WINDHAM – The Windham girls soccer team ended the regular season on a high note, shutting out Bonny Eagle 4-0 at home Tuesday evening.
The win was the sixth in a row for the Eagles (11-3), who last lost on Oct. 1, when they were blanked by Scarborough on Oct. 1. During the winning streak, the No. 8 Eagles have outscored their opponents by a score of 18-3. Bonny Eagle closes out the 2011 campaign with a 3-11 record and will not be a part of the Class A West playoffs that start this weekend, as Windham will be taking on No. 9 South Portland on Saturday.
The game on Tuesday night was a close one for quite some time in the first half, as neither team could get a significant advantage. The Eagles did have a couple of solid chances in the first 10 minutes, but Scot goalkeeper Marisa Butler (who had 26 saves in the contest) was able to keep the ball out of the net.
Windham was finally able to take advantage of a scoring opportunity with just over 24 minutes left to go in the first half. Windham’s Cassie Symonds took a corner kick and lofted the ball right in front of the Bonny Eagle goal. Windham senior captain Bebe Butts fought off a scrum of players and knocked the ball into the net to give her team a 1-0 lead.
After the goal, the Eagles grabbed the momentum and wouldn’t let go. Bonny Eagle was unable to mount any kind of answer, as Windham was able to consistently keep the Scots from advancing the ball over midfield and setting up their offense.
The Scots finally got a solid chance about 10 minutes after the Eagle goal as junior Sam Campobasso went wide in the Eagle end, but her shot was stopped, and the score remained 1-0.
The Eagles had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 with just over 14 minutes left to go in the half. Butler had fallen in front of the net, leaving it wide open for the Eagles, but as a shot was just about to go in, Scot defender Stephanie Aiken came in and knocked it away in a heads-up defensive play.
Windham finally got its second goal of the half with just under 11 minutes to go before the break. The Eagles’ Melissa Martin got the ball over to teammate Lauren Shoemaker, who drove it home from about 15 yards out to make it 2-0.
The Eagles struck again with just 38 seconds left before the end of the first half. After several close calls down by the Scot goal, Jenna Soucy collected the ball and put it home to make the score 3-0 at the break.
Windham got the lone goal of the second half with just over 35 minutes to go. Eagle junior captain Jordan Symonds clanged a shot off the post, but she was able to gather her own rebound and put it home to make it 4-0.
The Eagles will be looking to keep their winning streak alive when they host No. 9 South Portland in a prelim game at home on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles and the Red Riots squared off once in the regular season, with Windham coming away with a 3-2 win on Sept. 22. The game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Windham’s Mary Margaret Green gets control of the ball ahead ofSend questions/comments to the editors.
