The University of Maine women’s soccer team will be going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Junior midfielder Lara Kirkby rifled the ball into the top of the net with 5:28 left in the second overtime to give UMaine a 3-2 win over UMass Lowell in the America East championship game in front of 754 energetic fans at Mahaney Diamond on Sunday afternoon.
Kristina Kelly took a corner kick, which bounced around in the penalty area before Kirkby scored off a half-volley.
“This might be the best moment of my life, to be honest,” said Kirkby, a University of Oregon transfer from Adelaide, Australia. “It’s crazy. It feels surreal.”
Kirkby said she was “just chilling” at the top of the penalty area when the ball came to her after it bounced around in the area.
“Kris is amazing on corners. I always know she is hitting it to the back post and it is an in-swinger,” said Kirkby, who was chosen the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. “There was a flick and then I was ‘Oh, I can hit it. Then I hit it and it went in.”
Her powerful half-volley sailed over the arms of UML goalkeeper Taylor Burgess.
“And I hit it with my left foot which is crazy for me,” said the right-footed Kirkby. “What a day to make it happen, I guess.”
It was her second goal of the game and fourth of the season.
“In all of the games, we have been close to putting one in [off a corner kick],” said Lincolnville’s Kelly, a transfer from Central Connecticut State. “We were all talking about it before the game. We felt one was coming today and it did.”
UMaine improved to 11-1-6 and will find out Monday who it faces in the NCAA Tournament.
UMaine extended its Mahaney Diamond unbeaten streak to 18 games (10-0-8).
UMass Lowell wound up 5-6-7. The River Hawks are the only America East team to beat UMaine during the regular season the past two seasons as they beat UMaine 2-0 in Lowell earlier this season.
UMaine had an 18-14 edge in shot attempts and a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Graduate student goalkeeper Kira Kutzinski made two saves for the Black Bears and redshirt senior Burgess finished with seven for the River Hawks.
The River Hawks rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime on a late first-half goal by graduate student midfielder Julia Edholm and senior forward Calliste Brookshire’s penalty kick with just 4:45 remaining in regulation after Edholm was brought down in the penalty area by UMaine sophomore back Rebecca Grisdale.
Brookshire found the upper right hand corner for her fifth of the season.
UMaine senior forward Kayla Kraemer and Kirkby scored first-half goals for the Black Bears with Kirkby converting from the penalty spot.
The Black Bears were on the verge of taking a 2-0 lead into the intermission when UMass Lowell was awarded a free kick with 19 seconds left in the half.
The play was stopped because the UMass Lowell player who was fouled was injured and eventually walked off the field with her trainer.
Brookshire then lofted the long free kick into the UMaine penalty area and Edholm was able to head it over Kutzinski with 13 seconds left.
It was Edholm’s seventh goal of the season.
Kraemer opened the scoring at the 14:50 mark.
Julie Lossius made a run down the left flank to the end line and sent a low cross into the area.
The ball pinballed off a River Hawk and a Black Bear in the six-yard box and Kraemer directed into the goal from close range.
It was her fourth of the season.
Kirkby made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Burgess was issued a yellow card for a violent collision that injured UMaine’s Gillian Rovers, who was able to leave the field on her own power.
Kirkby calmly slotted the penalty kick into the corner to the left of Burgess.
Burgess made two terrific saves off leading scorer Abby Kraemer in the first half, diving to her right to get her right hand on Kraemer’s bouncing shot that was labeled for the corner.
Later in the half, Kraemer took a pass on her chest with her back to goal, wheeled around and fired a bullet that was parried over the crossbar by Burgess.
UMaine had eight shot attempts in the first half and Burgess had three saves.
UMass Lowell had two shots and Kutznski wasn’t required to make a save.
The River Hawks received momentum from the late first-half goal and put the Black Bears under pressure in the second half looking for the equalizer.
UMaine had controlled the first half.
UMaine head coach Scott Atherley said they knew UMass Lowell was a good team and was going to rally.
“But we never let our emotions get away from us. We stayed with it,” Atherley said.
UMass Lowell coach Mira Novak said he was proud of his players for their comeback.
“They took the initiative in the second half and didn’t play scared,” said Novak. “We were one goal away from having that trophy in our hands right now. It’s definitely sour. With all we’ve been through and all the hurdles we’ve overcome … to fall one step short.”
Kirkby, Grisdale, Kelly and Abby Kraemer were chosen to the all-tournament team along with UMass Lowell’’s Brookshire, Edholm and Burgess.