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The University of Maine field hockey team, seeded number three in the conference, was defeated by a near unstoppable Northeastern team on Sunday 2-0. The loss came in the America East Championship game in Boston just two days after Maine won against a highly favored New Hampshire team to get to the final. To cap off one of their best seasons in team history, the Black Bears would have liked to have defeated Northeastern and been crowned America East Champions, something they have never done. It would have assured them a spot in the national tournament, but it went the other way. The game, however, can not put a damper on a very impressive season for Maine.
The hopes, coming into the season, were high for Maine and the team did not disappoint. For the third season in a row, Maine ended its season against Northeastern in the conference tournament. It was the second straight season Maine lost to Northeastern in the America East final. For Maine, the season was an impressive one. Coach Terry Kix, in her 13th year, perhaps never coached a team that played with more heart. Maine was not supposed to beat New Hampshire but they shut them out 2-0. It was the team’s fifth shutout of the season.
In their impressive victory over New Hampshire, the Black Bears were led by junior Amie Dubois and sophomore Kasey Spencer, who each had a goal for Maine. The game was scoreless at the half. It was not until the 47:59 mark that Maine scored when Dubois put in an unassisted goal. Spencer would not add her goal until there were 14 seconds remaining, when she scored off a pass from junior Rachael Hilgar. Maine upset the number two seeded Wildcats to advance to play Northeastern in the final. The shutout for senior goalkeeper Jaye Lance was her fifth of the season. Maine outshot New Hampshire 9-1 in the victory.
Maine’s goal all season long was to force a rematch with Northeastern in the America East Championship where Northeastern beat Maine 4-0 last season. Maine got just what they wanted. They had the opportunity to play Northeastern, the number nine team in the country. In a defensive game that was to be settled by a mere few goals, Mari Creatini, who leads the nation in scoring, scored the first goal for Northeastern at 32:28 on a pass from Whitney Shean. Maine got off just three shots to Northeastern’s five. Liane Dixon scored for Northeastern unassisted at the 65:56 mark to give her team the 2-0 lead, and that is the way the game ended.
The Black Bears would have liked to defeat Northeastern on Sunday but it was not meant to be. That does not, however, take away from their accomplished season. Their 15 wins tied them for the second most wins in a single season in school history, and they finished undefeated at home. Three of Maine’s seniors, Karly Bundy, Jaye Lance and Rebecca Ouellette were named to the All-Conference first team, while Karyn Magno and Rachael Hilgar were named to the All-Conference second team.
Above all, Maine was not expected to advance to their conference championship. They were an underdog all season but their heart and effort nearly led them to a championship season.
Maine graduates six of its seniors and their presence will be missed. But the team still looks solid for next year. They never received a top 20 ranking but came close to beating one of the best teams in the nation on Sunday, putting Maine among the nation’s elite.
