 6. | Julie Smith '02 | 62 |
| 7. | Kristin Crosby '02 | 60 |
| 8. | Kimberly Cunniff '12 | 58 |
| 9. | Kristen McCarthy '06 | 54 |
| T10. | Kristin Engelke '14 | 49 |
| Kaitlyn Notarianni '12 | 49 |
MICHELLE'S MARKER
On Sunday at Vermont, Federico zipped a 70-foot pass across the length of the field down to Savanna Reilly at the opposite goal line. Reilly took one move and buried the goal to the far corner. Federico's assist on the goal at 1:27 in the first half is the first of her career while it also results in the second-fastest goal scored for Quinnipiac in a road game in program history.
SHE'S KIND OF A BIG DEAL
Saturday's heartbreaking 1-0 overtime loss to Yale certainly wouldn't have gone into the extra period had it not been for the outstanding effort for the Bobcats' senior goalkeeper Megan Conaboy. She posted six saves in 77:56 of action on the afternoon including several in the waning minutes from deep within the Quinnipiac defensive circle. Combined with her shutout victory on Wednesday, Conaboy tallied a 0.47 GAA, 10 saves and .909 save percentage in two road games last week.
McCULLOUGH MAKES IT HAPPEN
Junior midfielder Meghan McCullough had herself a career day as she picked up her first career multi-goal game on Wednesday at Holy Cross. The Bobcats' third-year midfielder McCullough moved up to one of the three forward positions in tonight's matchup, a move that certainly paid off for head coach Becca Main. Coming into that game with just two career goals, McCullough doubled her career total in just one contest.
WOW THAT WAS FAST
McCullough's first tally at 1:13 in the first half was the fastest goal scored for Quinnipiac in a game since Lauren Hartnett scored 1:01 into a 6-2 win at home against Fairfield on Sept. 17, 2008. It did make some history, however, as the goal is the fastest scored by Quinnipiac in a road game in the program's Div. I era (since 1998).
FRESH ON THE SCENE
Of the seven Bobcat freshmen to see the field this season, five of them have registered points with Federico leading the way with three (one goal, one assist). Among the other four Bobcat rookies chipping in on the score sheet are Gemma Cirera with one goal as well as Dayna Barlow (two assists). Felicia Costanzo and Isamarie Ramos who each have tallied one assist on the year.
SHUTTING IT DOWN
The two-time reigning MAAC Goalkeeper of the Week Megan Conaboy finally recorded a well-deserved shutout on Wednesday as she blanked the Crusaders on the road with four saves in a 2-0 Bobcat victory. Conaboy's four-save shutout is her first of the season and 8th of her career which moved her into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list at Quinnipiac.
PLAY4THE CURE
We are now just one month away from the annual Play4The Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Game on Oct. 12 as the Bobcats play host to Old Dominion at 1:00 pm. The team invites all to support the Bobcats and donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Skin Cancer Research and Prostate Cancer Research as part of our annual fundraiser. Visit our official Play4The Cure page at the link below to donate and learn more about our mission to help the fight against cancer.
Play4The Cure Page Link: http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/sports/fh/2014-15/play4thecure14
DOUBLE DIP
Coming off one of the best games in the history of Quinnipiac field hockey, the Bobcats' senior goalkeeper Megan Conaboy earned her second consecutive MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honor on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Conaboy takes home her fifth career Defensive Player of the Week honor after her brilliant 22-save effort at home against the Nittany Lions on Sunday, Sept. 7. The 22-save effort against Penn State went down as a new career high for Conaboy, besting her previous mark of 18 posted on Aug. 31, 2013 against Syracuse
SAVING THE DAY
Conaboy's 22 saves were not only a career high for the Bobcats' senior but the single game saves total ranks as the most saves for any goalkeeper in a single game this season. No other goalkeeper in all of the NCAA Div. I ranks has tallied more than 18 saves in a game this season as Conaboy busted through with a tremendous effort.
NCAA Div. I Single-Game Saves 2014 (as of Thu., Sept. 25)
| Rank | Player | School | Saves | Opposition | Date |
| 1. | Megan Conaboy | Quinnipiac | 22 | Penn State | 9/7/14 |
| 2. | Jantien Gunter | Drexel | 18 | Maryland | 9/13/14 |
| 3. | Lizzy Millen | Temple | 17 | Maryland | 9/14/14 |
| T4. | Cristina Ceppi | Appalachian State | 16 | Miami (OH) | 9/20/14 |
| Sadie Reynolds | Central Michigan | 16 | Duke | 8/31/14 | |
| Emily Snowden | Vermont | 16 | Providence | 8/29/14 |
NATION'S LEADER
Conaboy's prowess in the cage has been put on display in all six games to open the season for the Bobcats as she now has totaled 54 saves while playing every minute in the cage for Quinnipiac in 2014. As an individual, Conaboy ranks second in the nation in terms of saves per game (9.00) while she ranks first in the MAAC and 15th nationally in save percentage (.794).
