The University of Maine Women’s Soccer held a lead with less than ten minutes remaining on Thursday night, but a late Providence equalizer resulted in a 1-1 draw between the Black Bears and Friars in Rhode Island.
Just before halftime, the Black Bears took the lead with a goal from third-year forward Isabella Meadows, assisted by fourth-year midfielder Victoria Dungey.
The Black Bears maintained the 1-0 lead well into the second half, in spite of Providence’s continued attempts to equalize. Maine’s defense and second-year goalkeeper Elena Barenberg played crucial parts in getting Maine a result.
Barenberg finished the game with five saves, allowing Maine to protect its lead despite pressure from Providence. The Friars had 19 shots compared with Maine’s five.
The match heated up towards the 79th minute of the game, when a challenge was made by Providence to review a no-foul call made by the referee within the penalty area. The Friars believed that the review could lead to a penalty, but in the end the referee’s decision remained unchanged.
Four minutes later, it looked as if Providence equalized when Buffalo transfer, third-year forward Carolyn Hinkle, scored. The goal was disallowed for offside, but after a VAR review the on-field decision was overturned, and the match was tied at 1-1.
The incident caused a stir on both sides. Head Coach Sam Lopes of Providence was shown a yellow card after showing his disapproval of the referee’s original decision. Maine Head Coach Scott Atherley expressed frustration when the referee reviewed the incident without a challenge from Providence, arguing that Lopes’s outburst led to the review.
Regardless of the controversy around the goal, neither team scored again, and the match ended in a draw.
Maine will likely view the draw as a positive result, as Providence is undefeated and entered the game with a record of 2-0-5 and ranking 164th in the Massey Rankings. Maine was 2-3-1 before the match and ranked 235th.
Maine, now 2-3-2, will look to build on Thursday’s result when they travel to Holy Cross on Sunday. The Crusaders enter the matchup at 4-2-1 after a 1-0 loss to Dartmouth.
Following the Holy Cross game, Maine will return to Orono to open America East play against the University of Albany on Sept. 20 with a noon kickoff.
