GORHAM, Maine – Sophomore Norie Tibbetts (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan Area) scored three goals to lead the University of Southern Maine Huskies to a 6-2 win over the Western Connecticut State University Wolves in a Little East Conference field hockey game Saturday afternoon at Westside Stadium. 
 
Tibbetts leads the Huskies in scoring this season with 14 goals, including a pair of game-winners.
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (6-13, 2-4 Little East)
WestConn (7-12, 2-4 Little East)
 
 
Today's game marked the 18^th meeting between the University of Southern Maine Huskies and the Western Connecticut State University Wolves. Southern Maine leads the overall series 13-4 and has won the last four consecutively.   
 
The Goalkeepers:
SM, Eleanor Folsom (5-13), 60:00, 2 GA, 4 Saves
WC, Gracie Bomboy (4-9), 60:00, 6 GA, 20 Saves
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Despite outshooting the Wolves 9-2 in the first quarter, the Huskies found themselves trailing the Wolves 1-0 in the second quarter after Reagan Schoean scored her team-leading 16^th goal of the season for WestConn in the 22^nd minute.   
• Relying on the stick of Tibbetts, the Huskies answered right back with the equalizer as Tibbetts made it a 1-1 game with the first of her three goals in the 23^rd minute.  Tibbetts was assisted by senior Brooke Carson (Bryant Pond, Maine/Oxford Hills) on the goal.
• WestConn went into the half up 2-1 over Southern Maine scoring in the 29^th minute as Kaitlyn Biase put away the go-ahead goal on an assist from Cassidy Nordman for her second goal of the season.
• Increasing its pressure, Southern Maine took 10 minutes into the second half to equalize as Carson scored her seventh goal of the season off of a feed from senior Sage Drinkwater (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle) in the 40^th minute to make it a 2-2 game.  Minutes later, Tibbetts put the Huskies ahead for good taking another feed from Drinkwater to put USM up 3-2 in the 42^nd minute. 
• Southern Maine put the game to rest in the fourth with a three-goal outburst. After handing out two assists in the third quarter, Drinkwater scored a goal of her own in the 49^th minute for her 10^th of the season.  Freshman Kaya Joseph (Waterford, Maine/Oxford Hills) made it 5-2 in the 58^th minute for her second goal of the season, and Tibbetts iced the game with a 58^th minute goal just 12 seconds after Joseph's marker. 

 
 
Inside The Statistics:

• Southern Maine led in shots 32-10, and had 10 shots in the third quarter alone.  The Huskies had the advantage in penalty corners as well at 11-7.
• Folsom made all four of her saves in the first half, as the Southern Maine defense did not allow a shot on goal in the second half, and held the Wolves to just four second half shots.
• Tibbetts' 14 goals so far in 2024 are tied for 11^th in USM single-season records.  She has 23 goals and seven assists in 42 career games.
• Drinkwater's goal and two assists give her 10 goals and four assists this season. She has 47 goals and 23 assists in her career for 117 points. Third in career points, and third in career goals, Drinkwater's two assists put her in a two-way tie for third in career assists with Husky Hall of Famer and Little East Conference Hall of Fame Inductee Renee Heath Towne '04.
• Carson's goal and an assist gives her seven goals and five assists this season for 19 points. She has 44 goals and 20 assists for 108 career points.  She is fourth in career goals, fifth in career assists, and fourth in career points.

 
Up Next:
The 2024 Little East Conference tournament begins on Tuesday, November 5. The Huskies the fifth seed and will travel to play fourth-seed Eastern Connecticut in Willimantic for a 2 pm start.
 
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