The USM Huskies field hockey team finally have something to cheer about after Tuesday’s match against the St. Joseph’s College Monks. the Huskies won their first game of the season, improving their record to 1-11. The Monks fell to 0-10.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Garnarche-Poirier (Biddeford, ME) stoned every shot that came her way and the Huskies silenced the Monks with a 2-0 victory.
Both teams came into the game hungry for their first victory. USM controlled the ball on their side for most of the first and second half. The Huskies struck first with a goal by sophomore Denise Minigel (Auburn, ME) with 13:53 remaining in the first half. This was the lone goal of the first half.
Coming into the second half the Monks were hoping to erase the deficit, and knock one into the net, but USM goalkeeper Garnarche-Poirier would not budge. With 20:43 remaining in the game, junior tri-captain Rachel Nimon (Augusta, ME) scored the Huskies second goal to seal the team’s victory.
Nimon was proud to clinch the win for her team.
“It’s taken a long time, but I felt like we were working so hard. I knew it would come. It feels amazing,” Nimon said.
Coach Bonny Brown-Denico was proud of her team’s victory, but felt they will have to make some adjustments against the league’s tougher teams.
“We need to work on making shorter, quicker passes,” Brown-Denico said.
Nimon had only good things to say about her team after the game.
“We’re a bunch of hard workers. Everyone’s really positive and full of enthusiasm. We were fired up before the game. We’ve wanted this win. Everyone comes to play, and it showed with our win today,” Nimon said.
After a shaky start, Coach Brown-Denico kept her players focused for the game versus inner state rival St. Joe’s.
“I kept telling them they’re improving every game. I remind them they are young. We only have four returning players and no seniors,” Brown-Denico said.
The Huskies travel to out-of-conference foe Colby College today and the struggling UMass Dartmouth on Saturday in a Little East Conference match.