Third-year forward Madison Cummings propelled the University of Maine Black Bears’ field hockey team over Dartmouth College 7-3, notching three goals in the contest to earn a hat trick. Maine scored five unanswered goals in the second half of play following a Dartmouth goal that knotted the score at 2-2, using their depth and skill to run away with the contest.
In the second half Maine would tally five unanswered goals before Dartmouth found the back of the net in the final two minutes of play. The first goal in the second half was scored by Cummings with an assist from second-year midfielder Casey Crowley four minutes into the half. It was 11 more minutes before second-year back Samantha Wagg passed to redshirt fourth-year back Adriana Martineau, who scored her first goal of the season to double Maine’s lead at 4-2.
With a pass from fourth-year midfielder Sydney Veljacic on a penalty corner, Crowley scored her first goal of the game and second of the season just minutes later bringing Maine’s lead to 5-2. Cummings, with the help of Crowley, continued the goal scoring for Maine on a three-on-one opportunity. Second-year midfielder Lydia Gavner rounded out the Black Bears scoring with her second of the season to bring the score to 7-2.
Two minutes from the final whistle, fourth-year forward Heather Zezzo assisted fourth-year midfielder Joanne Nazareth to defeat redshirt third-year goalkeeper Emma Cochran off a corner penalty, putting the score at 7-3. This was Nazareth’s second goal of the season.
Second-year midfielder Ella Mosky notched the first goal of the contest for Maine with a pass from Crowley defeating Dartmouth goaltender Emma Plumb. Gavner helped Cummings double Maine’s lead at 2-0 10 minutes later scoring Cummings’ sixth goal of the season.
Dartmouth immediately followed with two goals of their own to knot the score at 2-2. Less than two minutes after Cummings’ first goal, Zezzo was assisted by third-year midfielder Anna Ewasechko to score the first point for Big Green. Eleven minutes later Zezzo assisted teammate Nazareth to score a second Dartmouth goal on a penalty corner play. This was Nazareth’s first goal of the season.
Dartmouth ended the game with three shots on goal compared to Maine’s 17. Maine’s goaltenders did not record any saves for the afternoon, but Dartmouth’s Plumb made nine saves, and second-year goalkeeper Hailey Valerio, who relieved Plumb later in the contest, recorded one save of her own. Cochran earned the win and moves to 3-0 of the season.
Maine Falls to No.13 Boston University
In a matchup between two undefeated teams, newly No. 20 University of Maine looked to grab their fifth win of the season against No. 13 Boston University, but came up short in a 2-1 loss. The Black Bears dropped to 4-1, while the Terriers improved to 5-0.
The first half showed no scoring, as the offensive play was stifled by both teams’ defenses. Maine had three shots with none on goal and Boston University had seven shots with one on goal.
Cochran started for the Black Bears, while fourth-year goalie Cammy Jensen started for the Terriers.
The second half made for some excitement not shown in the first frame. At 15:03 of the period, Martineau was assessed a yellow card, giving Boston University a player advantage for five minutes.
Just 21 seconds later, fourth-year midfielder Hester van der Laan utilized the advantage and scored to give Boston University a 1-0 lead. This was van der Laan’s first goal of the season.
With less than two and a half minutes remaining in the game, second-year forward Ally Hammel scored to increase Boston University’s lead to 2-0, assisted by fourth-year forward Taylor Blood and third-year midfielder Kali Shumock. This was Hammel’s second goal of the season.
Only one minute later, Maine cut the deficit in half to 2-1 as Wagg scored, assisted by second-year midfielders Libby Riedl and Mosky. This was Wagg’s third goal of the season.
The Black Bears had too little too late and saw their hopes of an undefeated season swept away.
In the second half of play, redshirt third-year Emily Corbett replaced Cochran in goal, a regular move made by Head Coach Josette Babineau. Maine had five shots with four on goal, and Boston University had seven shots with two on goal.
Before this game’s action, the National Field Hockey Association of Coaches voted for the top 20 teams in the country. Maine was named as the No. 20 team, with Boston University ranked seven slots higher.
Maine beats UNCD in a shutout game
Maine avenged their first loss of the season by winning an affair against University of California-Davis (UNCD), 6-0. The Black Bears improved to 5-1 on the season, while the Aggies dropped to 1-4.
Cummings opened the scoring just 1:24 in, assisted by first-year midfielder Riley Field, giving the Black Bears an early 1-0 lead. This was Cummings’ ninth goal of the season.
Four minutes later, Riedl scored to double Maine’s lead to 2-0, assisted by Mosky. This was Riedl’s fourth goal of the season.
That would be all the scoring in the first half, as the Black Bears held on to the two-goal advantage. Maine had 10 shots with seven on goal, and University of California-Davis had four shots with none on goal.
Corbett started in goal for the Black Bears, while third-year goalkeeper Beth Lee started for the Aggies. Lee made five saves in the half.
At 10:13 of the second half, Crowley scored to put Maine up 3-0. This was Crowley’s third goal of the season.
Less than eight minutes later, Crowley scored her second goal of the game to put it out of reach at 4-0, assisted by Wagg. This was Crowley’s fourth goal of the season.
The Black Bears continued to add on, as Wagg scored with under six minutes remaining in the game to make it 5-0, assisted by Crowley and Mosky. This was Wagg’s fourth goal of the season.
In the last seconds of the game, Crowley, assisted by Wagg, scored again to get the rare hat trick, making the score 6-0. This was Crowley’s fifth goal of the season and Maine’s second hat trick of the season.
Babineau was up to her usual move, as Cochran came into the game for the second half. The Black Bears had 14 shots with eight on goal, and the Aggies had no shots in the period. Lee made four saves.
Maine returns to action on Friday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. at home against Bryant University. University of California-Davis plays next on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 12 p.m. at No. 13 Boston University.
