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It was another historic weekend in Boston as Northeastern University hosted the America East Conference field hockey championships Nov. 8 and 10. The University of Maine played the University of New Hampshire in the first round of the playoffs and for UMaine, it was a chance to rewrite the history books.
It was truly a tale of two halves, and New Hampshire dominated the first. They came out of the gates early when Courtney Goodwin netted the Wildcats’ first goal just six minutes into the game. The second goal came off the stick of Katie White just five minutes later.
“We were trying to hard and playing anxious,” UMaine coach Terry Kix said. “We told the team to slow down and play our game. After [New Hampshire] scored that second goal, I think we really settled in.”
UMaine controlled the ball for the remainder of the half but was still unable to put it past the New Hampshire goalie. The half ended with the Wildcats holding a 2-0 lead over UMaine. Kix knew her team and knew they wouldn’t give up.
“We have a lot of heart on this team,” Kix said. “We have a lot of special players on this team who just refuse to quit.”
The second half started much like the first. New Hampshire punched in another goal only 35 seconds into play, and the Black Bears saw their season slipping away.
“We had put together a great season and we didn’t want it to end here,” senior Jen Johnstone said. “We took a timeout and all decided that we needed to step up and play like we knew we could.”
After the timeout, UMaine came out energized and motivated. The Black Bears’ comeback started when junior Jana Ouellette powered a shot into the net on a pass from senior Tara Bedard 30 minutes into play. It was the first of three assists for Bedard, who would lead the UMaine charge. In the next 30 minutes, the Black Bears played with all they had-and a little more.
“We were thinking about the week before when they beat us,” Bedard said. “That was on my mind for the entire second half. The motivation was there, all we needed to do was capitalize on our chances.”
Redemption would come from the stick of sophomore Amie Dubois, who netted the next two goals for Maine. Her second goal of the game came with just 35 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at three and force an extra session. Bedard slipped a pass though a crowd of New Hampshire defenders and rest was up to Dubois.
“I had a feeling the ball was going to go through everyone to me,” Dubois said. “I didn’t want to rush myself. I took my time and took the shot, the next thing I remember is running back up field.”
UMaine had only to complete the comeback in overtime. Sophomore Rachel Hilgar would come up big for the Black Bears. Hilgar, who has been a key reserve player all season, scored the game-winner and eighth of the year with just under three minutes to go.
“Our underclassmen came up big for us, but it was our seniors who really sparked us tonight,” Kix said. “They are the heart and soul of this team. They lead the charge and really inspired the younger players.”
With the win, UMaine would play Notheastern, the top-seed and host of the tournament. The Black Bears had beaten Northeastern in a shocking overtime win earlier in the year. UMaine would try and repeat its efforts.
“We have never made it to the America East finals before,” Bedard said. “We made history tonight, and I think we can do it again on Sunday.”
For UMaine, the game would play just like the weather, a sunny first half and a cloudy and rainy second half.
The Black Bears played tough against the top-seed for the first 35 minutes of the game. Junior goalie Jaye Lance made some key saves and the defensive unit, anchored by senior Kim Leo, played well together. The offense was able to string together crisp passes that led to some quality chances for Maine.
“The girls played the first half beautifully,” Kix said. “They brought the will to win and really showed it in the first half. The defense was great and I know it was a matter of time before the offense stepped up.”
UMaine could not match the same level of intensity in the second half and Northeastern would take advantage of some Black Bear miscues.
“When we came out in the second half we started playing really frantic and desperate,” Leo said. “Northeastern is a great team but we just made it too easy for them.”
Northeastern peppered the UMaine net, holding the Black Bears to three shots, all of which came in the second half.
“We didn’t have an answer for them,” Kix said. “We played with everything we had in Friday’s emotional win and we just ran out of gas in the second half.”
When the final whistle blew, Northeastern took to the field, sticks flying, while the Black Bears left the field with their heads held high.
“This was the first time we had ever played a season like this,” Leo said. “We are a little disappointed, but it is hard to be that disappointed when we had a season like we did.”
