University of Vermont goalkeeper Kylee Carafoli picked up the ball and tried to quickly throw it to a teammate moving upfield during Sunday’s America East women’s soccer game against the visiting University of Maine.
UMaine junior forward Jordane Pinette was a few yards in front of her.
Pinette read where she was going to throw it and stuck her left leg out.
She knocked the ball down with her leg and then calmly pushed the ball across toward the middle with her right leg before rolling it into the vacated net with her left leg with 2:59 remaining to give UMaine a come-from-behind 3-2 victory.
“It was so fast. I knew she wanted to play out really quickly so I thought I might be able to do something. And I was just quicker than her,” Pinette said, describing the play.
UMaine trailed 2-0 early in the second half but goals by Julie Lossius at the 61:49 mark and Lincolnville’s Kristina Kelly at 82:51 tied it and set the stage for Pinette’s dramatics.
That was Pinette’s fourth goal of the season and all four have been game-winners.
She is tied for fourth in the country in game-winning goals among players from 339 Division 1 schools.
She also has two assists and one of those came on Kayla Kraemer’s game-winner in a 2-1 win over Binghamton.
Her four goals and 10 points are already career single-season highs.
She had two goals and two assists in 19 games a year ago including a game-winning goal with 2:18 left in a 3-2 win over Vermont.
The Thetford Mines, Quebec, native had a goal and two assists as a freshman in 16 games and was chosen to the America East All-Rookie team.
“She has taken her game to another level. She has become an elite player,” said UMaine head soccer coach Scott Atherley. “She is much more self-assured and confident. She has been trusting her instincts. She spends a lot of time watching videos and film. She is stronger because of the time she has spent in the weight room. She is getting eight hours of sleep. She has been making real good choices.”
In short, Pinette is reaping the rewards of her work and commitment.
“From me last year to this year are two different players,” said Pinette. “I feel like I’m getting better every game. I watch videos to see what I need to improve on and that helps a lot. The better I do, the more I can help the team.”
She said her penchant for game-winning goals is a collaborative effort.
“Even though I’m the one scoring the goals, everyone on the team contributes to them. It’s teamwork,” said the 20-year-old Pinette. “I’m just glad we’re winning games.”
Pinette is hard to handle for defenders with her quickness and skill down the flank.
“Jo and Myla Schneider are two of our fastest players along with Tegan Morrison,” said Atherley. “Jo is explosive.”
Schneider is also impressed with Pinette.
“From her first year to now, she has become really, really strong with (implementing) our tactics and how we press, positionally, which has allowed her to perform the way we all know that she can,” said senior defender Schneider. “She has been doing so great.”
Schneider added that knowing Pinette has the ability to score and set up goals in critical times “gives us confidence and a level of calmness when we’re down.”
Schneider has had to mark her in practice and scrimmages and called it a “good challenge.”
Pinette’s path to Orono began with her initial meeting with Atherley.
“I kind of knew I wanted to come here,” said Pinette. “I liked his values and I really liked Liis (associate head coach Liis Abbott), too.
“Soccer is really important to them but so is the human being,” added Pinette. “I fell in love with everything: the soccer, the team, the values.
“I knew my place was here,” added the 20-year-old Pinette.
Atherley said when he was recruiting her, he noticed that she always got herself in good position (to score).
“I always believed in her talent,” Atherley said.
UMaine won its first America East tournament title to earn its first NCAA playoff appearance a year ago and Pinette and her teammates are looking for another one.
The Black Bears are 6-1-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference entering Thursday’s 6 p.m. game against visiting UMass Lowell (1-7-2 and 0-1) at Mahaney Diamond.
It will be a rematch of last year’s America East championship game won by UMaine, 3-2 in double overtime.
UMaine will take a 21-game Mahaney Diamond unbeaten streak (12-0-9) into the contest and Pinette is currently on a four-game points streak (2 goals, 2 assists).
UMaine has won four in a row while UML has lost four straight although the last three have all been by one goal.
“We are going to keep working hard to achieve our goals,” said Pinette. “We’re on the right track.”
