ORONO, Maine - Nicole Bailey and the University of Maine women's soccer team defeated conference rival New Hampshire, 1-0, on Thursday night at the Mahaney Diamond. The shutout is the third of the season for the Black Bears.
 
Maine (5-4-1, 1-1-0 AE) and New Hampshire (5-5-1, 1-1-0 AE) battled to a stalemate throughout the first half. Annalena Kriebisch and Mia Neas saved every shot on goal, while providing direction for each of their respected defenses.
 
The Black Bears' best chance of the first half came when Emilie Andersen corralled a rebound in front of the Wildcats' net and almost completed an impressive bicycle kick. Neas, unfortunately, made the save for New Hampshire.
 
A defensive struggle continued for the first 35 minutes of the second half. On fresh legs, Priscilla Domingo played a ball up the far side of the field, while teammate Nicole Bailey strategically placed herself at the top of the 18-yard line. Domingo found her unmarked teammate with a beautiful pass. Bailey took one touch and gave the Black Bears a very late 1-0 lead.
 
New Hampshire tried to apply as much pressure as possible in the final 10 minutes. Kriebisch and her defense denied and sent away any possible chance the Wildcats formulated. Maine would hold onto the 1-0 lead for its third shutout and first conference win of the 2018 season.
 
Shots/Keepers
The Wildcats held an 8-to-5 advantage in shots on goal, while also winning the corner kick battle, 8-5.
 
Keeper Kriebisch made eight saves in goal for UMaine, while her New Hampshire counterpart, Neas, made four.
 
Next
The Black Bears return to the field when they travel to Binghamton University on Sunday, September 30th at 12:00 PM.