BIDDEFORD — Olivia Madore (Lyman, Maine) converted the rebound off her own breakaway shot less than four minutes into overtime to lift the University of New England past No.11 Bowdoin College, 1-0, in field hockey action Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8) at the Big Blue Turf.
The Polar Bears had lined five of their six field players for an offensive-zone penalty corner, but a violation in the circle turned possession over to the Nor’easters. Two immediate passes found Madore, in stride, with 25 yards left in a 2-on-0 attack, but Madore’s push upon entering the arc was denied by Bowdoin goalie Maddie Ferrucci (Essex, Conn.) diving away from her crease. The loose ball fell towards the end line, where Madore narrowly reached it before a defender, and she sent another try skipping by the near post into the left edge of the cage. [Watch]
It marks UNE’s second-ever victory over a team ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Top 20 Poll, following only a 3-0 home win over 18th-ranked MIT on October 16, 2013.
The Nor’easters (10-4) are now 1-2 all-time versus Bowdoin, after identical setbacks with 3-1 score lines each of the last two years (both squads ranked in the top-3 at the time). With their second OT loss in as many days, the Polar Bears slip back to 6-4.
Liz Sargent (South Burlington, Vt.) totaled seven saves for her fourth shutout of the season between the UNE pipes, which included a leaping stab at a redirected drive aimed for the upper corner in the 63rd minute. [Watch]
Ferrucci made five stops for the visitors, who applied considerable pressure in the 2nd half to post advantages of 12-2 in shots and 9-1 in corners. For the game, however, things were much closer (16-11 shots, 12-8 corners).
The Nor’easters will now prepare for Endicott College on Wednesday (4 p.m.) — a matchup featuring the top teams in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). The Gulls (6-0 CCC) dealt UNE (6-1 CCC) it’s only league defeat back on September 19, rallying late for an eventually 2-1 overtime decision.
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