White’s first-half goal carries Binghamton past UMaine

ORONO – The University of Maine’s women’s soccer team won the statistical battle against defending America East champ Binghamton at rain-swept Alumni Field Sunday.

But the Bearcats won the most important category.

Junior striker Danielle White scored her team-high seventh goal with just 13 seconds left in the first half and Binghamton withstood a Maine barrage in the second half to prevail 1-0.

Binghamton, a 2-0 winner over Maine in last year’s AE final, improved to 8-6-3 overall, 4-2-1 in America East. Maine had its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-5-1 and 4-1-1, respectively.

Binghamton junior goalie Kristie Bowers finished with 13 saves on 25 shots for her seventh shutout but most of her saves were routine as fullbacks Katie Kerrigan, Meghan Taylor and Vicky Vernicek turned in a solid performance in front of her.

Maine sophomore goalie Jasmine Phillips made three saves on eight shots and surrendered her first-ever collegiate goal after going 755:44 without allowing one.

“My defense did a great job at just giving them the minimum that they could,” said Bowers. “They cut down the angles very well.”

Bowers was beaten once but Kerrigan, positioned on the goal line, deflected away Erin Corey’s shot during a wild three-shot scramble with 15 minutes left in regulation.

“It hit off my knee,” said Kerrigan.

“She definitely took the shot for me and I thanked her for it,” said Bowers.

The Bears hurt themselves by shooting high so the ones that didn’t sail over the crossbar were handled easily by Bowers, who would have had more trouble controlling low shots skipping on the wet turf.

“We made it too easy for her on a day it should have been more challenging,” said Maine coach Scott Atherley. “But I give her full credit. She made some good saves and kept her team in the match.”

“It was a tough one,” said Maine senior striker Corey. “We were in their end the whole second half but we just couldn’t get it in.”

The goal came off a Kelly Sanders corner to the far post and was headed by Kerrigan, creating a pinball-type scramble as the ball squirted across to the near post.

“It ricocheted to me and I just kicked it in,” said White.

Bowers’ best save actually came off teammate Taylor’s first-half header as she tried to clear a Marie-Andree Canuel cross.

“The wind held it up a bit and when she went to head it, it came off her head weird. I had to go after it,” said Bowers who dove and swatted it away with her right hand.