Maine Secures Draw Against Providence in Big East Match
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Maine walked out of Chapey Field with something it almost never gets against Providence: a result.
A 1-1 draw on Thursday night won’t rewrite the record books, but it did snap years of frustration against Big East opposition and showed a Black Bears side willing to scrap for every inch.
Meadows strikes on the stroke of halftime
For 44 minutes, Maine absorbed pressure and waited for its chance. It came in the dying moments of the first half.
With less than a minute on the clock, Victoria Dungey spun away from two Friars at midfield and split the defense with a perfectly weighted ball straight up the gut. Isabella Meadows didn’t hesitate. She burst through the gap, drove into the box, and slid her finish inside the right post with 37 seconds left in the half.
One move, one pass, one ruthless run. Maine went into the break 1-0 up and suddenly in control.
The goal was Meadows’ second of the season and Dungey’s second assist of the year, a milestone night for the veteran midfielder in her 60th career game.
Friars’ late response stands after overturn
Providence chased the game after the restart, throwing more bodies forward and steadily turning the screw. The shot count tilted their way, and the set pieces followed. The Friars finished with a 6-4 edge in shots on target and a 2-1 advantage in corners, a reflection of the territorial grip they began to assert.
Maine bent but held, anchored by goalkeeper Elena Barenberg, who turned away five efforts and kept the Black Bears’ lead intact deep into the second half.
The pressure finally told inside the final 10 minutes.
Providence found the net, only to see the flag go up. For a moment, Maine had its escape. Then came the reversal. After discussion, the offside call was overturned and the goal stood, leveling the match at 1-1 and wiping out the Black Bears’ slim advantage.
From there, both sides chased a winner, but the back lines held firm. The whistle sealed a draw that felt very different for each team: Providence, still unbeaten at 2-0-6, left chances on the table; Maine, now 2-3-2, earned a rare foothold in a lopsided series.
Milestones and a rare Big East result
The numbers behind the night told their own story.
Maine moved to 2-11-1 all-time against Providence, but this point carried weight. It marked the Black Bears’ first result against a Big East program since a tie with St. John’s back in 2007.
Experience underpinned that shift. Dungey and defender Luise Reinwald both logged their 60th career appearances. At the back, Meghan Bernetti made her 50th career start, while Bernetti and Olivia Grisdale went the distance, playing all 90 minutes in a game that demanded full concentration.
Maine didn’t dominate the stat sheet. It didn’t need to. It left Rhode Island with something more valuable: proof it can stand up to a Big East side on the road.
Next up, the Black Bears head to Holy Cross for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 13. The question now is whether this gritty point becomes a turning marker in their season, or just a lone highlight on the way by.
