The University of Maine at Fort Kent women’s soccer team’s national championship reign continued Monday at Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Bengals won their sixth United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championship in seven seasons and fourth in a row, defeating SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry 2-0.
In addition, the UMFK men also won a USCAA national title Monday, beating Bryant and Stratton 4-3 in penalty kicks.
Coach Lucas Levesque’s women’s club had steamrolled through its previous three matches in the USCAA tourney, defeating Alfred State 6-0 on Thursday, SUNY Delhi 11-1 on Friday and Bryant and Stratton College 6-1 on Saturday.
But SUNY ESF of Syracuse, New York, proved to be a formidable challenge for UMFK, which entered Monday’s match on a 37-game winning streak.
The title match was the closest of the year for the Bengals, which gave up nine shots on goal, the most they have surrendered all year.
But goalkeeper Peighton Ahlberg and her back line managed to keep the ball out of the net, and the Bengals finished the season allowing just 11 goals in 21 matches in finishing with a 21-0 record.
Both of UMFK’s goals came in the opening half.
Jennifer Cudjoe opened the scoring in the 16th minute, while Sherifatu Sumaila, who scored a school-record 48 goals this season, added some insurance in the 27th minute.
Sumaila was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player.
The UMFK defense did the rest, holding SUNY ESF at bay.
Bengals seniors Jennifer Kozachuck, Heidi Feichter, Marie-Laurence Montagne, Brianna Mills and Emma Ashby all exit the program having won four national championships.
Cudjoe, Brianna Mills and Montagne were all named to the all-tournament team.
In the men’s game, UMFK and Bryant and Stratton were tied 3-3 after regulation and two overtimes before the Bengals prevailed 4-2 in the penalty kick shootout.
That came in spite of losing to Florida National University, 2-0, in Sunday’s semifinals, but UMFK was awarded the win after officials learned the FNU coach continued to coach his team in various ways after being ejected from the match early in the first half.
UMFK protested the win following the game.
In the shootout, both teams converted their first two shots before UMFK’s Rodney Witter put the Bengals up 3-2.
Bengals’ goalkeeper Butch Forbes would save Bryant and Stratton’s next kick, and Mark Parchment gave UMFK some breathing room in the next round.
After Gontzal Gili Balaguer missed high on Bryant and Stratton’s next attempt, UMFK was crowned national champs.
Zino Zampach opened the scoring for Bryant and Stratton before Carlos Crusat-Lopez tied it for UMFK.
Bryant and Stratton regained the lead 20 seconds into the second half on a goal by Matthew LeRoux, but UMFK would score the next two goals, coming from Crusat-Lopez and Jamie Reed, with Reed’s coming in the 81st minute.
Bryant and Stratton would force sudden death on LeRoux’s second goal of the game in the 89th minute.
