FARMINGTON – Chelsea Norton (Westbrook, ME) scored 3:47 into overtime to propel the University of Maine at Farmington women’s soccer team into the North Atlantic Conference semifinals as the No. 3 Beavers knocked off sixth-seeded Lyndon State College 3-2 in first-round action today at Prescott Field.
The Beavers (8-7) are scheduled to visit No. 2 Castleton State College (11-7) this weekend. The game time will be announced as soon as possible. The Hornets ended their season at 7-10-1.
Norton’s game-winner was preceded by a tying marker from Melissa St. Amand (Windsor, ME) with only one second remaining in the match. With the Hornets leading 2-1, despite being outshot 36-3, Amanda Byrne (Winslow, ME) pushed the ball ahead on an attempted clear by the visitors in the waning moments and set off a goal-mouth scramble that was finished with St. Amand punching the ball into the back of the net to even the score at 2-2 at 89:59. The Beavers carried the momentum into the extra session with Norton teeing up an Amber Murphy (Manchester, NH) cross for the 3-2 victory at 93:47.
This is the second time this season these two teams have played an overtime game. On Oct. 12 in Farmington, the Beavers edged the Hornets 1-0 on a Murphy tally in the 95th minute.
Lyndon State’s Kelly Warren (Carroll, NH) tallied a pair of goals, the second with 4:04 remaining in regulation to give the Hornets a 2-1 edge. Following a score by Murphy off a Laura St. John (Wayne, ME) pass 20:27 into the match, Warren knotted the game in the opening half with an unassisted marker at 32:15.
Crystal Johnson (Skowhegan, ME) manned the pipes for Beavers with one save — a diving stop of an upfield push by Warren in overtime.
Natalia Shams (Swampscott, MA) recorded 12 saves for Lyndon State. Shams smothered a pair of doorstep bids by Murphy to open the second half.
