ORONO, Maine — University of Maine senior goalkeeper Jasmine Phillips proved why she owns the school record in career shutouts.
And sophomore midfielder Claire Robbins gave her a little hand. Or foot, to be more precise.
Phillips saved America East goal-scoring leader Lauren Aldred’s penalty kick with 25 minutes left in regulation and Robbins cleared Michele DeSanti’s 20-yard volley off the line with five seconds left in the second overtime as Maine earned a 0-0 tie with Hartford Thursday afternoon.
The Maine women’s soccer team is now 5-2-5 overall and 2-1-1 in America East. Hartford is 5-4-4 and 2-1-1, respectively.
Phillips finished with six saves on 14 shots in posting her third consecutive shutout, seventh of the season and 34th of her career.
Hartford freshman Lauren Brodeur finished with two saves on eight shots for her fourth shutout.
Hartford was awarded a penalty kick when Phillips dove out and tripped Breeanna Robinson, who broke in alone with a Mary Beth Hamilton through ball.
For the penalty kick, Phillips lined up off center on the side to Aldred’s right, and that’s where Aldred tried to put it. But Phillips held her ground and punched the chest-high shot away.
“She put me off because that’s where I like to put it. I hit it pretty well but she guessed right,” said Aldred, who has six goals including three in her last game.
“It was a quick reaction thing,” said Phillips, who leads the conference with an 0.51 goals-against average. “I just went with it.”
Phillips has given up just one goal off 11 penalty kicks in her career although some missed the net.
After an evenly played and uneventful first half in which each goalie had to make just one routine save, Hartford had the better of play in the second half and the overtimes.
But Maine defended effectively and limited the Hawks’ high-percentage chances.
With the final seconds winding down in the second OT, Kacey Busque’s corner kick deflected out to DeSanti, whose volley cleanly beat the screened Phillips to the far post where Robbins cleared it away.
“I had a pretty good view of it once it got by the defenders and I hit it with my right foot,” said Robbins. “My responsibility is to clean up anything that Jasmine can’t get.”
“The goaltender didn’t see it coming because we had someone in front of her like we always do and I placed it where I wanted to,” said DeSanti.
“Claire bailed us out hard core,” grinned Phillips. “Our back line played great and the whole team fought really hard.”
Juniors Anjelica Hodgson, Hailey Blackburn and Cristina Di Ielsi comprised the back line with freshman flank midfielders Sady Tobin and Kaitlyn MacIsaac also key components in the defensive scheme.
The game also marked the return of junior striker Laura Martel of Lewiston, who suffered three ligament tears, a bone bruise and a chipped bone in her right knee against Rhode Island on Aug. 31. The knee was also hyper-extended.
“It felt good to be out there. I didn’t like sitting and watching them play. I’m at about 85 percent [healthy],” said Martel, Maine’s leading scorer last fall with six goals and an assist.
Martel, who has also been bothered by tendinitis in her left foot, didn’t start but played around 40 minutes.
Bear sophomore striker Hannah Breton said Martel gives them “energy and another spark out there. She’s a great player. She’s smart, quick and great with the ball.”