Box Score (PDF)

ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine women's soccer team and LIU Brooklyn battled through regulation and two 10 minute overtimes but neither squad was able to find the net on Sunday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond, resulting in a 0-0 tie for the Black Bears in the season opener.

Maine showed energy and excitement in the first match of 2017 but couldn't quite connect on passes and through balls in the early going. Sophomore Annalena Kriebisch kept the game scoreless in the first half with two key saves, first stretching to her left on a close-range shot through traffic and then timing her jump to push out an attempt from distance.
 
The Black Bears kept pressing towards goal in the second half and began to build momentum and sustain pressure, at one point earning three consecutive corner kicks. As the clock ticked under three minutes to play in regulation, sophomore Kaitlyn Ball was able to run onto a ball and cut into the box on the right to fire a left footed shot but Aline Allman made the diving save to force a corner. It was on the ensuing corner that Ball's header attempt on the back post bounced wide.
 
The defense withstood pressure from LIU Brooklyn – with junior Mikayla Morin stepping up with 3:30 remaining in regulation to stuff a Blackbird rush down the middle of the field – and the game headed to overtime.
 
Maine's best chance in extra time came in the second overtime when sophomore Nicole Bailey – from up 25 yards out – rifled a free kick attempt off of the crossbar. Neither team was able to produce after that attempt to end the game at a scoreless tie.
 
The Black Bears outshot the visitors, 21-12, and had a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. Maine earned 13 corner kicks and gave up just one to the Blackbirds.
 
Kriebisch (0-0-1) made four saves for her fourth career shutout while Allman (0-1-1) had six in her shutout effort.
 
Maine (0-0-1) will travel to Brown on Friday, Aug. 25 for a matchup with the Bears before returning to Mahaney Diamond on Sunday, Aug. 27 to face the Northeastern Huskies.
 
Notes
• This was the first-ever tie for Maine in a season-opening game. The Black Bears entered the contest 16-11 overall in season-openers.
• Sophomore Annalena Kriebisch earned her fourth career shutout and her second against LIU Brooklyn, as she made five saves in last year's season opener for her first.

-UMaine-