Abbi Maier scored two goals, including the game winner late in the second half on Thursday evening sending the New Hampshire Wildcats past the Maine Black Bears 2-1 in a semifinal game of the America East Women’s Soccer Tournament at Wildcat Stadium in Durham, NH.
#2 seed UNH (9-5-2) controlled most of the play over the first 37 minutes, and used a smothering defense to hold Maine without a shot on goal. The Wildcats were rewarded for their persistence in the 20th minute when Meghan Guarente sent a left footed cross into the box right on the foot of Maier who easily put it past goaltender Kara Kutzinski. The guests got some offense going later in the half in the 37th minute and would find the equalizer on their first shot on net before the break. Julie Lossius sent a pass over to Madison Michaud, who played give and go giving it right back to Lossius who beat UNH goalie Cat Sheppard into the right corner of the net from just outside the six-yard line.
UNH turned up the defensive pressure in the second half and didn’t allow a shot on goal at all, and got an early scoring chance. A 40-yard free kick went off the head of a Maine defender in the box and Kutzinski needed to make a leaping one handed punch to knock it out of bounds to keep it from going into the net. The game winner came with 4:33 left to play off a throw in. The ball came to Guarente at the edge of the box and she sent a kick in front of the goal that was headed in by Maier that seemed to surprise Kutzinski, and ultimately sent the Wildcats to the America East Championship game.
Kutzinski ended up with four saves in the loss, as #3 seed Maine finishes their season with a final record of 9-3-5. Along with the two goals by Maier, Guarente and Emily Bini had two assists each in the win for UNH. Sheppard made two saves. The Wildcats will now travel to New York to play top seed Binghamton in the America East Title game on Sunday.
