UM-Machias wins first game of inaugural season

BANGOR – The way University of Maine-Machias women’s soccer coach Wolf Koch retrieved the game ball after his team’s 1-0 win Thursday over Husson College, you had to wonder if there was something big at stake.

If you saw Koch throw the ball at Katherine Kulig, who scored the game-winner, you would have been convinced the Clippers had captured some title.

“There it is, girl,” Koch yelled at the sophomore center whose cross-goal shot from near the sideline made UMM history.

“Put that sucker in the trophy case.”

Actually, there is no trophy case at UMM for the women. But that’s the point.

Koch, whose men’s team at UMM has been ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA in the Northeast, was eager to start a trophy collection for the women Thursday after they won the first game of their inaugural varsity season. They did so playing with just nine players.

“My philosophy is, make them competitive as possible and build each year,” Koch said. “Today, they played courageous. Fatigue was a factor.”

Kulig doesn’t want to wait to be competitive.

After missing a shot from close range and nailing a rebound off the crossbar in the first half, Kulig took the ball to the far left, cut back toward the goal on a 90-degree angle, and slammed in her mighty cross-goal shot with 20 minutes, 36 seconds left in the game.

“We’re out for competition,” Kulig said of the Clippers, who played together two years as a club. “I’m hoping we can attract new players and build.”

UMM had just nine of 14 players eligible to play Thursday, while Husson, now 0-2, had 11 of 14. After the Clippers outshot the Braves 11-2 in the first half, their stamina began to wane.

UMM then used four across in the backfield, while Clippers goalie Lori Anderson went on to stop all 11 shots she saw.

And down the stretch, the young Husson team that starts seven freshmen couldn’t finish its close-range chances, despite the fact the Braves outshot the Clippers 9-1 in the second half.

“We gave up toward the end,” Braves freshman Nicole Steinhart said. “We’re getting to know each other.”

Husson’s second-year coach Jennifer Farina said, after getting only 11 of the 18 players she expected back this year, the Braves are going through a rebuilding stage.