The Southern Maine field hockey team regrouped after last Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to Framingham State, and fought hard in a well-deserved 2-1 victory over the University of Maine-Farmington Beavers at Paula D. Hodgdon Field in Gorham on Wednesday.
The matchup proved the two teams were equally solid after a scoreless 42 minutes, until USM senior forward India Lowe (Gloucester, MA) struck first with her second goal of the season. The goal came in the 43rd minute after a penalty corner was awarded to the Huskies, and sophomore back Bethany Bougie (Sanford, ME) sent a hard pass inside to Lowe, who tipped it past UMF freshman goalkeeper Felisha Taylor.
Seven minutes later, the Huskies struck again as freshman midfielder Bethany Schleh (Gorham, ME) also scored her second goal of the season, and it was one that proved to be the difference in the game. Schleh deflected a shot from Lowe during a scramble in front of the net, and it slipped by Taylor, who finished the day with 8 saves on USM’s 13 shots on goal.
The Beavers finally got on the scoreboard in the 51st minute shortly after Schleh’s goal was scored. UMF freshman forward Lilly Barry scored her second goal of the season after a pass from senior forward Alyssa St. Pierre was deflected past USM goalkeeper Allison Hill to cut the Husky lead to one. UMF was cut off after that as the USM defense (anchored by junior Heather Gilman who recorded her seventh defensive save of the season) shutdown their chances to tie the game.
USM co-captain and goalkeeper Hill played an excellent game as she displayed her athleticism by making four saves on the Beavers nine shots. The Husky’s win brings their season record to 3-3, and they continue their dominance as their all-time record against UMaine Farmington is now at 30-11-8.
The Huskies posted another win to increase their winning streak to two, as they triumphed over the Colonials of Western Connecticut 5-3 in Danbury, Connecticut on Sunday.
Hill and the Huskies are coming together very well as the heart of the season is approaching. A key conference match-up at Eastern Connecticut next Saturday the 26th, and a game at national powerhouse Bowdoin on Tuesday, along with a game against Worcester State at home, and at Westfield State, round up a busy week of field hockey on the road for the Huskies. This coming week will test USM’s durability, as they were hampered with injuries early in the season. Look for the USM field hockey team to ride their momentum and come out of this important week on top.