ORONO, Maine – Building a 3-0 first-half lead after scoring on opportunistic chances, the No. 17 University of Maine field hockey shutout rival New Hampshire 4-0 for its fifth consecutive victory on Sunday at the UMaine Field Hockey Complex. The shutout marks Maine's first over the Wildcats since a 1-0 win on October 16, 2006.
Nina Keur tallied two goals before the 15-minute mark to lift the Black Bears (13-2, 4-1 AE) to an early lead.
Riley Field followed a few minutes later with her fourth goal of the season.
Brianna Ricker capitalized on a pass from
Lydia Gavner late to secure the 4-0 win.
In the cage,
Mia Borley tallied her third shutout in the past four games, tying her career-high by recording eight saves. Kelsey Rudert registered five saves in the first half, while Rachel Simkevich tallied four saves during the second frame for the Wildcats (3-10, 1-4 AE).
MAINE GAME NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
- Maine avenged one of its two losses of the season, as the Black Bears and Wildcats each tallied 15 total shots.
- New Hampshire held a 7-5 advantage in penalty corners.
- In her last four games, Borley has allowed just one goal, while making 17 saves.
- With two goals, Keur now has nine goals and 20 points on the season, which ranks third best on the team.
- Maine eclipsed 13 wins, one more than what they totaled last season, with three games left in the regular season.
- Field has tallied at least a point in each of her past four games, totaling seven since playing Vermont on 10/7.
- On the season, Maine has now outscored the opposition by a 63-17 mark.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- 11:26 | Keur earned possession at the top of the circle, as the freshman made a move past two Wildcats before sniping a shot just inside the circle for the first goal.
- 14:53 |Off a penalty corner, Keur shot a bouncing ball on a rebound her second goal in just over three minutes.
- 19:11 | Less than five minutes later, Emily Hindle found Riley Field with a beautiful pass that stretched nearly half the field, as Field made a move past the defender before beating the goalkeeper on an angled shot.
- 68:28 | Almost 40 minutes later, Ricker dribbled the ball up the left side of the field, before passing to Gavner, as the senior returned the pass to Ricker and the junior made a move past the goalkeeper for the final goal.
UP NEXT
- No. 17 Maine travels to nationally-ranked UAlbany next Friday for a 1:00 p.m. start at Alumni Field.
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