After a ten year winless streak against the USM Huskies, the UNE Nor’easters were finally able to break through their tenacious and defeating spell to beat the Huskies 2-1 during what was a feverish men’s season home opener in Gorham.
Despite a solid offensive attack, as well as consistent dictation in game tempo, the Huskies let mental breakdowns affect their game dramatically, allowing the Nor’easters to capitalize on several key offensive opportunities.
“They’re a good, well-organized team,” admitted Coach Mike Keller. “We got in behind them a number of times, we just didn’t finish.”
After showing good ball movement early on, senior captain Peter McHugh (Portland, ME) charged the ball forward to the middle of the field, passing it off to junior forward Nick Johnson (South Portland, ME), who then took one touch up the middle, only to sneak a low, 12 yard shot into the middle of the net with 26 minutes left to go in the half.
With solid momentum on their side, the Huskies continued to put relentless pressure on the Nor’easter defense; shooting three consecutive, blasting shots at goalkeeper Jon Planer, who displayed superb athleticism in deflecting the shots from the offensive attack.
“We had some really great opportunities, their goal keeper came up really big on a couple of point blank shots,” Coach Keller explained.
With just over seven minutes left in the first half , USM goal keeper David Kreps (Agawam, MA) made a key error, losing his footing as UNE forward Owen Evans snuck the ball past the Husky goalie to tie the game at 1.
The first half would prove to be the most offensively effective for the Huskies, as they would only record two corner kicks and four shots on goal in the 2nd half of play. UNE put up similar numbers for the 2nd half, but managed to direct a shot into the right side of the net after gaining control of the loose ball at the other end. Junior Jason Marks (East Lymm, Conn.) broke the 1-1 tie at the 59 minute mark, leaving the Huskies to scramble for an offensive equalizer. Despite their last minute valiant efforts, the Huskies came up short in the final minutes of play, finishing the game with eleven shots on goal and eight corner kicks.
Although the Huskies were unfortunate in having to take their first loss so early in the season, coach Mike Keller is confident in his team’s ability to bounce back, noting their team chemistry and overall experience to be their back bone.
“This is my fifth year and I think this is the closest the team has really been. The last 20 minutes of this game we kept the ball and, you know, we really worked harder together, pushing each other a little bit,” Keller stated. “I think it’s coming together real well.”