UMaine, Pioneers battle to tie> Late Cartiera score costs Bears a victory

ORONO – One of Sacred Heart University’s offensive tactics involved long, high through balls to speedy sophomore striker Franco Cartiera.

Sometimes he got caught offsides, other times the University of Maine player designated to mark him would get to the ball first.

With just 4:28 remaining in regulation time, neither occurred as Cartiera was able to run on to sophomore midfielder Matthew Christiansen’s long cross-field ball and convert a break-in to give Sacred Heart (Conn.) a 2-2 double-overtime soccer tie Wednesday afternoon.

“I think there was a little miscommunication in the back,” said Maine back-up goalie Mike Brenneman, playing in place of the injured Mat Cosgriff (shoulder).

Cartiera concurred.

“The guy marking me pulled up [to try to trap me offsides] but a couple of their other backs stayed back. So I went behind the guy marking me,” said Cartiera.

Christiansen threaded his pass to Cartiera, who was flying down the left flank and accepted the pass in full stride.

“He was fast. And when I saw it was going to be a one-on-one, I came out and tried to pressure him,” said Brenneman, a junior who was making his first varsity start.

Cartiera said Brenneman completed covered the near post.

“So I had to hook it around him [into the far corner],” said Cartiera who had both goals and now has three in two games.

Sacred Heart coach Joe McGuigan said, “Franco is really quick, especially his first three to four steps.”

Maine had manufactured a pair of one-goal leads in the first half as sophomore transfer striker Rob Dow and freshman midfielder Chris O’Connor scored their first Black Bear goals at the 9:02 and 37:35 marks of the first half.

Cartiera had scored at the 26:19 mark to tie it 1-1.

All three first-half goals were of the flukey variety.

Dow’s goal came off a Scott Showalter cross that was headed by Russell Hutchison. In the ensuing scramble, the ball glanced off a Sacred Heart defender and popped in the air to the umarked Dow, who headed it into the near side corner.

Cartiera equalized with a scrambling goal after teammate Alex DeFaria had a pair of shots blocked. On the second blocked shot, the ball spun toward the far post where the alert Cartiera reached it first and converted.

O’Connor recaptured the lead when he poked the ball away from sweeper Francesco Fernandes, who got it tangled up in his feet, and fired a 14-yarder past Sacred Heart goalie Anthony Lambardo.

Sacred Heart had the better chances in the first half and outshot Maine 15-9 but the Bears dominated the first 25 minutes of the second half only to miss some good opportunities.

Freshman midfielder Greg Bajek had an open shot from 16 yards out with 8:25 left but sailed it over the bar.

Maine first-year coach Travers Evans and 20-year Pioneer coach McGuigan agreed that a draw was an appropriate result based on the run of play. Each team controlled play for stretches of time.

Brenneman made three saves on 31 shots for 1-1-1 Maine while Lambardo stopped eight of 27 for the 0-1-1 Pioneers.

“We could have won. We could have lost. But our kids hung in there and played hard,” said Evans. “We have a very young team and we weren’t consistent. We had a lot of chances in the second half but we didn’t convert. And they come back to haunt you.”