DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth field hockey team fell against the University of Southern Maine in Little East Conference action on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 4-1. The Corsairs dropped to a 0-3 league record with the loss versus the Huskies who secured their first conference win to move to a 1-1 LEC mark.
The Huskies grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the game thanks to a score by Mackenzie Hall three minutes into action, respectively. Shortly after, Corsairs goalie
Shane Cueman, making her 12
th start of the season, posted her first pair of saves of the afternoon. Southern Maine continued to apply attacking pressure in the closing minutes of the opening period, scoring two late goals to extend their advantage to 3-0.
It was a quiet start to the second period as Leah Thibodeau fired a shot on frame that Cueman was able to stop. The Huskies pulled away with a 4-0 lead with a score by Ivory Spaulding at the 25:40 mark. Junior forward
Brooke Lydon finished the opening half by squeezing a late shot on target to force a save from Huskies goalie Eleanor Folsom, but the visitors held on to their four-goal lead heading into the break.
In the third period, Southern Maine produced three shots featuring another pair of saves from Cueman along with three penalty corners. Lydon also fired a late shot for UMass Dartmouth that went just wide of the cage. The Corsairs began to generate offense in the fourth period after earning their first corner of the game with 50:22 on the clock. Lydon sent the ball to the top of the arc to the stick of senior captain
Lillian Bento. The senior captain then crossed the ball over to junior defender
Sophia Bouffard who drilled a shot into the back of the cage to make it 4-1. The Corsairs continued to battle in the final period, but the Huskies cemented their first conference win by a final score of 4-1 from Cressy Field.
Bouffard tallied her second goal of the season for two points in the conference tilt against Southern Maine. Bento also wrapped up the game by notching her second assist on the year for a point while Lydon led the squad with her two shot attempts.
Cueman shouldered the loss after making 16 total saves in the cage for UMass Dartmouth and allowing four goals. Folsom picked up the win after recording one save in the opening half of the contest.
UMass Dartmouth travels to Johnson & Wales University for their next non-conference game on Wednesday, October 15 scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start time.
