Rockport’s Britta Denny will be the answer to a University of Maine sports trivia question: Who scored the Black Bears’ first-ever game-winning goal at their new New Balance Track and Field and Soccer Complex?
It was also the freshman right wing’s first collegiate goal. She scored it off a beautiful diagonal pass from Emma Nicholson to give the Black Bears a 1-0 lead over the University of Maryland Baltimore County with 22:34 remaining in the game on Sunday afternoon. The Black Bears went on to win 2-0.
It was UMaine’s first victory on its new field following a 1-1 tie with Bryant University and a 1-0 loss to the University of Vermont.
Denny ran on to the ball down the left wing side and calmly guided it past UMBC goalkeeper Kalli Willilams with the inside of her right foot from eight yards out.
“Emma did all the hard work. She made an amazing run and beat two defenders,” Denny said. “All I had to do was tap it into the goal.”
Nicholson had sprinted down the field to track down a long pass from Luise Reinwald before cleverly beating a defender with an outside-inside move, taking a few strides toward the penalty area and sliding the ball across to the far side to Denny.
“It felt so good,” Denny added. “My goal this year was to score and I’m glad I accomplished it.”
UMaine head coach Scott Atherley said Denny has been a “great story” on the Black Bears team.
“She gets better every day. She competes every day and shows she belongs at this level,” Atherley said.
In her first seven appearances, Denny averaged 13.4 minutes of playing time per game.
Over the last four, she has doubled her playing time, averaging 27.5 minutes per game.
That is a testament to her improvement, said Atherley.
He pointed out that when they break down the video after each game, he and his assistants Alexis Smith and Tiana Bucknor have noticed that Denny “gets on the ball a lot” and is “always in good position.”
The former All-American midfielder at Camden Hills High School in Rockport has “terrific potential,” according to Atherley.
“She has a real knack around the goal. She’s going to be a real goal scorer for us at this level,” he said about the freshman who turns 19 in November.
Denny isn’t a newcomer to the right wing position. She explained that she plays right wing for her club team, Seacoast United.
“I’ve gotten to know the position pretty well,” said the daughter of Eric and Andrea Denny.
“I feel like wing is where I can flourish and be creative and stuff. It takes a lot of experience to play midfield at the college level,” Denny said. “Wing is a better spot for me right now.”
Denny, who scored 31 goals as a sophomore at Camden Hills and was a three-time Maine Soccer Coaches Association North Regional All-Star, said it has been a big adjustment from high school to college soccer.
“It’s more rigorous and time-consuming. You have to put in a lot more work,” Denny said. “But I came prepared. I just love to play soccer and I’m glad to be able to do it every day. Going to practice is my favorite time of the day.”
She is getting more comfortable every week.
“I’m glad I’m getting the opportunity in games to show off my potential,” Denny said.
She loves her teammates, saying they were “so welcoming” when she and other newcomers arrived.
“Getting to know them the past couple of months has been so much fun,” Denny said.
And playing on the new field has been a memorable experience.
“It’s so nice. We’re so lucky to have it,” Denny said.
The youthful defending two-time America East tournament champion Black Bears, who graduated players who scored 21 of their 32 goals last season, are currently 2-2-2 in the conference and 3-6-3 overall. They are tied for fifth with UMass Lowell with eight points. But they are just one point out of third place, which is shared by Bryant and New Hampshire.
They will travel to play New Jersey Institute of Technology (0-3-3, 5-5-6) on Saturday at 6 p.m. before hosting UNH (2-1-3, 4-4-6) in the regular season finale next Thursday at 6 p.m.
UMaine’s win over UMBC was impressive, as the Black Bears were without starting center backs Rebecca Grisdale and Lea Schroder, who have been lost for the season due to lower body injuries sustained the week before the UMBC game.
They have been replaced by Olivia Grisdale, Rebecca’s sister who had been playing in the midfield, and Campbell University transfer Meghan Bernetti.
“The whole team stepped up. It was probably our best performance of the year,” Atherley said about the UMBC win. “That says a lot about our team.”
