Third-year back Kendra Ridley’s early game-winning goal against UMass Lowell (UML) Thursday, Sept. 29, gave them the 1-0 win.
In the 11th minute, second-year forward Vivian Biel stepped up to take a corner kick. The ball soared through the air across the box and found its way to Ridley, who redirected it into the upper-left corner of the net with her head. Ridley, a player known for her tough, defensive play, knotted her first goal of the season with that header. She is the only player on the team to have played in all 810 minutes of the season.
With first-year goalkeeper Annalena Kriebisch still on the injured reserve list, second-year goalkeeper Samantha Cobotic stepped up yet again for her second start of the season. Cobotic saved five shots on the way to picking up her second shutout. In all 180 minutes Cobotic has played in, not a single opponent has been able to figure out a way to beat her. She has made a total of 15 saves this season without letting up a single goal.
Second-year forward Anetra Byfield was surprisingly quiet versus UML. Byfield leads the team in shots (17) and shots on net (nine). In the 53rd minute, Byfield logged her only shot of the game with a ball that ricocheted off the crossbar.
UML dominated the last 10 minutes of the game, firing shots from all angles. Cobotic saved a shot from third-year midfielder Rachel Morrier in the 79th minute. A UML corner kick in the 84th minute put Maine on their toes, but the attempt was headed wide. A last minute shot on net was made by first-year back Elle Cooper, but Cobotic came up clutch yet again to preserve her shutout.
Maine only registered four shots on net throughout the game. No player had more than one shot on goal. Maine has consistently been outshot by opponents throughout the season. On average, Maine gets 9.7 shots every game compared to an average of 14.0 shots by opponents per game. However, Maine’s percentage of shots on net is higher than their opponents. Of their 87 total shots, Maine has managed to make 55.2 percent hit the net compared to their opponents’ 42.9 percent of shots that hit the net. Clearly Maine does not have a high-powered offense, but they are able to get it in when it counts.
This game launched Maine to the top of the America East standings. They are currently tied for first place with the University of Hartford and the University of New Hampshire. The win brings UMaine to an overall record of 6-3-0 this season, 2-0 in conference and drops UML down to 3-5-2 and 1-1 in conference play.
UML will go on to play University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. on Oct. 2.
Maine falls to UMBC
The Black Bears saw their perfect conference record tarnished Sunday, Oct. 2 as they fell to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers 3-0. Three goals came in the second half after a scoreless first, but only one was necessary in UMBC’s shutout victory. The loss brings UMaine down to 6-4-0 this season, 2-1 in conference and improves UMBC to an overall 5-7-0, 1-2 in conference play.
UMBC’s fourth-year forward Alexa Quaranta streaked down the right side of the field towards Cobotic in the 53rd minute. Her first cross attempt would fail and be passed back. On her second attempt, Alexa Quaranta found second-year midfielder Wren Aye. Aye headed the ball past Cobotic, placing the ball in the upper-left 90. The goal was Aye’s first of her career. The goal was also Cobotic’s first goal allowed since she stepped in for Kriebisch two games ago.
Seventeen minutes later, a short throw-in by UMBC’s first-year forward Jamie Shiflett found fourth-year forward Preslie Quaranta. Preslie Quaranta, Alexa Quaranta’s twin, crossed the ball over to third-year midfielder Angela Kuhn who ripped it pass Cobotic to make it 2-0. It was
To seal the deal in the final minutes of the game, Preslie Quaranta lobbed a ball over Cobotic to make the final score of 3-0. The ball was deep in Maine’s defensive zone. It was about to move past the goal line for a Maine goal kick when it was saved by a UMBC forward. The ball was tapped back to Preslie Quaranta when she hurled it toward the net. Cobotic came forward to play lob but misjudged and the ball sailed straight over her for the third and final goal of the game. It was Preslie Quaranta’s second goal of the season.
Maine surprisingly dominated on the shot count with 16 shots, six of them on net. Seven different players managed to record a shot with a game-high six shots coming from Biel. Biel nearly shot more than UMBC by herself since UMBC only managed seven shots, four of them on net. The four shots on net were all they needed as Cobotic managed to only make one save.
UMBC’s second-year goalkeeper Leah Roth recorded her second shutout of the season. She touts an impressive 1.64 goals against average, 64 saves and allowed only 20 goals in 12 games this season. Last year, Roth did not see play in a single game. At the end of the year, she was dubbed the team’s Most Improved Player and got the nod to start this season.
Maine returns home with their game versus the University of Hartford Thursday, Oct.6. Hartford stole the Black Bears’ hopes of a championship last year’s postseason. This game is a highly anticipated rematch. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. UMBC will also return to play Thursday, Oct. 6 against University of Massachusetts Lowell at home with the kick-off scheduled at 7 p.m.
