Orono, Maine – The Le Moyne College women's soccer team fell to the University of Maine on Thursday afternoon in the team's season opener and Division I debut.

The Maine Black Bears, who put together a 4-0-4 conference record in the America East in 2022, earned a shutout victory over the Dolphins on their home field to begin the 2023 campaign.

Maine scored four goals in the first half, then added a fifth goal during the final 45 minutes.

The Dolphins took five shots during the second half, compared to six for Maine, and Le Moyne earned three corner kicks in the final 45 minutes while limiting the Black Bears to one.

Graduate midfielder Marissa Lisikatos (Cold Spring, N.Y./Haldane) recorded a team-best three shots on goal during the setback, all of which came during the second half.

Senior defender Jenicah Brown (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland/Cazenovia), junior forwards Autumn Edwards (Greece, N.Y./Hilton/Monroe) and Sierra Edwards (Greece, N.Y./Hilton/Monroe), sophomores Jasmina Barhoumi (Worms, Germany/Nelly-Sachs-IGS/D'Youville) and Alaina Carro (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent/Wheeling), redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Sarah Boyea (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) and freshmen Logan Cookinham (Deerfield, N.Y./Poland), Giovanna Vigliotti (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), and Hope Adigun (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool) each made their Le Moyne debut during the match.

Le Moyne graduate goalkeeper Allison Moreau (Sauquoit, N.Y./Sauquoit Valley) tallied seven saves during the first 79:11 of the match before Boyea entered to make her collegiate debut in goal.

The Black Bears scored their first goal in the seventh minute when freshman Luise Reinwald ran after a throw-in pass down the left wing towards the end line, slid and crossed the ball with her left foot towards the edge of the six-yard box where junior forward Abby Kraemer headed the ball into the net just before a diving Moreau could swat it away from goal.

Maine doubled their lead less than two minutes later when Abby Kramer sent a through ball to senior forward Kayla Kramer that put her on a breakaway towards the Le Moyne goal. Just after entering the 18-yard box, Kramer ripped a right-footed shot from straight on into the left side of the net to tally her first goal of the year.

Cookinham, who was featured in the starting 11 for her collegiate debut, thwarted a Maine attacking attempt in the box in the 11^th minute, knocking the ball out of bounds for a Maine corner kick.

Maine took a corner kick from the right flag in the 12^th minute, and Lara Kirby put a header on goal from within the six-yard box that was saved by Moreau.

Maine graduate defender Doireann Fahey scored the third goal of the game in the 23^rd minute. Fahey took a hard left-footed shot from the left side of the box towards the upper right corner of the goal. Moreau got a hand on the ball, but it landed just inside the right post in the side netting to give the Black Bears a 3-0 advantage.

In the 38^th minute Le Moyne junior Brooke Wilson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) drew a foul in the middle of the field at the edge of Le Moyne's attacking third. Barhoumi sent the free kick in the air towards the penalty spot. Redshirt-junior midfielder Danielle Casey (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) made a diagonal run into the box and got a head on the pass, but her header went to the right of the post and out bounds for a goal kick.

The Black Bears extended their lead to 4-0 in the 41^st minute when senior forward Tegan Morrison sent a pass from the right sideline towards the Le Moyne penalty area. Maine sophomore forward Jordane Pinette ran onto the ball and used her first touch to evade the oncoming Moreau before tapping the ball into an empty net.

The 'Phins earned their first corner kick of the second half in the 56^th minute when Autumn Edwards dribbled into the left side of the box and forced her defender to knock the ball out of bounds to prevent a cross. On the ensuing corner kick, Barhoumi sent a cross into the box from the left flag and the ball was loose in the right side of the penalty area among a cluster of players before it was knocked out of bounds for a Maine goal kick.

Maine quickly brought the ball up the field into their attacking third. After Le Moyne thwarted Maine's initial attack in the box, the ball fell in front of Kayla Kramer, who hit a low shot towards the bottom right corner of the net, but Moreau dove to her left and made the save.

In the 60^th minute Carro got the ball in the middle of the field at the edge of Le Moyne's attacking third and played a through ball down the left wing for Autumn Edwards. Edwards ran onto the ball and sent a cross towards the box, but it sailed out of bounds for a goal kick.

Following a long throw in from Courcy in the 68^th minute, the ball bounced out to Carro just outside the 18-yard box and she hit a volley with her first touch that went over the crossbar and out of bounds for a goal kick.

Wilson and Carro initiated a Le Moyne counter attack in the 70^th minute. Carro played a ball in the air to Lisikatos, who took her first touch into space on the left wing. With three defenders chasing after her Lisikatos got a shot off with her left foot from just outside the 18-yard box before being knocked to the ground. Her shot was on target but it was caught by Maine graduate goalkeeper Kira Kutzinski.

The 'Phins final corner kick in the 86^th minute led to a flurry of chances in front of the net. During the scramble, Cookinham and Wilson each got a touch on the ball within eight feet of the goal mouth, but a Maine defender cleared the ball off the goal line. Wilson jumped in front of the clearance attempt and the ball ricocheted off her body and over the crossbar for a goal kick.

The Dolphins will return to action on August 24 when they travel to New Rochelle to take on the Iona Gaels.