WATERVILLE, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington women's lacrosse senior standout Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) scored five goals on Saturday to lead the Beavers to a 7-2 victory over Thomas College in their 2026 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) season opener.

McMinis entered play with 110 career goals, putting her just three behind Ayla Allen '15 program record for career goals. McMinis eclipsed the mark at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter, etching her name into Farmington program history and extending the Beavers' lead to 5-2 at the time.

The Records:

The Beavers improved to 3-4 on the season and have now won three of their last five games. Thomas dropped to 2-2 on the season following the loss.

How it Happened:

In a defense-heavy game, where the two teams combined for 71 turnovers, McMinis was a bright spot for the Beavers offensively.

Both teams were held scoreless in the opening quarter, as the Beavers turned the ball over 12 times compared to 11 for the Terriers, while each team managed just two shots.

Farmington got on the scoreboard for the first time with 8:54 left in the second quarter when McMinis lofted a pass over the Thomas defense to a cutting Lauren Girouard (Concord, Vt.) in front of the net. Girouard took two steps before firing a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

McMinis scored the next goal of the afternoon just 1:41 later off a feed from Emma Dunn (Farmington, Maine). After cycling to her left, Dunn found McMinis open in front of the net, and she took her time before finding the back of the net.

After Farmington held the Terriers scoreless for the first 28:10 of game time, Sadie Dorr got Thomas on the board with an unassisted goal that cut the deficit in half.

McMinis had the answer just 41 seconds later, as Girouard returned the favor and found her open in front of the net to help the Beavers take a 3-1 lead into halftime.

McMinis extended Farmington's lead, tied Allen's record, and recorded her hat trick with 7:59 left in the third quarter when she took another feed from Girouard, who had drawn a pair of defenders, leaving McMinis alone with Terrier goalkeeper Amber Boardman. After a couple of fakes, McMinis picked a corner to make it 4-1.

Isabella Pelletier made it a 4-2 game, taking a contested pass from Sophia Clayton before beating Farmington goalkeeper Skye Cotnoir (West Gardiner, Maine) to the short side.

McMinis' program-record goal came 5:38 into the fourth quarter as she took a feed from Dunn, faked a spin to the middle before spinning out wide, and fired a low shot into the back of the net to make it 5-2. She tallied her fifth goal of the game just 44 seconds later off another feed from Dunn, providing key insurance.

Dunn added a goal of her own with 7:13 left in the fourth, beating a pair of defenders before finding herself alone in front of the net, where she bounced a shot past Boardman to make it 7-2 and put the finishing touches on Farmington's first NAC victory of the season.

Stats of the Game:

Farmington:
Shots: 19
Shots on Goal: 16
Turnovers: 37
Clears: 13-of-15
Ground Balls: 29
Draw Controls: 8

Thomas:
Shots: 18
Shots on Goal: 10
Turnovers: 34
Clears: 16-of-22
Ground Balls: 28
Draw Controls: 3

Leaders - Farmington:

• McMinis finished with five goals, one assist, three ground balls, two caused turnovers, and two draw controls to lead the Beavers.
• Dunn finished with one goal, three assists, a team-high five ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
• Girouard pitched in with one goal, two assists, and two caused turnovers.
• Cotnoir tallied eight saves to pick up her third win in net this season.

Leaders - Thomas:

• Pelletier and Dorr each finished with a goal, while Dorr added three ground balls to lead the way for Thomas.
• Jorgie Arduini finished with four ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead the defense.
• Boardman tallied nine saves and added five ground balls in the tough loss.

UP NEXT

After Sunday's non-conference matchup against VTSU Castleton was postponed, the Beavers will return to action next Saturday on the road against Maine Maritime for a 1:00 PM start.