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An electrical connector assembly is provided having a header connector and a receptacle connector matable with one another. An array of signal contacts are secured to the header connector and arranged in differential contact pairs. The differential contact pairs are configured to carry differential

An electrical connector assembly is provided having a header connector and a receptacle connector matable with one another. An array of signal contacts are secured to the header connector and arranged in differential contact pairs. The differential contact pairs are configured to carry differential signal pairs. An array of L-shaped ground shields are secured to the header connector. Optionally, a second side may be added to the L-shape to form a C-shaped ground shield. Each ground shield is arranged to partially surround and isolate a corresponding differential contact pair from adjacent differential contact pairs. The receptacle contact includes a mating face having an array of contact receiving holes and ground shield receiving notches. The contact receiving holes are arranged in differential hole pairs corresponding to, and matable with, the differential contact pairs. The ground shield receiving notches are configured to be matable with the ground shields. The signal contacts in each differential contact pair are spaced apart by a contact-to-contact distance. Adjacent differential contact pairs are spaced apart by a contact pair-to-pair distance that is greater than the contact-to-contact distance. The L-shaped ground shields and contact spacing cooperate to more closely electromagnetically couple signal contacts in a differential contact pair to one another than to signal contacts in adjacent differential contact pairs.

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1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:a header connector; an array of signal contacts secured to said header connector and arranged in a pattern of signal contact pairs; an array of ground shields secured to said header connector, each ground shield having one of an L-shape and C-shape and

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:a header connector; an array of signal contacts secured to said header connector and arranged in a pattern of signal contact pairs; an array of ground shields secured to said header connector, each ground shield having one of an L-shape and C-shape and isolating only one side and at least one end of a corresponding signal contact pair; and a receptacle connector including a mating face having an array of contact-receiving holes, said contact-receiving holes being arranged in hole pairs corresponding to said pattern, said hole pairs being matable with said signal contact pairs, each hole pair including first and second holes spaced apart by a hole-to-hole distance, each hole pair being spaced apart from adjacent hole pairs by a hole pair-to-pair distance that differs from said hole-to-hole distance, said hole-to-hole distance within a first hole pair being less than said hole pair-to-pair distance between any of said adjacent hole pairs, wherein said mating face of said receptacle connector further includes an array of notches adapted to receive said ground shields, each notch having one of an L-shape and C-shape that partially surrounds a corresponding hole pair, wherein each notch includes a blade receiving portion and at least one leg receiving portion, said at least one leg receiving portion having a length that differs from a length of said blade receiving portions. 2. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said blade receiving portion extends parallel to, and along a common side of, both contact-receiving holes in a corresponding hole pair.3. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said blade receiving portion is aligned parallel to a differential hole pair axis that extends through both contact receiving holes in a corresponding hole pair.4. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each said blade receiving portion extends along one common side of both contact-receiving holes in a corresponding hole pair.5. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each notch covers one common side of both contact-receiving holes and at least one end of a corresponding hole pair, and leaves open an opposite common side of both contact-receiving holes of said corresponding hole pair.6. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each ground shield includes one open side exposing said corresponding signal contact pair.7. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first ground shield isolating adjacent first and second signal contact pairs arranged in a common column of said pattern, said first ground shield isolating said first signal contact pair from an adjacent third signal contact pair arranged in a common row of said pattern.8. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein only a single ground shield is located between adjacent signal contact pairs in each row and each column of said pattern.9. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein only a single notch is located between adjacent hole pairs in each row and in each column of said pattern.10. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each hole pair is oriented along a respective hole pair axis extending through centers of respective first and second contact-receiving holes, and wherein each of said blade notch portions is aligned parallel to a corresponding hole pair axis.11. The electrical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein each hole pair is oriented along a respective hole pair axis extending through centers of respective first and second contact-receiving holes, and wherein each of said leg notch portions is aligned perpendicular to a corresponding hole pair axis.12. An electrical connector assembly comprising:a header having a header mating face; contacts extending from said header and configured to carry differential signal pairs, said contacts being organized in multiple differential pairs, said differential pairs being arranged on said header mating face in a contact pattern with adjacent differential pairs aligned in rows and columns, each differential pair including two contacts spaced apart by a first distance, adjacent differential pairs in said rows and columns being spaced apart by a second distance that is greater than said first distance, said first distance within a first differential pair being less than said second distance between any of said adjacent differential pairs; an array of ground shields having one of an L-shape and C-shape and being secured to said header and extending from said header mating face, wherein each ground shield includes a blade portion extending along at least one common side of said two contacts of an associated differential pair of contacts and includes at least one leg portion extending along at least one end of said associated differential pair of contacts, wherein each said blade portion has a length that differs from a length of each of said leg portions; and a receptacle having a receptacle mating face with holes arranged in a hole pattern corresponding to said contact pattern. 13. The electrical connector assembly of claim 12, further comprising an array of notches in said receptacle mating face adapted to receive ground shields, each notch having one of an L-shape and C-shape that partially surrounds a corresponding pair of holes receiving a differential pair of contacts.14. The electrical connector assembly of claim 12, wherein each differential pair is oriented along a differential pair axis extending through centers of respective first and second contacts in said differential pair, andfurther comprising a plurality of ground shields secured to said header, each ground shield having a blade portion aligned parallel to a corresponding differential pair axis. 15. The electrical connector assembly of claim 12, wherein each differential pair is oriented along a differential pair axis extending through centers of respective first and second contacts in said differential pair, and further comprising a plurality of ground shields secured to said header, each ground shield having at least one leg portion aligned perpendicular to a corresponding differential pair axis.