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Maine Announces 2006 Field Hockey Schedule
June 15, 2006 ORONO, Maine-- The University of Maine field hockey team will play 10 home games during the 2006 season as the Black Bears look to challenge for the America East Championship. The schedule, released today, features a competitive non-conference slate, to go along with traditional America East rivals. "I am very excited about our balanced schedule this season," said Maine interim head coach Andrea Thebarge. "We have ten home games this year compared to just four last season which will help. We have some great competition including nationally ranked Indiana and Boston College. We play 10 games before our conference opener at Albany on September 30 which will be good for our confidence." The Black Bears open the 2006 campaign on Saturday, August 26 when they host Sacred Heart on Morse Field at 12:00 p.m. Maine then hosts Rhode Island and Fairfield before hitting the road for the first time during the season. Maine travels to Chicago where it faces Missouri State and Northwestern. The Black Bears then host Hofstra, before heading back out on the road for a pair of games in Indiana. Maine faces Central Michigan and Indiana, who was ranked ninth in the final NFHCA Poll, in Bloomington, Ind. the weekend of September 16 and 17. The Black Bears then return to Morse Field for games with Providence and Quinnipiac before starting the America East schedule. Maine swings into America East play on September 30 when it travels to Albany. The Black Bears host America East rivals Vermont, New Hampshire and UMBC at home during October. Boston College, which finished the 2005 season ranked 13th in the final NFHCA Poll, also visits Orono in October. Maine closes out the 2006 regular season at Boston University on Saturday, October 28. The game will be a rematch of the 2005 America East title game. The Black Bears return 15 letterwinners from the 2005 squad which won a share of the America East regular season title for the first time in school history. Among the returning players are sophomore Kim MacDonald (East Greenwich, R.I.), who led the team in scoring in 2005 with eight goals and five assists for 21 points. Maine also regains the services of three-year co-captain Katie Flaherty (Winslow, Maine), who sat out the 2005 season with an injury. The Black Bears have nine newcomers who will join the team for the 2006 season. -U-M-
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