FARMINGTON, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington women's soccer team scored five goals in the first half and cruised to a 6-0 victory over the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday afternoon.
The Records:
The win for the Beavers improved their record to 7-6-2 overall, with a 4-3-2 record in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play. The Owls dropped to 3-8-2 overall and 1-7-1 in NAC play following the loss.
How it Happened:
The Beavers got on the scoreboard for the first time 12 minutes in, as Rita Benoit (Hallowell, Maine) found the back of the net off a feed from Abby Lash (Waldoboro, Maine). This goal marked Benoit's first of the season, while Lash increased her season assist total to ten.
Just seconds after Benoit's goal, Lash created another scoring opportunity for the Beavers. Attempting a nearly identical play, she passed the ball into the penalty area from the wing along the end line. An Owls defender unintentionally kicked the ball into her own net, extending the Beavers' lead to 2-0.
Lash continued to put pressure on the Owls' defense. Six minutes after her pressure resulted in the second goal of the game, Lash scored a goal of her own, carrying the ball along the left wing and beating an Owl defender before firing a right-footed shot off the inside post to extend Farmington's lead to 3-0.
Four minutes after Lash's goal, junior forward Natalie Tracy (Oakland, Maine) added to her team-leading total by scoring her 11th goal of the season. Tracy received a throw-in deep in the right corner, maneuvered around a UMPI defender, carried the ball along the end line, and fired a shot over the head of Mia Voisine to increase Farmington's lead.
Sophomore defender Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine) got on the scoreboard for the first time in her career in the final seconds of the first half. Dunn aggressively moved past the Owls' defense before being taken down from behind in the box, drawing a penalty kick for the Beavers. Rewarded for her effort, Dunn took the penalty kick, firing a shot into the lower left corner of the net to give the Beavers a 5-0 lead heading into halftime.
Tracy added her second goal of the game midway through the second half as Farmington continued to pull away, making it a 6-0 game.
Team Stats:
The Beavers maintained the majority of possession and held advantages in shots (24-10), shots on goal (14-5), and corner kicks (5-3).
The Goalkeepers:
Junior goalkeeper and reigning NAC Defensive Player of the Week, Paige Gonya (Sabattus, Maine), made five saves to secure her sixth shutout of the season. Voisine made eight saves in the loss for UMPI.
UP NEXT:
The Beavers will host Husson University at 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day, which will serve as their regular season finale.
