The UMaine-Farmington Beavers took care of business at home on Saturday afternoon as they beat the UMaine-Presque Isle Owls 3-1. Junior midfielder Audrey Fletcher put together a fantastic performance, having a hand in all three goals for the Beavers.
Sophomore Grace Mahmood (Oxford, Conn.) opened the scoring for the Beavers in the 31st minute when she tucked one into the back of the net. Fletcher won the ball in the corner, cleared some space for herself and sent a cross into the box. UMPI's goalkeeper Savannah Rodriguez (Presque Isle, Maine) came off her line to try to break up the cross. The ball bounced off her hands right to Mahmood who didn't miss in giving the Beavers the 1-0 lead.
The Beavers would double their lead two minutes later when freshman Kiley Meader (Sidney, Maine) scored her first collegiate goal. Mahmood sent a lofting ball into the box that bounced off the chest of the Owls defender and fell to Fletcher who found Meader for the Beavers second marker.
The Beavers would take a two goal lead into halftime. The Owls started the second half by upping their pressure and putting more shots on frame. The Owls were able to cut the Beavers lead in half in the 59th minute when junior Alexis Ireland (Howland, Maine) found the back of the net. The Owls had a throw in right in front of the Beaver bench. The throw went to freshman Camryn Ala (Fort Fairfield, Maine) who took a touch and found Ireland on a through ball and Ireland one timed the pass into the bottom corner of the goal past the diving arms of Beaver freshman goalkeeper Paige Gonya (Sabattus, Maine).
The Beavers and Fletcher would respond just 7 minutes later. Fletcher would lace one into the net on a play where both teams expected a foul to be called. Fletcher and Owl midfielder Hope Shea (Caribou, Maine) were racing for the ball as the two collided causing both players to go down. Fletcher rolled over the top of Shea but bounced right back onto her feet while the Owls were waiting for a foul call, beat a defender and found the bottom left corner of the net to double the Beavers lead.
The Owls would put a few more shots on net in the closing minutes but Gonya was up to the task, turning away the remaining Owl chances. The Owls would hold a 25-16 advantage in shots, including a 16-8 advantage in shots on goal. The Beavers held a 16-6 advantage in corners.
Gonya registered 15 saves on the day while Rodriguez tallied five for the Owls.
The Beavers would improve to 2-4 and 1-1 in conference while the Owls would drop to 1-2-2 and 0-2 in conference play on the year.
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