Orono, ME – The UMBC women's soccer team scored a pair of first-half goals en route to a 2-2 draw against the unbeaten Maine Black Bears, in an America East Conference contest on Sunday afternoon at Mahaney Diamond.
Senior forward
Meghan McKye headed in her team-leading fifth goal of the season and graduate student forward
Natasha Munro contributed her third tally of the campaign to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at intermission. Freshman forward
Payton Schenning and junior midfielder
Esther Juretzka added assists.
UMBC (3-9-2, 0-2-2 AE) opened the scoring in the 25' as Schenning made a tremendous hustle play to create an easy opportunity for Munro to capitalize. Graduate student midfielder
Lola Negrete played a ball into the left side of the box from the right side and Schenning was able to catch up to the cross. Schenning then used her skill to beat her defender and advanced the ball to the end line just a few yards from the near post. Somehow, she managed to keep the ball inbounds and centered a short pass to Munro, who was all alone to knock it in from point-blank range after Maine goalkeeper Kira Kutzinski (4 saves) was caught out of position. It was the first career assist for Schenning.
The Retrievers struck again with just under seven minutes left in the opening stanza as McKye headed in a cross from Juretzka from five yards out. Negrete initiated the play with a corner kick that bounced to the far side of the right box. Juretzka was able to settle the ball near the end line and immediately sent a perfect cross to McKye, who was free in the center of the box. McKye was able to rise and beat the flatfooted Kuzinski with a shot into the right corner of the net.
The Black Bears (7-0-4, 2-0-1 AE) cut the deficit in half on a free kick in the 58
th minute as junior midfielder Lara Kirkby lofted the set-piece into the box for graduate student defender Doireann Fahey, who headed the ball past UMBC junior goalkeeper
Abbey Cowles (2 saves).
Maine, ranked #10 in the Atlantic Region, managed to get the equalizer with just 7:42 left when junior midfielder Kristna Kelly bent in a corner kick from the left side.
The hosts outshot the Retrievers by a 10-7 margin after the Dawgs held a 5-1 advantage at the break. Both squads attempted three corner kicks.
UMBC will host Vermont next Sunday at Retriever Soccer Park.
