UMPI men in win column for first time
The Owl men’s soccer team captured its first two victories of the season over the weekend, topping Central Maine Community College at home Saturday, 3-0, and following that up with a 4-0 triumph over Wheelock College in Boston Sunday.
Coach Alan Gordon’s squad is now 2-6-1 and the team hopes to carry the momentum into this Saturday’s Homecoming matchup against Unity College at Park Family Field on the UMPI campus. The game begins at 2 p.m. On Tuesday, the Owls play their final home game at 5 p.m. against UM-Machias at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex at Presque Isle Middle School.
Against CMCC, Derek Healy scored a pair of goals and Cody Blair added another, all coming in the first half. A.J. Dolley earned the shutout in goal.
“It was a great team victory,” Gordon said. “The defense held up strong.”
The Owls completed the sweep by blanking Wheelock the following afternoon. Blair had a natural hat trick by tallying three first-half goals. The first was unassisted, while Brandon Danforth assisted on the second goal and Mohamud Abukar the third. Healy scored in the 81st minute to account for the final margin. Dolley and Matthew Manter shared goalkeeping chores for UMPI.
The Owl women’s soccer team came out on the short end of a pair of lopsided losses. On Friday, in a match played at the Johnson Athletic Complex, the UM-Fort Kent Bengals handed UMPI a 7-0 defeat. The guests scored four times in the first 10 minutes of play and cruised from that point on.
On Sunday, the Owls lost at UM-Farmington, 7-1, as they were outshot by a 49-7 margin. Carla Halvorson scored unassisted for the lone UMPI goal.
The squad is now 1-5-1 heading into Saturday’s Homecoming contest against Unity College, which begins at noon. Tuesday will be the Owls’ final home game and will be senior recognition night. The UM-Machias Clippers are in for a 7 p.m. contest at the Johnson Athletic Complex.
In other UMPI sports action, the cross country teams participated in the Bowdoin Invitational Saturday. The men’s team was without two of its top runners (Sully Jackson and Jake Welch), but Trevor Levesque finished the eight-kilometer course in 29:48 to take 48th individually. Andrew Hunt and Saul Nunez were 72nd and 73rd, respectively.
The women were bolstered by the return of Brianna Lesperance, who came off an injury and led the team by coming in 53rd in 29:12 on the 6K course. Chenoa Jackson was 59th and Elise Gudde 70th as the next Owl runners to cross the finish line.
In the team results, the UMPI men placed seventh and the women eighth. Bowdoin took the men’s title and Wellesley College (Mass.) was the top women’s squad.
The teams have this weekend off and are next in Standish for the St. Joseph’s Runnin’ Monks Invitational Oct. 8.
The Owl volleyball team was at home last Wednesday against UM-Machias. In the first match, UMPI pulled off a 3-0 victory as Abby Jewett had 21 kills and 19 digs and Laura Aroz tallied 33 assists. Hannah Williams and Esmeralda Galvan combined for 33 digs and Colleen Kostovick recorded eight kills as UMPI won for just the second time all season.
In the second match of the day, the Clippers came back for a 3-1 win. Sara Boies had 10 kills and Jewett added eight kills and 24 digs. Williams and Galvan added 21 and 20 digs, respectively.
The Owls, under Jonathon Bowman, travel to Husson University in Bangor for matches Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Husson, Castleton State, Green Mountain College and Keene State are the opponents as UMPI opens North Atlantic Conference play.
