Watch: The soccer goal from UMaine-Farmington that’s heading to SportsCenter

Soccer is a game played almost exclusively with the players’ feet.

That didn’t prevent one enterprising University of Maine-Farmington player from bucking that trend in impressive fashion.

UMaine-Farmington entertained North Atlantic Conference opponent Green Mountain College of Vermont in a Sunday afternoon contest at Prescott Field. The game was barely two minutes old when freshman Luke Sterling of Auburn took the ball for a throw-in on the sideline to the right of the goal.

Sterling performed a flip throw, a showy play during which he dips down and places the ball on the ground while performing a somersault and catapults the ball into the field of play.

The intention is to put the ball into the area in front of the opposing goal where a teammate has an opportunity to head it into the goal. Sterling didn’t need any help.

His high-arcing flip throw sailed right on goal and snuck through the outstretched arms of the Green Mountain goalkeeper and into the net for the first goal of the game.

It was the only goal of the first half, but the Beavers went on to register an 8-1 victory over the Eagles.
Flip throws are not uncommon in Maine high school soccer circles, but seldom does the ball make it into the goal untouched by another offensive player.

Sterling, a freshman who played at Edward Little High School in Auburn, is studying elementary education at UMF.

Pete Warner

About Pete Warner

Pete is a Bangor native who graduated from Bangor High School, Class of 1980. He earned a B.S. in Journalism (Advertising) from the University of Maine in 1986. He has been a full-time member of the Bangor Daily News Sports staff since 1984. Pete lives in Bangor with his wife of 35 years, Annia. They have two adult sons, Will and Paul. Pete is fluent in Spanish and enjoys visiting his in-laws and friends in Costa Rica. His hobbies including hunting, fishing and listening to jazz.