ORONO, Maine – The No. 18 UMaine field hockey team looks to start the America East Championships on the right foot, when the Black Bears battle the California Golden Bears in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Varsity Field Hockey Stadium in Stanford, California. All of the America East Championship matchups will be free to stream on AmericaEast.TV.
 
No. 18 Maine vs. Cal Watch | Live Stats | @UMaineFH
DATE: Friday, Nov. 2, 2018
TIME: 3:00 p.m. EST
SITE: Varsity Field Hockey Stadium | Stanford, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: Cal, 3-2
        Last Meeting: 2016: Cal, 3-2 (America East Tournament)
        First meeting: 1988: Maine, 3-2 (2OT)                 

About the No. 18 Maine Black Bears (14-4, 5-3 America East)
• Maine slipped three spots in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Poll to No. 18 after a 1-1 weekend, falling to Vermont 3-0 on Friday, but salvaged the weekend with a thrilling 5-4 come from behind victory over UMass Lowell on Sunday afternoon.
• At the America East awards banquet on Wednesday night, Casey Crowley was selected as the America East Midfielder of the Year. While Crowley, Libby Riedl and Samantha Wagg all landed on the America East East Division All-Conference Team for the second consecutive season. Nina Keur was selected to the America East All-Rookie team to round out Maine's awards on the evening.
• The four honorees combined for 36 goal and 14 assists this season for 86 points of Maine's 173 total points this season.
• Maine continues to rank in the top-10 nationally in goals per game (4^th, 3.78), scoring average (4^th, 3.70)  scoring margin (5^th, 2.34), penalty corners per game (5^th, 7.83), winning percentage (0.778) and points per game (9.61).
• In the last matchup between the two teams in the 2016 America East Tournament, Maine took a 2-1 lead in the second half after two goals by Danielle Aviani, but the Golden Bears rallied with a penalty stroke goal to tie the game in the 63^rd minute and recorded the game-winning goal in the 66^th minute to advance to the America East semifinals.
 
About the Cal Golden Bears (5-11, 2-4 America East)
• The Golden Bears enter the America East tournament winners of two of their last 10 games, but have played extremely tough competition in nationally-ranked Stanford (x2), Syracuse, Boston College, Northwestern, and Iowa.
• In total, of 9 of Cal's 11 losses this season have come against nationally-ranked foes, with the remaining to losses coming to America East West No. 2 seed Pacific. Cal has played nationally-ranked competition tough, falling by one goal or less four times including a 4-3 overtime loss to Boston College on Oct. 6.
•  Both America East wins for Cal have come against No. 4 west seed UC Davis
•  Megan Rodgers has scored half of the Bears' goals this season, tallying 13 of the 26 team goals. In total, she has 29 points, and ranks 15^th nationally in goals per game (.81) and 24^th in points per game (1.81).
•  Danielle Mentink is the primary goalkeeper, but Natalie Dalton has started six games this season in the cage. Mentink holds a 5-4 record, making 38 saves on 59 chances. She allows 1.92 goals per game.   

Up Next: The winner of Friday's contest between the Black Bears and Golden Bears will take on the winner of Stanford and New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon in Stanford.

-UMaine-