ORONO, Maine – After downing Dartmouth 5-3 in its' last contest, the Maine Black Bears take on two formidable foes in Northeastern and No. 12 Stanford this weekend. The Black Bears host the Huskies on Friday, with the game being broadcasted live on ESPN 3. Maine will then travel to UNH to play nationally-ranked and America East West Division foe Stanford in a neutral-site contest.

Northeastern Huskies (4-3, 0-0 CAA) at Maine Black Bears (5-2, 0-0 AE)
Friday, Sept. 22 | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN 3 | Live Stats | @UMaineFH  
SITE: UMaine Field Hockey Complex
SERIES HISTORY: Northeastern, 24-8-1
Current streak: Maine has won the last four meetings since 2013.
                Last meeting: 2016, Maine 4-3
                First meeting: 1983, Maine 2-0
                Notes: The last nine meetings since 2004 and 20 of the 33 games overall have been                                          decided by one goal or less.

About the Maine Black Bears (5-2, 0-0 America East)

• After seeing its' four game win-streak snapped by Cornell on September 10, Maine got back on track with a 5-3 victory over regional rival Dartmouth last Sunday. Five different Black Bears scored in the victory, with Samantha Wagg, Brianna Ricker, Brittany Smith, Madison Cummings, and Emily Hindle all netting goals.
• Maine returns home to the friendly confines of the UMaine Field Hockey Complex for the first time in 25 days to take on Northeastern on Friday afternoon. With trips to Richmond, Burlington, Vt. and Hanover N.H. in recent weeks, Maine registered a 3-1 record on the road. The Black Bears traveled approximately 2,573 miles during the three-and-a-half week road trip, nearly the distance for drive from Orono to the Montana border.
• Since 2010, Maine has enjoyed a 47-15 record at home, while a 21-6 record during the last five seasons.
• The Black Bears have the fourth-best offense in the country in regard to goals per game, averaging 4.14 goals per contest. The Black Bears have totaled high-goal numbers due to their ability to maintain possession and gross a high number of shots. In total, Maine has outshot the opposition by a 158-49 margin (97-32 shots on goal), and have outscored opponents by a 29-11 clip this season.

Maine Team National Rankings

• 3^rd in assists per game (4.00)
• 4^th in points per game (12.29)
• 4^th in goals per game (4.14)
• 7^th in scoring margin (2.57)
• 11^th in penalty corners per game (7.86)
• 16^th in winning percentage (.714)
• Most goals in a game this season (8/29 Bryant 12 goals)
• 2^nd most points in a game this season (8/29 Bryant 32 points)

Maine Individual National Rankings

• Jr. M Libby Riedl
  • 3^rd in assists per game (1.29)
  • 4^th in points per game (2.71)
  • 2^nd in points in a single game (8/29 Bryant 9 points)
• Jr. B Samantha Wagg
  • 10^th in points per game (2.71)
  • 18^th in goals per game (.83)
  • 20^th in assists per game (.71)
• Jr. B Emily Hindle
  • 20^th in assists per game (.71)

America East Conference Standings 

East Division	Conference	Overall
1.) #20 UAlbany	1-0	3-3
2.) Maine	0-0	5-2
3.) UMass Lowell	0-0	4-4
4.) Vermont	0-0	3-4
5.) New Hampshire	0-1	3-4

 

West Division	Conference	Overall
1.) #12 Stanford	1-0	4-2
2.) California	1-0	4-3
3.) UC Davis	0-0	1-7
4.) Pacific	0-2	3-5

About the Northeastern Huskies (4-3, 0-0 CAA)

• Northeastern recovered after falling to then ranked No. 17 Harvard 7-3 by taking down Brown 4-1 last Sunday.
• Northeastern and Maine have played against three mutual opponents in Providence, Bryant, and Quinnipiac. The Huskies defeated all three teams, while Maine fell to Providence 1-0 in the season opener.
• The Huskies sport a two-headed attack offensively in Jamie Bartucca and June Curry-Lindahl. The duo both rank in the top-10 in points per game, with Bartucca tallying 18 points this season (8 goals, 2 assists), while Curry-Lindahl has recorded 17 points on six goals and five assists.
• Freshman Camille O'Conor has been named CAA rookie of the week twice this season, including this past week. She has nine points on three goals and three assists this season.
• Head Coach Cheryl Murtagh earned her 400^th career victory earlier this season against Bryant. Murtagh has been the Huskies' head coach for the past 30 seasons, and announced in the preseason that she will be retiring the 2017 season. She currently ranks seventh among active Division I coaches in wins. 

Northeastern Team National Rankings

• 10^th in goals per game (3.43)
• 11^th in points per game (9.14)
• 20^th in assists per game (2.29) 

Northeastern Individual National Rankings

• Jamie Bartucca
  • 5^th in goals per game (1.14)
  • 9^th in points per game (2.57)
• June Curry-Lindahl
  • 10^th in points per game (2.43)
  • 18^th in goals per game (.86)
  • 20^th in assists per game (.71)

CAA Standings

CAA	Overall Record	Conference Record
#5 Delaware	6-1	0-0
#13 James Madison	5-2	0-0
#18 William & Mary	5-3	0-0
Northeastern	4-3	0-0
Hofstra	5-5	0-0
Drexel	3-5	0-0
Towson	0-8	0-0

 
Maine Black Bears (5-2, 0-0 AE) vs. No. 12 Stanford Cardinal (4-2, 1-0 AE)
Sunday, Sept. 24 | Noon | Live Stats
SITE: Memorial Field, Durham, N.H.
SERIES HISTORY: Tied, 2-2
                All-time score: Maine, 6-5
                Last meeting: Maine won the last meeting in the 2015 AE Semifinal round, 2-1
                First meeting: 1988, Stanford 2-1
                Notes: Maine and Stanford will meet for the fifth time ever on Sunday. Neither team has strung two wins a row in the series.
 
About the Stanford Cardinal (4-2, 1-0 America East)

• Stanford will cap its lengthy three game east coast road trip against the Black Bears on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinal will play three games in just four days, as they will face UMass Lowell on Thursday, and will then immediately head to New Hampshire to take on UNH on Friday afternoon. After an off-day on Saturday, the Black Bears and Cardinal will square off on Sunday at noon at UNH.
• Since being shut out by No. 4 UConn and No. 14 Northwestern in its' first two games of 2017, Stanford has reeled off four straight wins against tough competition in Iowa, UMass, Harvard, and Pacific.
• The Cardinal sport an elite defense, only allowing multiple goals in two games this season.
• Offensively however, Stanford has struggled to put the ball in the net, only averaging 1.50 goals per game.
• Despite a 4-2 record, the Cardinal has only outscored its opponents by a 9-7 mark. 

Stanford Team National Rankings

• 5^th in save percentage (.854)
• 16^th in goals against average (1.29)

Stanford Individual National Rankings

• GK Kelsey Bing
  • 4^th in save percentage (.867)
  • 10^th in saves per game (7.80)
  • 13^th in goals against average (1.16)

Up Next

• Following the Northeastern and Stanford games, Maine will begin America East Conference East Division play on Sunday, October 1^st on the road against UMass-Lowell. The opening whistle is set for 1:00 pm next Sunday at Cushing Field.