Box Score

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Junior Bree Tupper (Winthrop, Maine) converted a pass from first-year Hayley LaPointe (Topsham, Maine) with 1:15 elapsed in double overtime to lift the University of New England to a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the University of Southern Maine in non-conference field hockey action Wednesday afternoon from the brand-new Big Blue Turf Field.

Trailing 4-2 early in the second half, senior Michaela Franey (York, Maine) scored off a feed from junior Michelle Oswald (Jay, Maine) with just over 18 minutes remaining to pull the Nor'easters to within one. Seven minutes later, Tupper set up Oswald for a goal, knotting the contest up.

The teams would play a scoreless 15-minute overtime period before Tupper netted her third goal of the day -- the game-winner -- early in the second OT stanza. The forward also matched the program single-game record with the hat trick.

Rookie head coach Jane Hurt got the victory in her first collegiate game, as the Nor'easters won their season-opener for the second straight season.

UNE jumped out quickly to start the match, with Tupper finding the back of the cage twice in the opening 14 minutes.

Southern Maine (0-1) responded with the next three tallies to finish the first half up one (3-2), two of which went to junior Whitney McDaniel (Livermore, Maine). Sophomore Kailey Bubier (Auburn, Maine) was credited with the other score. After 35 minutes of action, the Huskies held an 11-5 edge in shots.

McDaniel notched her third marker of the contest and the fourth in-a-row for USM 5:27 into the second period to double the visitor's cushion.

For the match, UNE finished with a 36-19 advantage in shots, including a 31-8 margin over the final three periods. Big Blue also doubled up the Huskies in penalty corners (16-8).

Senior Ayla Nelson (Auburn, Mass.) made nine saves in goal for the Nor'easters. After USM first-year goalie Emily Downing (Sanford, Maine) made a pair of saves during the first half, classmate Kayla Kennedy (Windham, Maine) came in for the rest of the contest to post 19 stops.

UNE travels to Castleton State College Saturday for a 6 p.m. non-conference game, which can be seen live here. Southern Maine will be playing this weekend at the Springfield College Tournament.


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