FARMINGTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington women's soccer team scored a pair of goals just 14 minutes and 41 seconds apart in the first half and held on in the second half to secure a 2-1 victory over Salem State on Wednesday afternoon at Leib Field. The win marked the Beavers' sixth home victory of 2025, improving their record at Leib Field to 6-2-1.
The Records:
With the win, Farmington improved to 8-5-2 overall, while the Vikings dropped to 6-6-2.
How It Happened:
After a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes, the Beavers got on the scoreboard in the 23rd minute. Junior forward Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine) carried the ball along the left wing around a Viking defender before darting toward goal. Dunn fired a shot to the far post that struck the post, but the rebound was corralled by first-year midfielder Miah Coffin (Otis, Maine), who laid off a short pass to Kiley Meader (Oakland, Maine). Meader took a touch and then hit a left-footed shot that deflected off the inside of the left post and into the back of the net to make it 1-0. The goal was Meader's first of the season.
Farmington continued to push the pace following Meader's strike. First-year Kyri Meak (Winslow, Maine) won a header off a corner kick delivered by Coffin. Meak's header looked destined for the back of the net as it got past Viking goalkeeper Madison DeWitt, but McKenna Gilligan was in the right place at the right time, clearing the ball off the goal line to keep it a 1-0 game.
Meak got her revenge in the 37th minute, burying a penalty kick into the lower corner of the net to extend Farmington's lead to 2-0.
The Vikings began to build momentum in the final five minutes of the first half, forcing Farmington goalkeeper Paige Gonya (Sabattus, Maine) to make a pair of saves and earning two corner kicks, but they were unable to break through before halftime.
Salem State cut the Beaver lead in half in the 70th minute when Jenna Mitza converted a penalty kick after Farmington was whistled for a handball in the box.
The Vikings continued pressing for the equalizer, outshooting the Beavers 5-0 over the final 20 minutes. Gonya made one save during the stretch, with the other four attempts missing the target, as Farmington held on for the victory.
Stats of the Game:
Shots: Salem State 16, Farmington 10
Shots on Goal: Salem State 8, Farmington 5
Corner Kicks: Farmington 6, Salem State 5
The Goalkeepers:
Gonya picked up her eighth victory of the season, making seven saves. DeWitt made two saves in the hard-fought loss.
UP NEXT
Farmington returns to North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action on Saturday, traveling to Bangor to take on Husson University. Game time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
