After a 2-1 win against Albany last week that ended in an overtime, the Catamounts started strong against the Hartford University Hawks Oct 20 with a shot by junior Alexandra Dezenzo just two and a half minutes into the game.

Despite a close first period, which ended in a 0-0 tie, the Catamounts could not hold up against the Hartford Hawks.

Vermont ost the game 2-0 after goals by senior Arielle Aikens, who rebounded the ball from the right side of the box just six yards away from the net and junior Chanel Johnson.

Johnson took an assist from senior Natasha Douglas twelve yards away from the net.

Aikens scored 17 minutes into the second period, and Johnson solidified Hartford’s lead 57 minutes after. This was Aikens’ second goal of the season and Johnson’s eighth.

In the first period, Hartford out-shot Vermont 12 to four. When the match concluded, Hartford had achieved 19 shots to Vermont’s nine.

By the end of the game, Dezenzo shot twice, as did junior Bre Pletnick, who scored one of the goals against Albany days before.

First-years Alex Jenkins, Paige Phillips and Nikki McFarland each shot once. Phillips achieved the only shot on goal, which was saved by the Hawks’ keeper, freshman Jessica Jurg. Phillips averages .63 shots per game, and .06 goals per game.

The Catamounts now have a record of 5-8-3; in comparison, the Hawks now have a record of 10-4-3.

By the end of the game, Vermont had shot twice on goal, while Hartford had shot nine times. The Catamounts’ senior Morgan Nichols remained in goal for the entirety of the game, as did the Hawks’ Jurg. Hartford has a streak of four wins.

The Catamounts are currently competing in the America East conference, which hosts a multitude of men’s and women’s sports. UVM has yet to be crowned champion of the tournament, but were regular season champions in 1996.

In recent years, the tournament has been dominated by Hartford and Boston University. The player of the week for women’s soccer this week is Chanel Johnson for her second goal scored against Vermont, in addition to many others.

Last year, Hartford played in the conference’s championship game and lost 1-0 to Stony Brook. This year, both Stony Brook and Hartford are strong contenders and may play each other again in the championships on November 9. Currently, Hartford’s standings in the conference are 5-2-0, while Vermont’s are 2-3-2.

This was the Catamounts’ seventh game at the America East conference, which followed games against Stony Brook, UMass Lowell, Maine, UMBC, New Hampshire, and Albany.

Unless the Catamounts go the the quarterfinals on October 31, their participation in the conference will end with their next game in Vestal, New York, in a game against Binghamton.

The Binghamton Bearcats, who also lost 2-0 against Hartford on Oct 16, currently have a record of 7-6-2.

The Bearcats beat Albany on Oct 10 with a score of 2-0; the Catamounts, who played Albany on Oct 17, won 2-1. Given these statistics, it is likely that the Catamounts’ next game will be a close one.

A player for the Bearcats that Vermont can look out for is sophomore Stephani Church. Church has appearred in 15 of this seasons games, seven of which she appearred on the starting roster. Church also leads the team is goals having tallied up five goals for the Bearcats this season.

Church also leads the team in total points earned during the 2013-2014 season as well, earning 11 points overall.