Field Hockey:
Fitchburg State senior Jenn Kelley (Woburn, MA) gave the visiting Falcons a 2-1 victory over the host USM Huskies in a Little East Conference game on Saturday October 23. The loss dropped USM to 3-15 overall, and 2-7 in the conference while FSC moved to 7-2 in the LEC, and 10-5 overall. Sophomore Teryn Clark (Winthrop, ME) gave the Huskies the lead at the 10:34 mark of the first half, but Falcons’ sophomore Kristen Frazier (Middleboro, MA) scored with just under a minute remaining in the first half to give her team the momentum it needed in the second. USM Sophomore goalkeeper Sadie Garnache-Poirier (Biddeford, ME) finished the day with six saves.
USM then played host to in-state rival, and nationally ranked Bowdoin College on Wednesday. The Huskies were routed on their home turf by a score of 5-0. Christi Gannon (Boston, MA) scored two goals for the Polar Bears, while teammate Marissa O’Neal (Manchester, NH) scored a goal and added an assist. Poirier was bombarded throughout the game, turning away 17 Polar Bear attempts.
Women’s Soccer:
The Lady Huskies traveled to Dartmouth, MA on Saturday, October 23 to take on the Corsairs of U-Mass Dartmouth. USM drew first blood in the 66th minute as senior midfielder Amanda Valeriani (South Portland, ME) netted a goal off a feed from senior Amanda Loomis (Poultney, VT). The Huskies and senior keeper Marcy Ansley (Hudson, MA) fended off the Corsairs for most of the second half until the 85th minute when freshman Andrea Mota (Somerset, MA) scored off a rebound to tie the game. Neither team was able to net a winner in overtime, and the game ended with no decision.
On Tuesday, the White Mules of Colby College scored two goals in less than two minutes in the second half to lift them past the Huskies, at Gorham. The win lifted Colby to 7-5-1 overall on the season, as the Huskies moved to 7-6-4 overall. Both goals were credited to senior forward Christina Andaya (Old Bridge, NJ). The Huskies took the lead at the 31:39 mark of the first half as junior forward Liz Brunton (Birch Harbor, ME) beat a Colby defender in the box and put a shot past sophomore keeper Liza Benson (Orchid FL). USM senior keeper Marcy Ansley (Hudson, MA) had three saves on the day for the Huskies while her counterpart Benson recorded five.
Volleyball:
USM freshman middle blocker Ashley Freeman (Gorham, ME) contributed 12 kills and four blocks as her team went on to sweep St. Joseph’s College 3-0 last Monday in Gorham. USM trailed in the first two games, but ended up coming back and winning both of them. Senior hitter Meg Bristol (Farifield, CT) had seven kills and nine digs for the Huskies, while junior middle Kaitlin Snyder (Deerfield, NH) had six kills, two aces and one block for the Monks, who fell to 5-16 on the season. USM moved to .500 on the season, posting a 15-15 mark.
On Wednesday, the Huskies played host once again, this time to the White Mules of Colby College. The Huskies got another strong performance from Freeman, as well as from graduate student Catherine Lewis (New Gloucester, ME), who had a team-high nine digs and three blocks. USM was swept by the White Mules however, ending the Huskies’ season with a record of 15-16 overall. Leading the way for Colby was junior middle Kaitlin Adams (Athol, MA), who had 16 kills. Sophomore Mariah Devl (Baltimore, MD) added 12 kills for the Mules, while teammate freshman Cassie Sancartier (Haverhill, MA) had 36 assists.
Men’s Soccer:
Led by senior Andy Budelman (Rochester, NH), the USM Huskies dominated the Vikings of Salem State College in a non-conference match last Wednesday played at Gorham. Budelman scored two first half goals to set the pace for the Huskies, who have won three straight games, improving to 10-3-3 on the season. USM held a 21-5 advantage in shots, and a 6-1 advantage in corners. Sophomore goalie Chris Willard (Hampton, CT) did not have to turn away a single Viking shot to record his seventh shutout of the season. Budelman’s two goals brought him to a total of 16 on the season, the most by a USM player since 1980, and the third highest season total ever by a Husky. The Huskies closed out their season this past weekend (after press time ) with LEC matches at Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, and against Western Connecticut on Sunday, in Gorham.