Photo Credit: Brian Jenkins
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VERMONT FIELD HOCKEY WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont field hockey team returns to action this weekend by hosting America East counterpart Fairfield on Saturday (12 p.m.) and then takes on Providence in the season finale on Sunday (1 p.m.). Sunday will mark the final home game for five Catamounts who will be honored prior to the game as part of “Senior Day.”

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
FAIRFIELD: The Stags are 4-12 this season and 0-4 in America East play, as Saturday will be their final game of the year. Fairfield has lost six straight entering the contest and is 0-7 on the road this year. Marit Westenberg leads the team in scoring with 12 points on six goals. Caitlin O’Donnell has made 12 starts in goal and owns a 3.80 goals against average. Vermont is 7-2 all-time against the Stags, but it was Fairfield who won last season at home, 1-0.

PROVIDENCE: The Friars are 8-9 on the year and 3-3 in Big East action. Providence sits just outside the top 20 in the latest national poll and has a game at Boston University on Friday before traveling to Burlington. Senior Nellie Poulin is the team’s top offensive threat, as she has 28 points on 13 goals and two assists this season. Providence has out scored its opponents 49-33 this year. Rachel Chamberlain has made 15 starts in net with a 2.14 goals against average. The Catamounts have won the last two match ups against the Friars, both by matching 1-0 scores. Providence was nationally ranked in both meetings.

LAST TIME OUT: Julia Garrison scored the only goal of the contest in the second half to lead visiting Columbia to a 1-0 victory over Vermont on Sunday afternoon at Moulton Winder Field.

SENIOR DAY: Sunday’s game against Providence will mark the final home contest for five Catamount seniors: Joanna Berger, Kristen Heavens, Megan Maynard, Sarah Meacham and Chelsea Stevenson. This group has made 173 combined career starts, defeated three ranked opponents and advanced to the America East Tournament twice.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Sarah Becque recorded her team-high sixth and seventh defensive saves of the season against Albany on October 17. With seven defensive stops on the year, Becque is tied for the national lead in the category.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Albany clinched the top seed and will host the 2009 America East Championship after defeating Boston University, 2-0. The winner of the Maine-Boston U. game in Orono on Sunday will determine the two and three seeds in the four-team tournament. New Hampshire, meanwhile, already is locked in as the fourth seed.

MAKING THE SAVE: Senior Kristen Heavens turned aside a career-high 23 shots against Maine last weekend. Her previous best was 17, which came Boston University earlier this season. Heavens has made 10 or more saves in a game six times this year, and ranks fourth in the nation in saves per game (9.73) and fifth save percentage (.802).

TOUGH SCHEDULE: Vermont has another difficult schedule this season, with games against four teams that are ranked in the latest NFHCA Poll and five others that are receiving votes. The Cats have played Boston College (#9), Ohio State (#13), Albany (#16) and Massachusetts (#19). Providence, Maine, Boston University, New Hampshire and Lock Haven all sit just outside the top 20.

RECORD BOOKS: With a goal against Central Michigan senior Megan Maynard moved into sole possession of 11th place in career goals (18) at Vermont and is now 12th in career points (45). Classmate Kristen Heavens has 27 career victories in goal and is only one win behind first place and tying Pat Donze ’82 for the Vermont record. Heavens career goals against average rank second all-time in team history, while with her ninth career shutout against UC Davis she moved into a tie for fourth.

FREE HITS: Sophomore Brooke Crane made her first start of the season on Sunday against Columbia, turning aside six shots … Sophomore Alana Izzo earned her third defensive save of the season at Maine on Saturday … Sophomore Mackenzie Williams scored her first goal of the season against Maine.

FOLLOW OR FRIEND THE CATAMOUNTS ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER: The UVM Athletic Department has a Facebook page. Click here to become a friend of the department to keep up with all the happenings in Catamount Country. Fans can also follow the Catamounts via Twitter. The department has a general Twitter account @UVMAthletics and the field hockey team also has a Twitter account @UVM_Field_HKY. Follow @UVMAthletics for general news on the department and/or follow @UVM_Field_HKY for more in-depth coverage of the team, including in-game updates throughout the season.

CATAMOUNTS ALL-ACCESS: Visit the Catamounts All-Access page at UVMathletics.com for information on how to get results of your favorite Catamount teams minutes after the conclusion of the game via a text message on your cell phone via eScores. The feature is available to anyone with a cell phone, regardless of cell phone service provider. Also, stay up-to-date with the Catamounts. Sign up for the Vermont Field Hockey eNews, offered free of charge by the Athletic Communications Office. Receive all the latest news and notes, as well as complete game summaries for every contest via your personal e-mail account. Catamounts All-Access also includes links to UVM's other social networking sites like Flickr and YouTube, Vermont's television schedule, live stats, live audio streaming and wallpaper for your computer.

PHOTO STORE: Catamount faithful can purchase athletic pictures at www.UVMathletics.com via the Vermont Photo Store. Pictures make great gifts for holidays, home wall art, or office decorations. Powered by Replay Photos, the website will feature pictures of all 18 sports, including game action photos from the 2009-10 season.

GET YOUR GEAR: The UVM athletic department, in conjunction with TeamFanShop, has launched its first-ever merchandise and apparel store through the school's official athletic site at UVMathletics.com. The new online store includes hats, polo shirts, shorts, t-shirts, gifts and much more from several leading manufacturers.