BOSTON, Mass. – The America East Conference unveiled its preseason coaches' poll today ahead of the fast-approaching 2021 season.
Vermont collected 18 points and was picked to finish eighth in the poll.
RELATED LINKS
America East Release | 2020-21 Schedule
Monmouth was tabbed the preseason favorite with 60 total points and five first-place votes. Maine picked up 56 points and three first-place votes while defending champion Stanford tallied 46 points and the final first-place vote. UAlbany also received 46 points to lock down a spot in the top four.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Vermont wrapped up the 2019 season with a 6-11 record but eight of those losses were decided by one goal.
The Catamounts bring back a slew of key returners including leading goal scorers
Kate Hall and
Bailey Matthews. Overall Vermont returns almost 90-percent of its goal-scoring output from 2019. Defensively, goalkeeper
Sierra Espeland is coming off a season in which she ranked third in the league with five saves per game and posted a pair of shutouts.
*Vermont opens the season with five straight games on the road beginning with a March 7 tilt at UMass. The Cats play at home for the first time since Nov. 2019 when UMass Lowell pays a visit to Burlington on March 31.
2021 America East Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Place |
School |
Points (1st Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Monmouth |
60 (5) |
| 2 |
Maine |
56 (3) |
| 3 |
Stanford |
46 (1) |
| 4 |
UAlbany |
46 |
| 5 |
New Hampshire |
32 |
| 6 |
California |
29 |
| 7 |
UMass Lowell |
21 |
| 8 |
Vermont |
18 |
| 9 |
UC Davis |
16 |
*
Note: Schedules are subject to change with very short notice. Please follow UVM Field Hockey on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the most up-to-date schedule information.
