The University of Maine field hockey team lost 2-1 in overtime at home against Boston University on Monday, off a penalty stroke by Terriers third-year midfielder Hester van der Laan. The loss drops the Black Bears to 3-1 overall on the season, marking their first loss of the year. With the victory, the Terriers improve to 2-1 overall.
“I think we can do better with our overtime play, this was our first time this season, so I’m kind of thinking that there are some things we can definitely learn from this game that can help us going forward,” Black Bears head coach Josette Babineau said after the contest.
Maine came onto the field aggressively, taking six shots on the goal during the first half alone. Boston played mistake free, but only recorded one shot before the opening half was complete.
The half ended with both teams knotted at 0-0. Maine and Boston both had numerous opportunities to score, but strong defense thwarted both offenses.
Boston ended the scoring drought in the second half with a shot from third-year forward Madeline McClain. McClain received a pass from fourth-year back Rachel Coll and snuck the ball by third-year goaltender Emma Cochran for a 1-0 Terriers lead.
The Black Bears struggled for most of the second half, until fourth-year forward Jessica Skillings delivered a perfect pass to third-year forward Danielle Aviani who, while in stride, scored a goal on Boston third-year netminder Cammy Jensen, tallying her second of the year.
For the remainder of the half, Maine kept consistent pressure on Boston’s goal, but were unable to score. The second half ended with Maine and Boston tied 1-1 heading into overtime.
In overtime, Boston stepped up and outplayed Maine. Boston had four shots on the goal, while Maine failed to tally a single shot during the overtime period.
The game ended when Boston was awarded a penalty stroke. Third-year goalie Emily Corbett, who replaced Cochran, blocked the first penalty stroke from van der Laan, but the referees determined that Corbett moved too early on the play and as a result, Boston was awarded another attempt. On the second penalty stroke, van der Laan beat Corbett, sending the Terrier’s home with the win.
The Terriers failed to score on four corner shots that could have given them a comfortable lead in the game, but were unable to find the back of the net. Maine’s defense was particularly stout on all attempts, especially Cochran and Corbett’s combined play in net.
The Black Bears may have lost the game, but spirits were still high after the game. Third-year midfielder Sydney Veljacic felt there were still positive takeaways.
“I thought we played really well, we had a good running game. We created lots of chances in front of the net, and I thought our passing was good,” Veljacic said.
Fourth-year forward Cassidy Svetek shared a similar outlook.
“It sucks that we didn’t get the win, I was really hoping for that but I’m really impressed with how we looked and going on from here,” Svetek said.
UMaine Field Hockey team beats Providence 4-1
The University of Maine field hockey team made a statement by beating Providence 4-1 on Friday. With the victory, the Black Bears now hold a 4-1 record on the season, while the Providence Friars now fall to a 0-5 record this year. The Black Bears have begun to quickly mount an impressive season, with this win marking their third road victory.
Maine’s win included goals from third-year forward Danielle Aviani, fourth-year forward Cassidy Svetek, fourth-year back Nicole Sevey and second-year forward Madison Cummings.
Maine came out strong, scoring two consecutive goals to start the half. The first of which came when Aviani reached the net. Aviani continued on her strong season by beating fourth-year goalkeeper Deidra Clymer on the score. The goal marked Aviani’s third goal of the season and her second one this week.
The second goal on the half came from Svetek, with an assist from first-year midfielder Casey Crowley, marking Svetek’s second on the year.
The second half marked two more unanswered goals for the Black Bears as Sevey met the net, as a result of another assist from Crowley. Cummings then scored her very first goal of the year, putting the Black Bears up to a comfortable 4-0 lead.
With only 10 minutes left in the game, Adrienne Houle scored her first goal of the year on a penalty corner, beating second-year goalie Emily Corbett. The score kept the game from being a shutout and produced the final score of 4-1.
Black Bears dominate Harvard 7-1
The University of Maine field hockey team came out strong as they beat Harvard 7-1 on Sunday in one of their most impressive victories on the season. The win included two scores from first-year back Samantha Wagg, an unanswered 6-0 lead, strong performances from first-year players and a score from first-year back Delaney Baxendale with one second left on the clock. The win vaults Maine to 5-1 on the season and knocks Harvard to 1-2.
“I think we did really well considering we had a wave of freshman out on the field today, we were really on fire,” Wagg said.
The game featured six goals scored by freshman players. Five of those freshman scores came from Maine players.
The Black bears scored six consecutive unanswered goals in the game before Harvard was able to prevent a shutout. The first goal came when fourth-year back Nicole Sevey hit in a bounced up ball during a corner foul. Almost immediately after the play, fourth-year forward Jessica Skillings set up a pass to Wagg, who met the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
The first half ended with a 2-0 score favoring Maine. At the beginning of the second half, second-year Emma Cochran took over as goalkeeper.
Third-year forward Danielle Aviani was the next player to score, tipping the ball into the net during a corner foul attempt. The goal marked her fourth of the year, continuing her recent streak of dominance on the field.
First-year midfielder Libby Riedl then had her first score of the year on an unassisted goal to put Maine up 4-0. Riedl then came back with an assist to Wagg, who beat third-year goalie Issy Davies for her second score in the game.
With a comfortable lead, Maine pulled most of their starters, but the Black Bears still played like they wanted to score with every chance. The next score came when first-year back Ella Mosky had an unassisted goal following another corner foul.
Harvard prevented a shutout when first-year back Elizabeth Jacobson unleashed a bullet pass into Maine’s goal, beating Cochran. The score came with two minutes left in the game.
As the game concluded, Maine still played competitive. With one second left on the clock, Baxendale scored her first goal this year.
The game ended with a score of 7-1, giving Maine the win. The Black Bears did a great job capitalizing on every opportunity that was presented in their statement performance. They played well during corner foul shots and were able to set the tone of the game. Even when freshman backups came in, the Black Bears still found ways to add points onto the board.
The Black Bears look to continue their strong season as they travel to Quinnipiac on Thursday, Sept. 17.