BOX SCORE

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford women's soccer team's season came to an end on Thursday evening as the Hawks were defeated by Maine in the quarterfinals of the America East Championship, 1-0. Hartford put up 11 shots, including four from first-team All-America East Amelia Pereira and three from Caitlin Alves, but it was Maine's Hannah Breton who converted the game's only goal in the 65th minute, helping the Black Bears move on.

Neither team could get much going offensively in the first half, although the Hawks did have a few chances. The best came a little more than 35 minutes into the game when Alves, who had entered the game just two minutes earlier, deked her way past two Maine defenders and had a clear shot at the Black Bears' keeper, Meagan Price-Leibenzeder. Her shot eluded the keeper's reach, but also sailed just barely high and over the crossbar, resulting in a Maine goal kick.

Maine had trouble getting the ball solidly in their zone thanks in large part to the defensive backfield headed by second-team All-America East selection Michele DeSanti. DeSanti chased down a Maine forward who was looking for a breakway chance midway through the first half and cleanly picked the ball away, stopping what proved to be the Black Bears' best chance of the first period.

After halftime, both teams once again struggled to gain control. Maine got their only strong chance of the period 25 minutes in, when Nikki Misener got control near midfield and lobbed a pass over the Hartford defenders, connecting with a streaking Breton just outside the goal box. Breton laced a shot up and over the shoulder of Hartford goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur, giving the Black Bears a 1-0 lead before many in the stands realized what had happened.

Trailing by a goal, the Hawks stepped up their offensive attack. DeSanti was moved up to the forward line, and Alves was re-inserted for defender Shealagh Begley. It appeared to pay off with 2:24 to play when Alves once again broke free in front of the goal. She lured Price-Leibenzeder out of the net and tried to chip the ball over the keeper's head, but Price-Leibenzeder made a diving stop, deflecting the ball out of bounds. After a corner kick, Alves was knocked down in the box but no foul was called, and Maine cleared the ball out of the zone. The Hawks could not mount another attack, and their season came to an end.

The Black Bears, seeded sixth in the tournament, will face the second-seeded Stony Brook Seawolves on Sunday afternoon. Hartford came into the tournament seeded third.