The No. 24 University of Maine, Black Bears (4-1) rolled over the Bryant University Bulldogs (1-4) in route to a 12-1 victory on Tuesday. UMaine took a 7-0 lead in the first half and maintained the shutout until the final five minutes of play. The offensive assault was sparked by fourth-year forward Madison Cummings just 24 seconds into the match from an assist from second-year forward Brianna Ricker.
The offense was in full force on Tuesday as the Black Bears managed to score 12 goals in just 19 shots on goal. Third-year midfielder Libby Riedl led the charge for the Black Bears by scoring three goals and racking up three assists, tying the UMaine single game assist record.
Bryant’s lone goal was scored by Wilton, Maine, native and third-year forward Victoria Newbill in the 65th minute of the match.
UMaine third-year backs Ella Mosky and Samantha Wagg each chipped in with two goals for the Black Bears. The pair each have three goals on the season.
Talent surely was with the Black Bears as seven members of the team found themselves scoring in the match. Riedl and Mosky combined for five of the team’s eight assists against Bryant.
The 12 points scored by the Black Bears in the game is a NCAA Division 1 season high achievement. In addition to setting the mark of goals scored in a game, this was also the most goals scored in a UMaine field hockey game since 1975, when they defeated Nasson College 14-0.
The second half of the game was heralded by a five-point offensive spectacle spread out by goals from Ricker, Wagg, Riedl, Mosky and second-year midfielder Riley Field.
Maine’s offense has been firing on all cylinders since their opening loss to Providence College to start the season. The Black Bears outshot the Bulldogs 34-2 in this game, and have outshot opponents 72-17 overall.
Davis Shines as Black Bears Down Richmond
Taylor Mannix
First-year back Hana Davis stole the show, scoring twice as the Black Bears scored three unanswered goals to beat the University of Richmond (0-4) 3-1 Friday afternoon in Richmond, Va. After falling behind 1-0 early, Davis scored two second-half goals to help earn Maine a win over the Spiders.
The Black Bears peppered Richmond’s third-year goaltender Felicitas Heinzel, out shooting the Spiders 24-7, including 15-4 on net. Richmond found scoring chances hard to come by after scoring their first goal as Maine did a great job at keeping possession in their offensive end for a large part of the second half. Maine held the advantage in penalty corners as well with 8-3 advantage over the Spiders.
Richmond took the early 1-0 just two minutes into the first half thanks to the Spiders fourth-year midfielder Kasey Gilbride, who hammered it home off a pass from fourth-year forward Katrina Balatgek.
From that point on it was all Black Bears, who answered back with a goal from Ricker, her second of the year, with 10 minutes left. Third-year midfielder Casey Crowley was credited with the assist on the play.
Maine didn’t see its first lead until about three minutes into the second half when Davis notched her first of the game. Davis received a pass just outside the shooting circle, made a move past a defender to the center of the circle, then ripped a low backhand shot to the right corner of the goal.
Davis’s second goal came after Richmond pulled Heinzel when she beat a defender and fired one towards the net to give Maine the 3-1 win and extended the winning streak to three games.
The two teams will square off again on Sunday to complete the series.
Black Bears Complete Weekend Sweep
The Black Bears continued to roll, downing the University of Richmond 4-1 Sunday in Richmond, Va.
Maine found the back of the net early as Cummings scored on the assist from Davis just 1:45 into the game. Richmond only tallied one shot in the first half, but made that one shot count as third-year midfielder Olivia Hubert found the back of the net at 4:15. The goal was assisted by Gilbride.
The Black Bears outshot the Spiders 12-1 in the first half with nine of the 12 shots by Maine on goal. They also controlled penalty corners 4-1.
The second half of this game looked similar to Friday’s. This time it was the upperclassmen getting it done. Third-year back Emily Hindle found the net, assisted by Wagg at the 46:23 mark.
The Black Bears would score three unanswered goals to put the Spiders away and sweep the weekend series to extend their winning streak to four on the season. Ricker and Riedl also scored for Maine in the second half. They assisted on each other’s goals as the game ended with a 4-1 win.
The Black Bears had a 2-0 winning weekend on their trip to Virginia, outscoring Richmond 7-2 and out shooting the Spiders 49-13 in the victories.
The Black Bears are back in action Sept. 10 against Cornell University at the University of Vermont. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. The Spiders will also be back on the field on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. Their game will start at 2 p.m.
