Herring’s hat trick gives UMPI women win

    Lainey Herring, a senior from Houlton, scored three times to lead the University of Maine-Presque Isle women’s soccer team to a 7-2 victory at Vermont Technical College Saturday. It was the first game of the season for both teams and the result gave new UMPI head coach Trevor Parent his first win.
    The Owls’ Audra Kirk, a sophomore from Limestone, opened the scoring just over 10 minutes into the match. The score remained 1-0 until Herring sandwiched her first two goals around a tally by sophomore Kallie Pelletier of Madawaska to give UMPI a commanding 4-0 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
    After the Knights got on the board with a Ashley Lockerby goal, Chelsea Lynds-Beaulieu, a sophomore from Presque Isle, found the back of the net with less than a minute remaining to give UMPI a 5-1 lead at the break.
    After Lockerby added her second goal of the game to bring the Knights to within three goals, Herring and Kylie Plourde, a freshman from Fort Fairfield each registered goals to arrive at the final margin.
    The goals by Kirk, Pelletier, and Plourde were the first for each as collegiate athletes. For Herring, her three goals nearly matched her total goals scored all of last season (4).
    Midfielder Chelsea Beauchemen, a sophomore from Adams, Mass. had two assists for the Owls and after the game was clearly happy with how her team came together in their first game.
    “I’m proud of how the girls played,” said Beauchemen, “especially for the first game of the season. The team chemistry is really showing through in our play.”
    UMPI will next play Thursday on the road at St. Thomas University.