Sports |

Field hockey rallies to top U. of Vermont

Black Bears clinch America East playoff berth with win

Amy Brooks, Photo Editor

Posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009, 12:30 am

University of Maine field hockey coach Josette Babineau’s decision to try freshman fullback Zoe Adkins on the penalty corner unit paid off for the Black Bears. Saturday, Adkins scored her first two collegiate goals on consecutive corners to spark a four-goal first half rally, and UMaine topped the University of Vermont Catamounts 4-1 in pouring rain at the Maine Field Hockey Complex.

According to Babineau, the British Columbia native was a midfielder in high school with a knack for scoring, and the coaching staff wanted to have her stick in the game against an America East Conference opponent.

“She sure made that decision pay off in a big-time way,” Babineau said. “She had a really nice game today.”

UMaine’s four goals were unanswered after Vermont took a 1-0 lead on their first shot on goal. Adkins converted UMaine’s fifth and sixth penalty corners of the contest, and midfielders Michelle Niedziejko and Stephanie Gardiner added insurance goals before halftime.

“We just looked up at the scoreboard, and we’re like, ‘No more. That was it, one is enough,’” Adkins said.

The Black Bears improved to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in America East Conference play with one week remaining in the regular season. The win clinched a playoff spot for UMaine. Vermont lost its ninth straight game to fall to 1-14 (0-4 America East).

The Black Bears were looking to re-establish their dominance after a sub-par effort in a 3-2 win against then 4-9 Fairfield University on Oct. 17.

“I thought today we settled and played more our typical style, and stuck to the game plan,” Babineau said. “We knew that we had to get rebounds, and be gritty in the circle, and that it might not be pretty goals.”

UMaine outshot the Catamounts 37-3, with 29 on goal to Vermont’s two, and held the advantage in penalty corners, 16-3. Vermont’s three penalty corners came in the final three minutes of regulation. UMaine sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Fleck made one save to earn the win.

“Our goal was to really keep the pressure on them the whole game,” Adkins said. “We wanted to play from start to finish. I think we really did that.”

Fleck’s lone blemish came 18:41 into the game. Vermont midfielder Mackenzie Williams found space to Fleck’s left and sent a low shot that skidded off Fleck’s right pad on the attempted kick save and snuck inside the far post.

Babineau thought the early tally might have been costly against a team desperate for a win, but the Black Bears bounced back and controlled the midfield, keeping constant pressure on Vermont’s defense.

“At the beginning of the game maybe we were a little, like, testing each other out,” Babineau said. “After we started to play a little bit more aggressively, I think our speed was a little bit more than theirs.”

Vermont goalkeeper Kristen Heavens gave Adkins an open goal to shoot at when she laid out to block one of Andrews’ game-high seven shots on goal. Adkins tapped the rebound across the goal line at 21:36.

Adkins struck again four minutes later. This time, sophomore forward Jocelyn Mitchell picked up the rebound off Andrews’ shot and found Adkins at Heavens’ feet, where she lifted a chip shot over the goalie’s stacked pads.

“I really have to owe it to Jocelyn Mitchell,” Adkins said. “She got that flick in there, and then I just helped it home a bit.”

Niedziejko’s goal at 28:02 to put UMaine up 3-0 was the only Black Bear goal not scored on a penalty corner. Heavens was pulled over to the right post by a flurry of shots before the ball squirted out in front where Niedziejko converted her second of the season.

Gardiner capped the scoring at 31:32 when she re-directed Andrews’ offering at the left post for her tenth of the season.

“We saw what was open, and we just kept going there,” Adkins said.

Heavens made 23 saves in the losing effort and was replaced by Brooke Crane with 12:05 remaining in the game. Crane stopped the lone shot she faced.

“We were pretty appalling as a defense, and as a team,” Vermont coach Nicki Houghton said.

UMaine’s final regular season home game, also Senior Day for Andrews, Jackie D’Amato, Jamie Flagg and Courtney Gingrich, will be Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.