HENNIKER, New Hampshire – The University of Maine at Farmington women's lacrosse team dropped a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest on the road to New England College, 17-15, in non-conference action.
The Records:
Tuesday's contest was just the second game of the early season for both teams. Farmington fell to 0-2, while the Pilgrims earned their first win, improving to 1-1 on the season.
How it Happened:
In a game filled with runs, Farmington's offense struck first, scoring three goals in the opening five and a half minutes. The first goal came just 57 seconds into the game, as senior midfielder Abby Trefsger (South Portland, Maine) took a feed from sophomore Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine) and found the back of the net, scoring her first of seven goals.
Junior attacker Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) scored off a feed from Ashlee Farrar (South Paris, Maine) with 9:53 left to play in the first quarter. Just 18 seconds later, Trefsger netted a man-advantage goal, staking the Beavers to an early 3-0 lead.
The Pilgrims responded with a run of their own, scoring three goals in just two minutes and two seconds to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:48 left in the first quarter. Meadow Gilchrist scored two goals, and Mackenzie McDonald added another on the run for NEC.
Trefsger completed her hat trick with 4:09 left in the first quarter, but Carmela Goodwin quickly matched her goal, ending the quarter with the score tied at 4.
The second quarter was much like the first—full of goals and fast-paced, back-and-forth action. Sadie Harvey (Bethel, Maine) and Ally Trefsger (South Portland, Maine) each scored in the first five minutes, giving Farmington a two-goal lead once again.
The game of runs continued, as Goodwin and Lucy Armour each tallied a goal 1:40 apart to tie the game at 6-6 with 8:02 left in the half.
The final two and a half minutes of the first half were packed with action. Abby Trefsger found the net off another assist from Dunn, before Dunn scored her first goal of the season with just 11 seconds remaining. But the Pilgrims responded in the final second, with Goodwin completing her hat trick and cutting Farmington's lead to 8-7 heading into halftime.
McMinis and Abby Trefsger scored the first two goals of the third quarter, giving the Beavers a three-goal lead.
After a goal from Gilchrist, Dunn scored her second goal of the game, making it an 11-8 lead with 8:44 left in the third quarter.
In the final 4:15 of the quarter, Goodwin scored back-to-back goals, and Gilchrist added another, tying the game at 11 with 56 seconds remaining.
The tie was short-lived, as Abby Trefsger picked up an unassisted tally to give the Beavers a one-goal lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Clinging to a 15-13 lead after Abby Trefsger's seventh goal, Gilchrist scored on a man-advantage to bring the Pilgrims within a goal. McDonald then scored three unanswered goals, putting NEC ahead and securing the 17-15 victory.
Stats of the Game:
The Pilgrims held slight advantages in shots (32-29), ground balls (29-25), and draw controls (20-14). The Beavers were successful on 18 of 23 clear attempts, while the Pilgrims converted 19 of 25. Free-position shots were a deciding factor in the game, with NEC converting 4 of 7 attempts, while the Beavers went 0-for-4.
Leaders - Farmington:
- Abby Trefsger scored a career-high seven goals and added one assist to lead the Beavers offensively. She also finished with three ground balls, three draw controls, and three caused turnovers.
- Ally Trefsger scored her first career goal and finished with a hat trick.
- Emma Dunn contributed two goals, two assists, five ground balls, and six draw controls.
- Ruby McMinis added two goals, five draw controls, and two ground balls.
Leaders - NEC:
- Gilchrist was a force, finishing with seven goals, four assists, and three draw controls.
- Goodwin scored five goals, had one assist, six draw controls, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls.
- McDonald added four goals, four draw controls, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
The Goalies:
- Skye Cotnoir finished with five saves and seven ground balls in the loss.
- Isabella Marzano made 11 saves and had two ground balls to pick up the victory.
UP NEXT
The Beavers return to action on Saturday afternoon against Salem State. Game time is set for 12:00 PM.
