The Maine Maritime Academy women’s soccer team capped its most successful season ever last weekend.

MMA’s season ended with Sunday’s 2-0 North Atlantic Conference quarterfinal loss at Lasell College in Auburndale, Mass. The Castine-based Mariners closed the season with a 6-7-3 record.

Coach Craig Dagan’s team, which had gone 0-12 the previous year, exhibited tremendous improvement.

“We took a huge step in the right direction this year,” Dagan said. “Not only are we a .500 club now, but we were competitive in every single game we played this season.”

MMA lost four games by one goal.

The Mariners were paced by a strong class of freshmen, including nine starters. Auburn’s Amy Asselin paced the offense, scoring 10 goals and contributing four assists. She was named the NAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-star.

Goalie Meghan Marshall of Madawaska was among the standouts. She posted a 1.00 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage this fall, registering four shutouts. All were school records.

Other key contributors for the Mariners were sophomore Stacy Jones out of Morse High in Bath and freshman Adrian Kreckmann, who played at Maranacook in Readfield.

Marshall and Jones were second-team honorable mentions.

“I am pleased with the improvement we had this season, but I am a long way from being satisfied,” Dagan said. “We have some talent here now and that is drawing interest from other talented players across the state.”

UMPI hosts NAIA Region X meet

The University of Maine-Presque Isle will be the site of Saturday’s NAIA Region X Cross Country Championship.

The women’s race opens the event at 11 a.m., with the men’s race scheduled for 11:45 a.m.

The winning teams in the competition and the top five individual finishers for each gender not on the winning squad will qualify for the NAIA Nationals scheduled for Kenosha, Wis.

Sunrise Conference champion Lyndon State (Vt.) and UMaine-Farmington are expected to contend for the men’s title, while UM-Farmington, Nyack College (N.Y.), and the University of Sciences (Pa.) are among the top women’s teams.

UMPI, UMF, UMaine-Fort Kent, and UMaine-Machias are joined in the event by Goldy Beacom (Del.), Holy Family (Pa.), Lyndon State, Nyack, U. of the Sciences, and Wilmington (Del.).

Bowdoin bound for league semis

Bowdoin College in Brunswick is preparing for a busy sports weekend as three Polar Bear teams are competing in New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinals.

Bowdoin has the top-seeded squads in both the men’s soccer and field hockey tourneys, while the Polar Bears women’s soccer team is the No. 2 seed. All will compete Saturday.

The Bowdoin men’s soccer team is playing host to the NESCAC semifinals and finals this weekend. The Polar Bears take on No. 4 Amherst Saturday at 11 a.m. for the right to meet the winner of Saturday’s Williams-Middlebury matchup in Sunday’s noon championship game.

The Polar Bears also are the hosts for the field hockey event. Bowdoin, the No. 1 seed, faces No. 4 Wesleyan Saturday at 11 a.m. The winner takes on the victor of the Williams-Middlebury contest in Sunday’s noon championship game.

Bowdoin’s women’s soccer club is on the road at Tufts in Medford, Mass., where the No. 2 Polar Bears take on No. 3 Williams. Top-seeded Tufts and No. 5 Connecticut College play for the right to be in Sunday’s title game at noon.

Colby to retire Williams’ uniform

Matt Williams of Cape Elizabeth, the all-time leading scorer in Colby College men’s lacrosse history, will have his uniform retired Saturday during a 5 p.m. ceremony in the trophy room at the Harold Alfond Athletic Center.

Williams, who graduated in 1999, also will be honored during halftime of Saturday’s Colby-Hamilton football game. He finished his career with 100 goals and 125 assists, with his assists ranking first all-time and his goal total ranking second in White Mules history.

Williams was one of four Colby lacrosse players to receive All-America honors. He helped lead the Mules to four ECAC postseason appearances.

Chilly leader at E. Connecticut

Michael Chilly was the No. 1 runner for Eastern Connecticut last weekend when he competed in the Little East Conference men’s cross country championship at Keene, N.H.

Chilly, a senior from Guilford, finished first for the Warriors and 14th overall in 27 minutes, 25 seconds over the 5-mile course.