Massachusetts Caps Weekend in Orono With 3-2 Victory Over Maine

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UMass	1	1	1	0	3
Maine	0	1	0	1	2

UMass

Maine

AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts (4-2, 0-0) claimed a 3-2 victory over Maine (2-4) on Sunday afternoon in Orono. The game was highlighted by offense, as three different Minutewomen tallied goals to power UMass to their fourth win of the season.

Maine wasted no time creating offensive opportunities, drawing a penalty corner and subsequent penalty stroke 50 seconds into the game. Senior Brooke Richards, who made her first start of 2023, stopped the Poppy Lambert penalty stroke attempt with a blocker save.

The Minutewomen would control the offensive action for most of the first half however, as Graduate Student Emilie Keij converted a penalty corner into the game's opening goal. Junior Hannah De Gast followed with a powerful strike into the bottom left corner for her first goal of the 2023 campaign.

Despite allowing the Black Bears onto the board with six minutes remaining in the second quarter, UMass would continue to control the action in the second half. Sophomore Mali Herberhold wasted no time getting in on the offensive action, maneuvering around two defenders and squeaking an impressive unassisted goal into the bottom right corner of the net. With the goal Herberhold now has five points through the first six games of the season.

The Black Bears would get on the board again in the fourth quarter, but the Minutwomen held strong defensively to close out the victory. Richards tallied three saves in her season debut as the UMass defense allowed just five shots on goal in the contest.

Match Quote

"We certainly made a game of it today, but a fantastic solo goal from Mali gave us a little breathing room," stated assistant coach Holly Turbill. "We need to improve defensively in the final quarter and adapt to our opposition a little quicker."

Breaking Down The Action

Maine put the offensive pressure on early drawing a penalty stroke 50 seconds into the first period of play.
Brooke Richards would follow with a blocker save, thwarting Poppy Lambert's penalty stroke attempt and keeping the Black Bears off the board.
UMass broke the ice as Emilie Keij scored off a penalty corner with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter of play.
The Minutewomen doubled their lead as Hannah De Gast placed a shot into the bottom left corner of the net, making it 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Maine got on the board as Mallory Mackesy netted her sixth goal of the season, making it 2-1 with six minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Mali Herberhold quickly extended the UMass advantage scoring an uassisted goal three minutes into the third quarter, making it 3-1 Minutewomen.
The Minutwomen drew a penalty stroke with 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, however Maine was able to shutter the attempt from Jess Beech and keep the score at 3-1.
The Black Bears collected a second goal as Poppy Lambert converted her second penalty stroke attempt of the game, making it 3-2 late in the fourth quarter.

Notable Numbers

1: Brooke Richards made her first start of the 2023 campaign, getting the nod in her home state of Maine.
2: Emilie Keij converted her second penalty corner goal of the season and first since scoring the game-winning goal against then no. 19 Albany in the 2023 season opener.
3: Hannah De Gast scored her first goal of the 2023 season and her third career goal overall.
5: Mali Herberhold continues to lead the Minutwomen in total points after recording her second goal of the season.

Series History

The Minutewomen are now 20-1-1 all-time against Maine, with the Minutewomen claiming the last two matchups between the two programs.

Up Next

UMass continues their four-game road swing with a matchup against A-10 foe St. Louis on Friday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. The game can be followed live on umassathletics.com or UMassFH on Twitter.

Scoreboard