University of Maine graduate student Mia Borley is sidelined with a head-neck injury suffered in a collision during Friday’s game against the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.
UMass’ Dempsey Campbell scored on the play as she sprinted along the end line and tucked the ball past Borley, who dove out to challenge her.
Borley was removed from the game at the 21:08 mark and replaced by senior Mallory Draper. UMass won 4-3 in overtime.
Borley, who is from Durham, England, finished with one save and allowed two goals.
The reigning America East Goaltender of the Year has not played in a game since the collision but is not expected to be out long as she has not had any concussion symptoms and actually participated in warmups before Saturday’s game against Northwestern, UMaine head coach Josette Babineau said.
UMaine lost to No. 1 Northwestern 5-1.
“The side of her face and neck were sore and she didn’t feel comfortable in her helmet,” Babineau said.
Babineau said Borley’s status for this weekend’s home openers against Dartmouth College and Quinnipiac is undecided.
“It will depend on the pain level and if we can make her feel comfortable in the helmet,” Babineau said.
Borley led UMaine to its first ever NCAA Tournament berth a year ago. She compiled a 1.89 goals-against average and a .700 save percentage and became the first UMaine goalie to be named the America East Goalkeeper of the Year.
She made seven saves in the 2-1 America East championship game win over Albany that went to a shootout, in which she stopped four of five shots.
She was chosen the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was a first team America East choice and second team All-Northeast selection.
She had started 72 of the previous 73 games during her career before sitting out the Northwestern game.
“It was a scary injury. It was a hard hit. She wasn’t doing very well when it happened,” Babineau said. “She got treated and started to feel better in the evening and felt quite a bit better the next morning so she gave it a try in warmups.”
Draper made six saves and surrendered two goals over the final 45:53 and then stopped seven of the 12 shots on goal in the loss to Northwestern.
Draper, who is from Hershey, Pennsylvania, appeared in six games a year ago spanning 54:26. She stopped four of the five shots she faced.
She had last played in 2019, allowing two goals and not making a save over 23:17 in a 6-3 loss to Northeastern.
UMaine doesn’t have a third-string goalkeeper.
UMaine will host Dartmouth on Friday at 3 p.m. and Quinnipiac on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Babineau said despite the two losses, her team had a good weekend.
“We had a chance to win the first game and then competed better against Northwestern than we did last year [5-0 loss],” Babineau said. “We definitely have a lot to build on the next couple of weekends. We had some good attacks.”
Skowhegan junior midfielder Bhreagh Kennedy scored her first collegiate goal against Northwestern and was one of the bright spots along with freshman midfielder Olivia Geniti and junior center back Poppy Lambert, according to Babineau.
All-America East first teamer and All-Northeast second-teamer Lambert, last year’s leading scorer with 17 goals and 34 points, had a goal and two assists in the two games. Boothbay Harbor’s Sydney Meader had a goal and an assist and Julia Ross had a pair of assists. Freshman Mallory Makesy had a goal and Pittsfield’s Madisyn Hartley notched an assist as did Tereza Holubcova.
