Southern Maine Edges Rhode Island College, 11-9

GORHAM, Maine -- Senior Virginia Flood (Acton, Maine/Wells) scored a game-high six goals to help the University of Southern Maine Huskies post an 11-9, come-from-behind victory over the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen in a Little East Conference game Sunday afternoon at Hodgdon Field.

The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Huskies who improve to 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the conference. The six wins for the Huskies are the most in a single season surpassing the previous mark of five achieved three times.

Rhode Island College dropped its third straight game to fall to 3-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference.

Both teams will advance to the Little East Conference tournament that starts Tuesday. USM will travel to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Rhode Island College will take a trip to Keene State College.

The Huskies trailed 6-4 early in the second half after a goal by RIC junior Sydney Culbertson (North Kingstown, R.I.). Junior Amy McNally (East Waterboro, Maine/Massabesic) sparked a run of four straight USM goals with a brilliant length of the field run. Flood then scored three consecutive goals over a four-minute span to give the Huskies an 8-6 edge.

The Anchorwomen would not fade scoring the next two goals to tie the game at 8-8 with 11:59 remaining. Senior Caitlin Gavin (Portsmouth, R.I.) tallied the second of her two goals, and freshman Emily Conte (North Providence, R.I.) tied the game converting a pass from freshman Danielle Gelinas (Dayville, Conn./Killingly).

Flood snapped the tie with her sixth goal with 9:57 to play, and sophomore Caitlin Albert (Scarborough, Maine) got what proved to be the game winner with 8:51 left.

Culbertson pulled RIC within one before freshman Erica Robertson (St. Albans, Vt./Bellows Free Academy) gave the Huskies an insurance goal with 5:00 left.

Junior Katie Quartuccio (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Millbrook School) finished the game with 13 saves in the USM cage. Freshman Katie Kielbasinski (Windsor, Conn.) made 18 saves for RIC.

2007-04-29