Box Score GORHAM, Maine – Senior Natalie Harkins (Windham, Maine) and junior Peyton Dostie (Standish, Maine/Bonny Eagle) each scored two goals to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 6-2 win over the Worcester State University Lancers in a Little East Conference field hockey game Tuesday afternoon at Hannaford Field.
The win is the second straight for the Huskies improving their record to 7-10 overall and 4-5 in the Little East Conference. Worcester State falls to 8-7 overall and 2-7 in the Little East with its second consecutive loss.
Senior Ariel Kaplan (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) and freshman Leanne Reichert (Portland, Maine) joined Harkins and Dostie in the scoring column. Harkins put the Huskies ahead 1-0 in the 14th minute when she redirected a feed from freshman Jennifer Poulin (Winslow, Maine) and Kaplan made it 2-0 in the 26th minute with an unassisted goal.
The score stood at 2-0 through the opening half despite several strong chances from the Lancers. USM freshman goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm (York, Maine) faced 10 Worcester shots in the opening half and made nine saves including a diving stop on an attempt from freshman Meghan Pini (Natick, Mass.).
In the second half, USM added a pair of goals in the opening 15 minutes as Dostie and Reichert each scored in the 42nd and 47th minutes respectively before Harkins then netted her sixth goal of the season in the 59th minute with an unassisted goal for a 5-0 USM lead. With the game seemingly in hand, USM swapped out Kasbohm in favor of senior Kayla Kennedy (Windham, Maine) while Worcester replaced starter Allison Romano (East Bridgewater, Mass.) with a kicking back, Amanda Carpenter (Lunenburg, Mass.) with roughly 11 minutes to play.
With the swap, the Lancers, who had pressured the USM defense most of the game, broke through for a pair of goals. Sophomore Julie O'Rourke (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) snapped the shut out bid with a goal in the 59th minute on a well-played give-and-go from junior Kelli McPherson (Mansfield, Mass.). McPherson then scored a goal of her own in the 65th minute, beating Kennedy off of an assist from freshman Katelyn Carmody (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) following one of the Lancers 12 penalty corners.
After the Huskies' lead had been trimmed to three, 5-2, Kasbohm reentered the game and Dostie netted her team-leading 18th goal of the season on a breakaway for the 6-2 final.
Romano made eight saves and allowed five goals in 58 minutes and 23 seconds of action, while Carpenter allowed one goal in 11:37. Kasbohm earned the win making 12 saves in 59:14. Kennedy allowed two goals and made two saves in 10:19.
Southern Maine travels to Western Connecticut State on Saturday (12:00 p.m.) in a Little East Conference game. Worcester State hosts Anna Maria on Thursday (4:00 p.m.).
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