Homecoming busy for UMPI teams
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine men’s and women’s cross country teams both took second place in the UMPI Homecoming Invitational meet held Saturday.
On the women’s side, the Lady Owls placed two runners among the top four finishers en route to a score of 44 on the day. Kati Christoffel of Clifton Park, N.Y. finished second overall with a time of 22:09. First-year runner, Carly Langley of Truro, Nova Scotia came in at 23:11, good for fourth overall.
Senior Shelly Hanson of Charleston came in at 24:36 for 10th place, while Justine Cyr of Fort Kent finished a 11th in 25:26. Taylor-Jo Quint of Hodgdon rounded out the Owl squad, coming across the line in a solid 28:00, good for 17th place.
Angela Stabule of Husson University won individual honors with a time of 21:17, helping to solidify the win for her team as the Eagles scored a meet-low 27 points.
On the men’s side, Owl third-year runner Justin Fereshetian of Turner led his team with a fourth-place finish in 30:14. He had a great test of endurance with three other talented runners in the top four. Fereshetian helped to break up the field with a surge at the 1.5-mile mark and had a strong finish.
Second-year runner Hugh McLellan of Maitland, Nova Scotia helped UMPI with a 13th-place finish in 37:44. Jaron Gray of Danforth was 15th in 38:36 and Zach Barnes of Presque Isle 16th in 39:25 as both turned in a solid effort on the difficult course.
Richard Landry of Bingham was 19th in 44:38 and Michael LeClair of Millville 20th in 45:00 to round out the field and help the Owls solidify their second-place team finish with a score of 41.
Maine Maritime’s Matt Methot won the individual honors on the day with a time of 28:39. His Mariners finished the meet with 18 points, good enough for first place in the team standings.
The Owls return to work Saturday as they travel to Franklin Park in Boston to compete in the annual Codfish Bowl Invitational.
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle scored in the first minute of play on Saturday afternoon and held on to take the 1-0 win over the Mariners of Maine Maritime Academy in a non-conference men’s soccer game at Park Family Field.
Senior Corey Fournier of Bradley gave the 3-1 Owls the game’s only goal just 1:04 into the game as he stole the ball from a MMA defender and beat the Mariner keeper in a one-and-one situation, finding the back of the net to give UMPI the lead
The Owl defense, anchored by seniors Matt Carrington of Nottingham, United Kingdom and Ben Costello of Old Town, stayed united and strong, limited the Mariners to 10 shots and seven on goal. UMPI also finished with 10 shots in the game, firing five on goal.
UMPI’s Richard Felbaum of Saco earned the win in goal, posting five saves in the contest.
The Owls return to action today as they host rival UM-Fort Kent in a Sunrise Conference matchup. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle women’s soccer team defeated Maine Maritime Academy, 4-0 on Saturday afternoon in non-conference matchup at Park Family Field. With the win, the Lady Owls move to 4-0 on the season.
Four different players tallied goals for UMPI. Junior Desiree Smith of Thomaston opened the scoring in the game in only the third minute of play, converting off a beautiful pass from Carolynn Tuck of Brewer.
Smith continued her strong offensive showing early in the season, earning three points with one goal and two assists in the Owl victory. Freshman Eleana Estrada of Dover, Del. gave UMPI the 2-0 advantage in the 16th minute of play, firing the ball from the 18 past the MMA keeper and into the back of the net. Smith set it up with a perfect pass after beating three defenders along the right goal-line.
Tuck got into the scoring action at the 29-minute mark by driving the ball in from 30 yards out and earning her second point of the match as the Lady Owls went up 3-0. Finally, in the 44th minute, freshman Susan Lavertu of Madawaska converted off a Desiree Smith corner kick to close out the scoring.
UMPI capitalized on the field, earning eight corner kicks to MMA’s two. The Owls also earned 16 shots in the game compared to the Mariners’ 12.
Sophomore keeper Taylor Ussery of LaVerne, Calif. earned her fourth win of the season, making a total of five saves in the win.
The Lady Owls host the Bengals of UMFK in a Sunrise Conference matchup today at 3 p.m.
BOOTHBAY – The Owl golf team finished in ninth place at the Maine State Intercollegiate Golf Championships held Friday and Saturday at Boothbay Country Club.
The Nor’Easter’s of the University of New England captured its first state championship with a two-day total of 638. UNE was followed by Husson (640), Colby College (649), UMF (650), Bates College (652), USM (659), St. Joseph’s College (661), Bowdoin College (664) and UMPI (705).
Tripp Huber of Colby College was the overall medalist with a 77 on Friday and a 73 on Saturday for a two-day total of 150.
First-year golfer Dylan Flewelling of Houlton, ME finished with an 86 on the first day and an 80 on the second to lead his UMPI team with a two-day score of 172. Mike Balmer of Symrna Beach, Fla. earned an 86 on both days for a two-day score of 172. Ellis Pelletier of Caribou carded a first-day 91 and second-day 84 for a total of 175, while senior Chad Phillips of Dover-Foxcroft came in with a 96 and a 97 for a two-day total of 193. Paul Rucci of Millinocket finished with a 111 and a 107, good for 218.
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle women’s volleyball team lost its fifth straight match on Saturday afternoon in double-header action against Husson University, 3-1 and 3-0. With both losses, the Lady Owls fall to 0-5 on the season.
In the first match of the day, Husson went up 1-0 early with a 25-16 victory, but the Owls were able to battle back in the second game, earning a 25-23 win. The Eagles were able to notch the next two games to earn the 3-1 match win (25-15, 25-17).
Megan Korhonen of Littleton led the Owls with 14 assists, seven digs, and three kills, while sophomore Allison MacDonald of Antigonish, Nova Scotia had 17 digs in the loss. Karen Creighton of Sussex, New Brunswick added five digs and finished with four kills to help her team.
In the second match of the doubleheader, Husson earned the 3-0 win over the Owls (25-14, 25-16, 25-22). Korhonen finished with 12 assists in the loss, and hustled to earn 10 digs in the game. Amanda Moore of Seattle, Wash. earned four kills and six digs, while MacDonald added seven digs for her UMPI team. Freshman Shaina Hood of Princeton added five digs.
The Owls travel to the University of Maine at Farmington on Saturday for a tri-match against the UM-Farmington Beavers and the Nor’easters of UNE. The matches begin at 10 a.m.
Staff photos/Kevin Sjoberg
OWL TEAMMATES Carly Langley, left, and Kati Christoffel, were their team’s top runners in Saturday’s homecoming meet.
SUSAN LAVERTU of the UMPI women’s soccer team, left, eyes the ball during Saturday’s match. The Owls prevailed, 4-0.
CHAD PARKER of the Owls, left, tries to get a pass off against a Maine Maritime Academy defender in Saturday’s 1-0 Owl win.
