Maine blanks Griffins Hamel heads up Bears’ offensive

ORONO – The University of Maine’s women’s soccer team scored just four goals in its last five games a year ago after losing leading scorer Annie Hamel to a season-ending leg injury.

They went 2-3.

The junior striker from Magog, Quebec notched three goals and an assist to lead the Black Bears to an impressive 8-0 season-opening win over Canisius (N.Y.) in the Black Bear Invitational Sunday afternoon.

“It feels good to be out there,” said Hamel whose parents, Daniel and Ginette, saw their daughter play in Orono for the first time.

Scarborough’s Heather Hathorn and Winslow’s Erin Corey scored in their first collegiate games. Jessica Wojcik, Kim Walsh and Bar Harbor’s Maija Kaldro had the other Maine goals. Walsh and Katie Hodge had two assists apiece.

“They have some bonafide strikers with speed. They put their heads down and go straight to goal,” said Canisius coach Meagan Dougherty whose team surrendered several breakaways.

Hamel set up Hathorn’s game-opening goal just 5:09 after the opening whistle as she took a diagonal pass from Sawyer Hanson and slid it across the goalmouth for an easy tap-in by Hathorn.

“Annie played a great ball to me. She’s very unselfish. I was real nervous going into the game but that really calmed me down,” said Hathorn.

Hamel scored the other first-half goal for Maine off a long diagonal pass from Hodge.

“I had missed my first two breakaways. I wanted to hit that ball hard that time but I kind of missed it. It went in anyway,” said Hamel, whose 10-yarder beat Canisius goalie Christine Moran (15 saves) to the near post.

Hamel scored off breakaways set up by Walsh passes just 21 seconds apart early in the second half to ice it.

Hamel said Maine assistant Jackie Gebhart gave her some useful advice that led to the second-half goals.

“She said take on the goalie as if she was a defender. That really helped me. I went past her on the first one and that definitely built up my confidence. On the next one, I went in and kicked it in [inside the near post],” said Hamel.

Maine outshot Canisius 45-5.