Owl teams busy as end of the season approaches
The UMPI fall sports squads were all in action last week as the volleyball team played a home match, the cross country teams were in Standish for a meet and the soccer squads were at home for a weekday match and on the road during the weekend.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle volleyball team is now 3-19 on the season after being swept by visiting Unity College Saturday by scores of 3-1 and 3-0.
In the first match, the Owls took the first game by a score of 25-20, but the Rams came back to win three in a row. For the Owls, Abby Jewett had 13 kills and 23 digs and Hannah Williams and Cheyenne McMillen each had six kills, with Williams recording 17 digs and McMillen 16.
The Rams kept the momentum on their side in the second match, while the Owls would try and play catch-up to no avail. Jewett tallied 13 kills and 20 digs for UMPI and Williams added 15 digs. Coach Jonathon Bowman’s UMPI squad returns to action today, traveling to UM-Machias for a doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m.
UMPI runner Brianna Lesperance showed marked improvement in Saturday’s Runnin’ Monks meet hosted By St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The relatively slow running and technical course was a real challenge for all harriers, but the Owls all ran strongly with their sights set on next week’s state championship race. Lesperance clocked the five-kilometer course in 24:36, good enough for 24th out of the field of 55.
Chenoa Jackson finished in 31st position at 25:13 and following were Brooke Varney (47th, 30:49), Brynn Staples (53rd, 38:03) and Elise Gudde (55th, 51:11).
Race winner Sarah Curtin of St. Joe’s led her team to a third place finish, finishing at 21:16. Emerson College was the meet winner, followed by UM-Farmington, St. Joe’s, Johnson State, Mount Ida, Wheelock College and the Owls.
Saturday’s state meet at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, hosted by Bates College, will be a true test as all but Div. I University of Maine will attend.
The Owl men’s third meet of the season Saturday in Standish resulted in a fifth-place finish. UM-Farmington won the meet and featured race winner Robbie Hollis. Following the Beavers were Thomas College, Emerson College, host St. Joe’s, UMPI, Wheelock College, Mount Ida, and Johnson State.
The return of Sully Jackson and Jake Welch solidified the team finish, with Jackson’s top-10 finish pacing the Owls. He was eighth in 29:52. Junior Trevor Levesque was second for the UMPI contingent, coming in at 30:50 and in 14th place. Welch was 29th at 32:61, Saul Nunez 38th in 33:53) and James Churchill 49th in 39:41.
Andrew Hunt, Cameron Mathies and Justin Lopez also competed. Mathies, showing the great promise evident during his high school years at Hampden Academy, was able to run his first collegiate meet of the season, having been held out thus far due to an injury sustained in the late summer.
The Owl men will be in New Gloucester Saturday for the state meet.
The UMPI soccer team lost a pair of one-goal matches over the weekend in Vermont.
The Owls fell to 3-9-1 after losing to the College of St. Joseph’s in Rutland on Saturday, 4-3, and to Vermont Tech, 2-1.
Mohamud Abukar scored UMPI’s lone goal against Vermont Tech. The previous afternoon, Derek Healy had a hat trick in the loss, with Cody Blair, Nick Sinclair and Dan Swallow recorded the assists.
Last Tuesday, the Owls lost to UM-Machias, 8-2, in a match played at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle. Healy and Blair netted goals for UMPI. It was Senior Night and Jacob Lassonde, A.J. Dolley, Dean Costello, Swallow and Healy were all honored prior to the game for their contributions to the program.
UMPI is back on the road to take on Hampshire College Saturday and Fisher College Sunday.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle women’s soccer team played a pair of matches against UM-Machias last week, beating the Clippers at home last Tuesday, 1-0, and then settling for a 0-0 draw Saturday in Machias.
Janae Libby set up Carla Halvorson for the winning goal in the 53rd minute of the home match. Allie Lopez had nine saves in goal for UMPI.
Prior to the game, the team’s four seniors were recognized. They were Autumn Poulin, Morgan Roy, Sam Nadeau and Carla Halvorson.
On Monday, UMPI earned a 4-3 win over Daniel Webster College in Nashua, N.H. Halvorson provided the game-winner with 1:36 left in regulation. Deliah Schreiber, Roy and Nadeau had the other goals and Nadeau had two assists. UMPI outshot the Eagles, 53-11.
Games against Hampshire College Saturday and Fisher College Sunday are next for coach Trevor Parent’s team, which is now 4-5-2 overall.