NCAA Div. I Saves Per Game 2014 (as of Thu., Sept. 25)
| Rank | Player | School | Saves Per Game |
| 1. | Emily Snowden | Vermont | 9.60 |
| 2. | Rachel Hartman | La Salle | 8.00 |
| 3. | Megan Conaboy | Quinnipiac | 7.88 |
| 4. | Emily Leytham | Davidson | 7.86 |
| 5. | Sadie Reynolds | Central Michigan | 7.78 |
KING OF THE DEFENSIVE SAVE
With two more defensive saves against Penn State, the Bobcats' sophomore defenseman Angie King now has the most defensive saves of any player in the nation with four on the season. As a team, the Bobcats rank first in the nation for the most defensive saves in 2014 with eight.
MAAC DP OF THE WEEK
Senior goalkeeper Megan Conaboy was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 2. Conaboy is the MAAC's first Defensive Player of the Week honoree for the 2014 season as the weekly award is the fourth of her career. For the weekend, Conaboy posted the most saves of any goalkeeper in the MAAC with 21 while also contributing a 2.77 GAA and .778 save percentage while playing every minute in games against No. 13 Boston College and Lafayette.
THE MAAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Quinnipiac field hockey team was tabbed as the favorites to win the MAAC, as voted on by the leagues' coaches in the 2014 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats also had all three seniors in Danielle Allan, Megan Conaboy and Megan Osanitsch earn All-MAAC Preseason honors.
MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Quinnipiac (32)
2. Monmouth (28)
3. Rider (27)
4. Bryant (19)
5. Sacred Heart (11)
6. Siena (9)
CAGE FIGHTER
Quinnipiac benefitted greatly from one of the league's stingiest defenses in 2013 and the Bobcats will welcome back their senior goalkeeper and reigning MAAC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year in Conaboy. The three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Week posted one of the best seasons for a Quinnipiac goalkeeper in program history with a 14-7 record, 1.89 GAA, .740 save percentage, seven shutouts and 114 saves in helping the Bobcats secure the 2013 MAAC Championship. Playing every minute of every game in the 2013 season, Conaboy dominated the MAAC competition with a 7-1 record, 0.62 GAA, .871 save percentage and five shutouts in eight games against intra-conference opponents. Her single-season win total (14) is a new program record at Quinnipiac while her seven shutouts ranked second on the all-time list.
SHUTOUT STREAK
During Megan Conaboy's breakout 2013 season, the then-sophomore goalkeeper ran off an incredible shutout streak of 345:09 that included three shutouts (two of which came in the MAAC Tournament) and lasted over the course of five games. Her remarkable year-end stretch ranked as the 7th-longest shutout streak during the 2013 season of any goalkeeper in the nation.
THE CAPTAINS
The Bobcats have awarded their three senior class members in Danielle Allan, Megan Conaboy and Megan Osanitsch with the honor of team captains. Coach Main named the announcement in August as her three new captains all enjoyed breakout 2013 campaigns in helping guide the Bobcats to their first MAAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.
WELCOME NEWCOMERS
Helping to replace the significant workload of the nine graduated seniors will be a healthy crop of 10 freshmen, who'll all look to make an immediate impact on Coach Main's squad. Across the entire nation, Quinnipiac field hockey's Class of 2018 is tied for the 2nd-largest among all Div. I programs. The Bobcats are tied with five schools for second place including national powers such as Syracuse, American and Iowa. All institutions trail Ohio State who welcomes 12 freshmen in 2014.
THE HEAD COACH
One of the nation's most visible faces in the sport of field hockey, Quinnipiac head coach Becca Main has elevated the Bobcats into multifaceted and well-rounded program. Now entering her 20th season in 2014, coach Main has built the Bobcats into an annual power, first in the Northeast Conference and now in the newly formed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. A formidable regional opponent for years, Main's program continues to ascend to new heights as the Bobcats are coming off the best record in program history (14-7) in 2013 as well as the first MAAC Championship in the history of Quinnipiac Athletics.
