With the regular season winding to a close, UVM field hockey has finished strong and found its way in the America East playoffs.

Coming off a two-game stretch where the Catamounts outscored their opponents 13-3, the Cats earned two crucial, season-defining wins against conference opponents Bryant University and the University of Maine.

In the playoff-clinching game against Maine, the Catamounts and the Bears battled it out from start to finish. Neither team wanted to give, and after a scoreless first half, it seemed like overtime and penalties were inevitable.

However, Maine broke the scoreless tie in the 34th-minute with a tap-in goal. Just two minutes later, first-year forward Lilly Leiprecht scored her fourth goal of the year to equalize the match.

Less than a minute into the final quarter, junior forward Alina Gerke scored the go-ahead goal for Vermont. Maine had no choice but to go on a full-on offensive attack, but to no avail.

After a buzzer-beater block by the defense, the Cats secured their second consecutive playoff berth and just their third win against Maine in the last 16 years.

Just two days later, the Catamounts were back out on the field in their last non-conference game of the year against Colgate University. Vermont was clearly looking to extend their win-streak to four, as they set the tone early.

Junior forward Lotte Kanters, sophomore forward Sophia Lefranc and Gerke all scored first-half goals while the defense held the Raiders to just two total shots in the same span.

Leiprecht and junior forward Reggie Hillery added to the deficit in the third, putting the Vermont lead at five. Colgate was able to get one back with a goal in the 54th minute, but it was too little too late.

The Cats picked up their fourth straight win, and look to carry this positive momentum into the playoffs.

Over the four-game stretch, Vermont has outscored their opponents 20-5. The Catamounts will look to upset No. 20 Albany in an American East showdown with heavy playoff implications on Oct. 27.