The UVM Field Hockey team wrapped up the Sheraton Catamount Classic on Sunday. The weekend included their first win of the 2009 season on Sunday against UC Davis after losing to Penn 1-0 on Saturday. New Hampshire was named the winner of the tournament with a 2-0 record.

It was really exciting, we worked so hard this past season and even in the offseason, so to finally connect was awesome,” senior captain Megan Maynard said. “We’ve been working on our passing and the connections every single game and we just keep moving forward.”

“It was a really productive weekend,” Vermont head coach Nicki Houghton said. “They can feel good about the win because they accomplished the goals that were set up prior to the game.”

Saturday’s game against UPenn was a strong showing for the Catamounts even though they ended up with a 1-0 loss. Penn’s Abigail Egan scored the only goal of the game 13:36 into the second half to give her team the victory.

Sunday was a different story as Vermont was able to make the necessary adjustments to turn their progress into a win.

“They really needed to finish,” Houghton said. “Ultimately, they wanted to finish by putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Maynard started the offense 23:46 into the game when she scored an unassisted goal off of UC Davis goalie Lauren Sawvelle.

Senior Chelsea Stevenson scored the first goal of her college career, assisted by freshman Taylor Silvestro to put the Cats up 2-0.

Maynard scored again just minutes later, assisted by Stevenson to cement the win.
Senior goalie Kristen Heavens had five saves in the game and eared her ninth career shutout.

“She’s been a nice foundation in the backfield, really working hard to direct her young defenders in front of her,” Houghton said on Heavens’s performance. “I know she felt a lot of pride and she can take a lot of confidence from it.”

This was Vermont’s fourth time hosting the Sheraton Catamount Classic. The Catamounts have won the tournament twice.

Next up for the team is a road trip to Ohio State and Central Michigan. Coming off a win, they are confident in their ability to be strong in the games to come.

“I think that win helps us feel more confident than where we were, even though in the 1-0 loss we still played 55 minutes of great hockey,” Maynard said.