On Nov. 14, the University of Maine women’s soccer team fell to seventh-seeded University of Central Florida in the first round of their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. This loss on Friday night at the UCF Soccer Complex concluded the Black Bears season with an overall record of 6-8-4.
The warm evening in Orlando was filled with anticipation and excitement before kickoff. Now that this is the Black Bear’s third time competing in the tournament that only the best 64 out of 351 D1 schools make, they knew that this would be a tough game and a true test. The message going into this match was the same as any other – put their identity on the game, and be true to how they play and both were accomplished in this match despite the score.
In the first couple minutes of the game, Maine started on the front foot and nearly broke through when fourth-year forward Gillian Rovers got passed a through ball on the left side and struck the ball across the net just shy of the post. The hosts quickly woke up after the ball was spent in their half for the first ten minutes and started to attack from their wide players. In the 21st minute, the Knights found the back of the net from a cross by second-year defender Guta Franke on the left side, served into the middle of the box which was tapped in the right corner of the goal by fourth-year forward Rajanah Reed. They continued to look for their wide players the rest of the game, serving in crosses and attempting to find players in the box.
The second half started with the advantage for the Knights having a 1-0 lead, and they would increase their lead by one more in the 65th minute from a corner kick scramble in the box assisted by third-year midfielder Honoka Hamano and finished by fourth-year midfielder Hannah Boughton. The Black Bears kept fighting back and got a late opportunity on a counter attack and what looked like to be a clear shot on goal from Rovers, but the Knights defense recovered and blocked the shot that would end the game.
UCF ended up having the 5-2 edge in shots on goal and 7-2 lead in corner kicks. First-year goalie Elena Barenberg made three saves in the match, moving to 5-5-3 on the year. Third-year midfielder Luise Reinwald led Maine with three shots, coming close to a goal from a free kick placed just past the 18 yard box.
The 2-0 loss to UCF ended Maine’s four game winning streak and 2025 fall season. History was made for the Maine team after winning the America East Championship for the third time in a row, achieving a three-peat. Now, their focus is on rest and recovery and coming back even stronger next year.
