Close...But No Cigar

Both the Men's and Women's Lacrosse teams were on the brink of victory yesterday, but just came short of pulling it out. It took some last minute heroics for the USM Men to leave Biddeford with a win, and the Lady Huskies were able to withstand what would have been a monumental comeback.
In the Men's contest, UNE had all the ingredients needed for a win, but could not put them all together in the end. The Nor'easters defense was top notch yesterday, starting with senior goalie, Andy Briggs. Briggs, in his first start since being injured on March 27th, made thirteen stops including three on consecutive Huskie drives in the third quarter. First-year defenseman, Tim Margiotta, played aggressive causing six turnovers and gathering seven groundballs. The offense, though inconsistent, showed glimmers of brilliance. First-year Mike Pennacchio finished with a hat trick, and his goals could not be anymore timely, changing the flow of momentum with each one.
But it all came down to the final two minutes. UNE held the lead for the entire second half, until USM attackmen, Kyle Hamilton, tied up the game with 1:54 left to play. Hamilton would then score the go ahead goal 20 seconds later, capitalizing on the only mistake the defense made all day. Hamilton caught the entire back line out of position, and snuck a shot past Briggs for the lead. USM would hold on for the 7-6 win, as UNE turned the ball over twice in the final minute. Another frustrating loss for the Men, as they just seem to be stuck before getting over the hump.
The Nor'easters will be playing for the final spot in the TCCC Tournament on Saturday. Nichols and UNE both have a 1-7 conference record, and a victory will propel either team to the playoffs. The matchup will begin at 11am in Dudley, MA.

Keeping with the theme of excitement, the Women's Lacrosse team nearly posted a huge comeback yesterday in Portland. The teams were scoring in bunches yesterday, with USM starting the slugfest in a 9-1 fashion. UNE would then score three of the final four goals of the half, all coming from sophomore Danielle Cate, but still trailed 10-4 at the break. The Nor'easters would trim the margin even more at the start of the second half, scoring three unanswered in the first six minutes. The Huskies answered with a streak of their own, scoring five unanswered, and seemingly put the game out of reach with under seven minutes remaining. But the Nor'easters would storm back again, scoring five unanswered goals of their own, three off the stick of senior, Amanda Barker. However, time was not on their side, and five would not be enough, losing the match 15-12.
Cate and Barker led the offense with four and three goals, respectively. Junior Ginny Lee also had a goal and an assist, and goalie Tara Geraghty made 14 stops for the Nor'easters.
The Women will travel to Dudley, MA to play Nichols College (3-9, 0-8) at 2pm tomorrow.