ORONO – The score was Black Bears 1, Wolverines 0.

But, for the University of Maine field hockey team, that goal against Michigan here Saturday afternoon was worth everything.

The win marked the first time Maine has beaten a Big 10 team since 1990. Its value can be measured in many ways, including absolute satisfaction.

Saturday was a great day for Maine, said junior co-captain Margaret Henrick. “We couldn’t believe we’d won.”

The players talked about it all night, constantly reminding each other of the significance of the victory. It was absolution, adulation and joy rolled into one.

“It just meant a lot,” Henrick said. “We are all so excited. We wanted to do it for us, and we wanted to do it for coach.”

Last year a taxi sideswiped coach Terri Kix in Wolverine territory. This year, it was a fictitious, but no less real, bulldozer that sideswiped Michigan coach Patti Smith in Black Bear country.

Kix was taking her pregame jog in Ann Arbor last fall when she was brushed by a speeding taxi that ran a red light. The effects of the incident linger, physically and emotionally. After being treated at a hospital, Kix watched her team get banged up – 3-zip – on the Wolverines’ artificial turf. A Big 10, Top-20 team, Michigan was ranked as high as eighth in ’93 and finished 16th among NCAA Division I teams.

So Kix and her kids had lots of reasons to want to reverse the Ann Arbor memories. Earlier in the week, assistant coach Diane Madl said something about greeting Smith with a “bulldozer.” Maine did, in the shape of an avenging Black Bear.

A confident Michigan team flew into Bangor last Thursday and watched Maine beat Pacific 3-0. Friday, the Wolverines practiced twice on the grass at Lengyel Field. Just to make sure everything was perfect for the game, they went to Goldsmith’s and bought 20 new pairs of cleats. Maine, the poor cousin, is selling T-shirts to raise money for the players’ second pair.

Watching Maine shut out Pacific apparently did not alert the Wolverines as to what lay in store. The Bears’ emotions were high and, despite rain in the morning, 400-500 fans cheered them on.

So, how much is the 1-0 victory worth? Potentially, a lot. It sets the stage for Maine to be nationally ranked by the first week of October.

For Kix, the Michigan win is a four-goal turnaround that should catch the attention of the rankings committee. While the win puts Maine in good shape at 3-1-1, the loss puts Michigan in a tough spot at 4-3.

“It will, for us, make people start to turn their heads,” Kix said. “It gives us immediate recognition when we knock off a Top-20 program.”

Smith, from her Ann Arbor office Monday morning, said the loss was a surprise. Kix believes Smith was not happy about playing on grass, but Smith was gracious in her comments.

“Teams play differently on different surfaces,” she said. “We had an advantage on turf. Maine had it on grass. We played a little slow because our timing was off. Obviously, Maine has good hand-eye coordination to make stops on grass. We were struggling. It would be interesting at a neutral site.”

Michigan plays in a tough conference with No. 2-ranked Northwestern, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Ohio State. But the North Atlantic Conference is no slouch, either, with Northeastern ranked 10th, Boston University sharing No. 11 with Big 10 Iowa, and New Hampshire in 18th.

Michigan, Smith said, needs some wins to get immediately ranked. Maine, meanwhile, is waiting for its NAC opener with Delaware Oct. 2 in Orono. The Michigan win magnifies the importance of that game.

If Maine beats Delaware, it would be “a huge win” Kix said. Delaware beat No. 14 Maryland. “If we beat Delaware, with the Michigan win, we should be nationally ranked. We’ll have a strong winning record and I would be very disappointed if we’re not ranked.”

Henrick feels vindicated after beating Michigan. “With all that was going on (in Ann Arbor) we didn’t play well and didn’t show people what we’re able to do,” she said. This time, nothing stood in the way.

A big win makes you feel good. It brings Monday-morning recognition. Henrick was thrilled when one of her professors and some students she doesn’t know congratulated her.

The women have settled into a routine they hope will show the country their hockey is strong hockey. Getting past the first week was difficult, complicated by last-minute eligibility concerns.

Henrick said the phones rang off the hooks as coaches checked eligibility. Some hastily scheduled classes were added but, when the season opened, everyone was eligible.

Now it is time for people “to notice us up here in Maine,” Henrick said. Down deep, the kids want recognition for themselves, but they want it for Kix, too.

They know, Henrick said, that were Terry Kix elsewhere – Boston, maybe – she would already have had a nationally ranked team.

It is time for Maine to get there. There is no time like the present.