Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
On Sunday, Oct. 26, the University of Maine women’s soccer team ended a two game road trip the same way they started it: in bitter defeat. Playing nearly five hours from home in West Hartford, Conn., the Black Bears suffered their second consecutive loss after dropping a game to the University of New Hampshire on Friday afternoon. In a game that saw momentum shift frequently, the University of Hartford stole a 2-1 overtime win against the Black Bears. On a day that served as Senior Day, Hartford was able to capitalize on two pivotal players by seniors.
For much of the first half both teams were deadlocked and unable to counter each other’s strong defenses. It wasn’t until the 36th minute of the half that the scoreboard would see any action. The first strike came from the Hawks when senior Hilde Bakke tallied her fourth goal of the season. After a Maine defender was called for a handball inside the box, the referees called for a penalty kick. Bakke fired a rocket that slipped by the grasp of Black Bear keeper Tanya Adorno and gave the Hawks the first advantage of the day. The first half finished with Hartford on top. Maine was able to outshoot the Hawks 5-3 for the half.
The opening frames of the second half would be all Black Bears as Maine’s offense was able to consistently apply pressure on the Hartford net. That ensuing pressure quickly led to the equalizing goal. Coming in the 51st minute of the game, Maine was able to get on the board after Katie Hodge recorded her seventh goal of the year. Hodge, who fired the shot from about 20 yards out saw her kick deflect off a defender and bounce into the right side of the net. The shot came inches from being saved as Hartford goaltender Heather Hinton was unable to adjust in time and watched as the ball grazed by her fingertips. On the play, Annie Hamel was able to notch her sixth assist on the season pushing her season point total to 16. Both teams would combat each other for the remaining minutes of the half forcing overtime. It was only the second time on the season that the Black Bears could not end a game in regulation. Maine’s only other overtime match of the season was a 1-0 win against Binghamton. The Black Bears were not as lucky this time.
In an intense overtime that saw both teams match each other play for play, the Hawks were able to garner a clutch score in the waning minutes of the first overtime period. The heart-breaking goal came off the cleats of Hartford senior Cindy Walsh. A Black Bear foul at midfield, created a Hartford free kick from about 40 yards out. Bakke was then able to place the ball into the box right on Walsh who directed the game-winner past Adorno. The Black Bears would finish the game with a 13-5 advantage in shots, including a commanding 6-0 advantage in the second half. Adorno fell to 9-3-1, while Hinton made three saves and moved to 4-9-2.
The tough loss moved the Black Bears to 10-3-1 on the season but, more importantly, saw the team drop to 4-2-1 in the conference. The defeat created a shift in America Standings moving the Black Bears out of a four-way tie for second place and into a tie for fourth place with New Hampshire. As for Hartford, the team levels off at 6-10-2 and 5-2-1 in conference. With the America East Conference Tournament only a week away, every match is crucial. Maine will hope a return to the home pitch will provide a different outcome from the past weekend’s affairs. The Black Bears are set to host Albany for a 2 p.m game at Alumni Field. A win in Maine’s last home game would give the team muchneeded momentum headed into the tournament.
