On Oct. 2, The University of Maine women’s soccer team fought for 90 minutes against the Bryant Bulldogs that resulted in a 1-1 tie for the first-ever collegiate contest at the New Balance Soccer Complex. The one point earned now puts the Black Bears 1-0-1 overall in conference play.
Before the whistle blew, fans gathered with the Dirigo Union supporters club from the Portland Hearts of Pine official supporters club. The UMaine president, Joan Ferrini-Mundy, presented the official game day ball for the first match on the new pitch. People more than exceeded the 525-stand capacity limit, gathering everywhere possible. The electric atmosphere along with the drums from the supporters club and blue smoke bombs put a buzz throughout the air that gave a new energy to the team.
“Life is short. This is a great opportunity for us to get out there and do something we love to do,” said head coach Scott Atherley. “We’re surrounded by the best people in the world.”
The Black Bears ran with this energy and came out flying, scoring the first goal in just under three minutes from the second-year fullback, Hilary Washington. For her first career goal, Washington got the ball from second-year forward Emma Nicholson, her second assist of the season, and drove into the wide space 20 yards from goal and cracked a shot to the far-left post. The golazo later made a feature on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays of the week at number four.
UMaine was able to secure a 1-0 lead at the end of the first half, out shooting Bryant by 6-2 and kept the majority of possession. Once the second half kicked off, Maine was still able to hang on to the lead until the Bulldogs scored in the 68th minute from a loose ball off of a corner kick. Still, the Black Bears battled and searched for that game winning goal, getting an extra 12 shots in the last 30 minutes. Almost the entire second half was in the Bulldog’s territory with threatening crosses, but not enough shots on target. Unable to find the back of the net, the final whistle blew and ended the match at 1-1.
First-year goalkeeper Elena Barenberg only had to make two saves and moved to 1-1-1 on the year. Washington and fourth-year captain Rebecca Grisdale were the only players to play the full 90 minutes as security in the backline for the Black Bears.
The Black Bears have a quick turn around and will now face Binghamton at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5 at the Bearcats Sports Complex. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ as well as the America East network. A win over the Bearcats could mean that Maine will secure first place in the conference and get an advantage over the other teams.
