Women’s soccer secures win over UMaine at Fort Kent

By Avery Slavin Staff Writer The Framingham State Rams beat the UMaine at Fort Kent Bengals in a matchup on Oct. 4, bringing their overall record to 4-5-3. Their conference record remains at 2-2.

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

Seven minutes into the game, freshman Sophia Thimm went for the first shot, but it didn’t make it around Maine’s goalie, Dreanna Thaw. Captain Grayson Tellier, a senior, attempted a shot next, only for it to be high. After about six minutes of fighting for the ball, Maine’s Petagay Dixon tried to put a point on the scoreboard, but Framingham’s goalie, sophomore Savannah Goba, remained strong on defense. Junior Ana Serrano was the next Ram to make a shot, but it flew high above the net. Maine’s Brianna Levesque tried to bounce back from their unsuccessful shot on goal a few minutes prior, but couldn’t get the ball past Goba. After three substitutions from Framingham State and a corner kick from freshman Abigale King, Sarah Bashore, a freshman, went for a header shot, but it was saved by Thaw. The Bengals went for another shot, but still couldn’t break Goba’s defense. Thaw saved another shot after junior Tarynn Smith tried to get the ball past the goal line. Finishing up the first half, sophomore Hailey Ring tried to put the Rams in the lead by taking a shot on net, but it hit the crossbar. Ring didn’t stop there, though. Seven seconds later, she shot again, but the ball was blocked. The first half ended with a foul from both teams before the clock hit zero. One minute into the second half, Tellier assisted freshman Leiyani Buckner’s shot, earning the Rams the first point of the game. Freshman Bethany Serrano tried to keep the momentum going and launched the ball toward Thaw, but she quickly saved it. After six substitutions between the teams, Bethany Serrano attempted another shot, with this one being saved by Thaw as well. The Bengals prevented another goal from the Rams after Ana Serrano sent the ball toward the net. Bashore attempted her second header shot to keep the Rams up on the scoreboard, but it was too wide. Thimm and freshman Anilyse Laderwager both worked for a second point, but neither could break Maine’s defense. Buckner was substituted in, and within five minutes, she shot and scored. The Rams were in the lead 2-0. After nine substitutions from FSU and a few more minutes of fighting for possession of the ball, the game ended with the Rams taking the victory. Tellier said, “We have been practicing attacking in our offensive third for a while now, and I think our chemistry has just grown over time. We have put more and more trust in each other every day, so that we can win games and have fun. “I truly think we have progressed more on offense than we ever have before, and Saturday’s game just proved that,” she added. She said she was proud of this win. “Seeing all of us really put the work in [during] that game and all of our others makes me so happy, like we truly are getting what we deserve. As a captain, watching everyone get along and the team chemistry continuing to build makes me and the other captains feel like we really did our job and made our team like a family. We are truly all sisters.” The Rams didn’t allow the Bengals to take any shots on net in the second half. Buckner said in the locker room at halftime, “Our coach explained to us that we are able to beat this team if we take shots and work together. This gave me confidence to go out there and take advantage of my opportunities.” To continue this momentum in future games, Buckner said, “I’m going to continue to give my best effort and be the best teammate I can be in order to achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the season.” Tellier said, “We continue to grow every practice and game we have. I’ve played on a lot of different teams in my life, and I have never seen such quick success and trust in teammates before. We are always ready and willing to improve day by day, and I really think we can take that far with us this season.” She added, “Trust is one of the biggest factors of playing with a team, and it is visible more after every game that we are playing for the person next to us, and we trust each other like family.” Most recently, the Rams fell to UMass Dartmouth on Oct. 8, the final score being 3-0. They head to Anna Maria College on Oct. 11 for a conference matchup.