ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine women's soccer team will close out the 2024 regular season with a trip to rival New Hampshire on Thursday, Oct. 31.
 
The Buffalo Wild Wings Border Battle will kick off at 7 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
 
With a win or tie, the Black Bears can secure the first overall seed in the 2024 America East Soccer Championship.
 
Game 15 | Maine at New Hampshire
Thursday, Oct. 31 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Durham, N.H. | Wildcat Stadium
 
ABOUT MAINE
• Maine enters Thursday at 10-1-3 overall and 6-0-1 in America East play after a 2-2 tie with NJIT this past Sunday at Mahaney Diamond … the Black Bears were trailing 2-0 with under 20 minutes to play but a Lara Kirkby penalty kick conversion in the 73rd minute and a Gillian Rovers strike in the 84th minute extended Maine's unbeaten streak to nine games.
• The Black Bears have secured a top-two seed and quarterfinal round bye for the America East Championship and will host a semifinal match on Nov. 7 … a win or tie at New Hampshire would secure the first-ever America East regular season title in program history.
• Abby Kraemer (5-4-14) leads the team in points with Jordane Pinette (5-2-12), Kristina Kelly (3-5-11) and Lara Kirkby (4-2-10) also hitting double-digit points.
• Maine's six conference wins tie a program-best set three previous times (2003-05).

BALANCED ATTACK
• Abby Kraemer (5-4-14) leads the team in points while Jordane Pinette (5-2-12), Kristina Kelly (3-5-11) and Lara Kirkby (4-2-10) make Maine the only team in the conference with four players with at least 10 points each.
• With Kayla Kraemer (3-3-9), Maine is also the first America East team since 2019 to have five players with at least eight points each.
 
ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE
• The Wildcats enter Thursday's regular season finale at 11-3-1 overall and 6-1-0 in conference play.
• This past Sunday, UNH earned a 3-2 road win at UMBC for a second consecutive win.
• Meghan Guarente leads the team with 10 goals and one assist for 21 points … Delaney Lappin has recorded four goals and three assists for 11 points.
• Sally Rainey – an America East Preseason All-Conference team honoree – has played all 1,350 minutes in goal, going 11-3-1 while posting a .60 goals against average, .836 save percentage and nine shutouts.
• The Wildcats were tabbed third in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.

SERIES HISTORY vs NEW HAMPSHIRE
• Maine holds an all-time record of 16-19-4 in the series with New Hampshire.
• The last five games and 14 of the last 15 have been decided by one goal or less … last season, the teams battled to a 0-0 tie at Mahaney Diamond in the regular season finale.
• Maine has not beaten New Hampshire since a 1-0 win on Sept. 27, 2018.
• Current Black Bears Julie Lossius (1-0-2) and Madison Michaud (0-1-1) have recorded a point against the Wildcats.
• The first-ever meeting in the series came in 1990, with UNH picking up a 6-1 win.

UP NEXT
• Maine will host an America East Championship semifinal game at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 against a to be determined opponent.