On Sunday afternoon, UConn women’s soccer (4-2-1) defeated Maine (1-4-1) 3-1 in their first matchup since 2013. This win marks the Huskies’ third consecutive win and the Black Bears’ second consecutive loss.
Maine came out aggressive, firing two shots on goal and committing two fouls in the opening 10 minutes.
In the 20th minute, Maine sophomore midfielder Emma Nicholson had a breakaway opportunity, but freshman keeper Ava Yamas stopped it to keep the score even.
In the 40th minute, sophomore midfielder Kileigh Gorman fired a shot toward the bottom right corner, but Maine freshman keeper Elena Barenberg made a diving stop. Two minutes later, Gorman’s diving effort wasn’t enough as sophomore forward Naia Ocio netted her first goal of the season to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead heading to half.
The Huskies also finished the half with a five to four shot and three to two save advantage.
Early in the second half, Maine senior defensemen Rebecca Grisdale had a one-on-one opportunity, but Yamas quickly booted the ball away.
Minutes later, senior forward Chioma Okafor had a prime opportunity to score on UConn’s end, but her shot was just off target. This was immediately followed by Okafor colliding with Barenberg resulting in a brief stoppage.
After a review, officials issued a yellow card to Barenberg, setting up UConn with a penalty kick in the 54th minute. Fifth-year defender Kelly Monaco took advantage to put Connecticut ahead 2-0.
Five minutes later, Okafor reentered the game and immediately broke away, scoring to put the Huskies up by three.
Right as the 60th minute began, Maine junior midfielder Abbey Thornton scored the game’s fourth unassisted goal by putting the ball in the top right corner, 3-1.
From there, UConn switched to more of a defensive mindset to hold onto their lead. They managed to keep the ball on their half of the pitch for most of the final 30 minutes.
As a last-ditch effort in the 87th minute, Maine had a scoring opportunity, but Nicholson couldn’t score, and UConn ended up with the victory.
Connecticut finished with 10 shots on goal to Maine’s eight. The Huskies also recorded four saves and nine shots. The Black Bears recorded three saves and eight shots. Both teams also committed seven fouls during the contest.
UConn is now 3-0-1 against Maine all time in women’s soccer. The Huskies will be back in action on Saturday to start Big East play at home against St John’s.