WENHAM, Mass.—Maine Maritime stormed out of the Brigham Athletics complex with a 2-1 overtime victory over Gordon in women's soccer action on Columbus Day. The Mariners overcame a first-half deficit with a pair of redirected goals to end the Fighting Scots' win streak at two games.
Gordon was aggressive in its offensive zone at the start, pushing the ball down the seam of the field to create run-on opportunities. Lexi Potter (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) nearly put the Scots on the board just two minutes into regulation when she got behind the Mariners defense, but she pushed a one-on-one chance with the keeper just wide to the right.
Potter avenged the miss in the 19th minute when she finished off a strike not all that different from her goal against Eastern Nazarene on Saturday. The first-year striker found a pocket in between the midfield and defense, taking a few touches before launching a ball clear over the top of the keeper for the 1-0 lead.
The Mariners did not have many good looks in the opening 45 minutes, but the foot of Makayla Lewis (Purcellville, Va.) nearly proved deadly from distance in the 31st minute. Kali Denty (Marshfield, Mass.) was able to track it and make the diving stop to keep Gordon's lead at the break.
The game turned on its axis in the second half as Maine Maritime came out of the break with a fresh approach. The Mariners put plenty of pressure in the Gordon defensive third and coming up with two good look on net in just five minutes.
Gordon was unable to keep the ball out of its defensive half for a good portion of second and Maine Maritime made them pay in the 59th minute. The Fighting Scots defense looked poised to knock a ball out of danger when Briana Obshatkin (Dedham, Mass.) got enough of a foot on a 50-50 ball that sank just under the bar in the upper right corner of the net—not giving Denty a chance at the stop.
Maine Maritime nearly took its first lead of the contest just a few moments later when Lewis sent a scorcher on a corner set piece. Denty got a piece of the ball, sending it up into the crossbar and back down for the Gordon keeper to smother.
Gordon quick countered right back and caught MMA in transition. Tori Caswell (Uxbridge, Mass.) got open on the right side and lofted a shot over the head of the Mariners' keeper. The attempt was off by just a fraction, hitting the inside of the left post before being cleared by the MMA defense.
Each team had a couple more looks during the back-and-forth regulation, but the game went into overtime tied at one.
The battle continued deep into the first overtime period when Maine Maritime got its best look in the extra time on a corner. Lewis served up a nice ball to the center where Emily Wyman (Brockton, Mass.) stood about 15 yards from goal. Wyman volleyed the ball toward net, but the attempt nicked off the toe of a Gordon defender and into the net for the game-winner.
Denty made seven saves in the losing effort, while giving up a goal in a game for just the fourth time this year. Maine Maritime split goalkeeper duties, making two saves on the day.
Potter has now scored a goal in three straight contests and four of Gordon's last five.
Gordon (6-5-1) has a quick turnaround when they host Castleton at 3:30 on Wednesday. The Mariners (6-5-1) head to Colby-Sawyer on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. start.
