Box Score FARMINGTON, Maine – University of Maine at Farmington head coach Cyndi Pratt recorded her 100th win while five different players accounted for the scoring as the Beavers hung a 6-1 loss on visiting Simmons College, in Saturday's North Atlantic Conference Field Hockey Tournament quarterfinal match at Prescott Field.
Third-seeded UMaine-Farmington improves to 8-7 overall and advances to Wednesday's NAC semifinals against Castleton State, who were 5-1 victors over Thomas College in another NAC quarterfinal. Sixth-seeded Simmons ends its season with a 5-14 overall mark.
Pratt, a Farmington native and graduate of Mt. Blue High School, took the helm of the UMF field hockey program in 2004 after seven years as the program's assistant coach. Now in her ninth season as the Beavers' head field hockey coach, Pratt's career coaching record stands at 100 wins and 58 losses after Saturday's victory over Simmons.
The Beavers got on the board early, thanks to an unassisted goal by midfielder Meghan Hughes (Pittsfield, Maine/Maine Central Institute) with 25:27 showing on the first half clock. Hughes found a loose ball to the right of Simmons goalie Renna Smith (Belfast, Maine) and blasted a shot home to give UMF a 1-0 lead.
That slim stood for another 10 minutes, when the Beavers scored three goals over the span of 48 seconds.
UMF's Kaitlyn Bullen (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) tipped in a cross from Mara Balboni (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) with 15:21 remaining in the first half, and Bullen earned the assist on the Beavers' third goal just 18 seconds later – this time scored by Kashley Weymouth (Pittston, Maine/Gardiner Area). Weymouth picked up her second goal of the day 30 seconds later to finish the Farmington scoring flurry, this time an unassisted marker.
From there, the Beavers' defense locked down and barred the door to Simmons' comeback efforts. Simmons did not get a shot on UMF goalie Curran Brierley (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) until the 3:27 mark of the first half, by which time the Beavers had already charted 12 shots on the Simmons cage.
Farmington seniors Lily Barry (Hermon, Maine/Hermon) and Annie Agnew (Guilford, Maine/Piscataquis Community) each added goals for the Beavers in the second half, extending the UMaine-Farmington lead to 6-0. Barry struck at the 27:41 mark off a pass from Agnew, while Agnew notched her lone tally with 18:53 showing on the game clock on a penalty corner with Weymouth getting the assist.
Simmons forward Monica Doucette (Rockport, Maine) broke UMaine-Farmington's shutout bid, converting on the Sharks' fifth and final penalty corner attempt with 3:29 left to play. Meghan Fay (Foxboro, Mass.) was credited with the assist.
On the day, UMaine-Farmington outshot Simmons, 21-6, and had a 12-5 advantage in penalty corner opportunities.
Smith finished the day with six saves and four goals allowed in her 20 minutes and 39 seconds in the Simmons goal, before she was lifted in favor of reserve goalie Carolyn Baremore (East Lyme, Conn.) who recorded three saves. UMF's Brierley logged two saves while playing the entire first half; Felisha Taylor (Chelsea, Maine/Cony) played all of the second half but did not make a save.
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