BATH – It was evident from the very beginning that the Class A North quarterfinal game between Bangor and Mt. Ararat was going to be way different than the Rams 6-0 victory over the Eagles earlier in the season. Bangor tied the game late to force overtime and scored six minutes into the extra frame as No. 6 Bangor slipped past No. 3 Mt. Ararat for a 2-1 triumph in girls high school postseason play at McMann Field.
Bangor (8-5-2) advances to a semifinal match up with No. 2 Brunswick, 4-0 victors over Hampden Academy, on Saturday at Brunswick High School, time to be determined. Mt. Ararat’s season ends at 9-5-1.
After falling to the Rams on Oct. 3, the Eagles went 4-1-1 the rest of the way earning the third spot and were poised to avenge the earlier defeat.
“We knew we weren’t going to be as flat as we were the first time we played,” Mt. Ararat coach Chad Kirk said. “This was where we wanted to be, we had some opportunities out there.”
Both teams played a majority of the first 10 minutes at midfield, with neither team putting any serious pressure on their offensive ends. At the 12-minute mark, Bangor’s Emilyn Streams broke through the Eagle defense, but her shot went just right of the net for the miss. Three minutes later, Rowan Andrews had a similar chance, only to have a similar result when her shot missed wide.
The Rams kept the pressure on the Eagles defense, but keeper Elsa Daulerio came up big in her first playoff start. The sophomore was aggressive in goal, coming out of the net to turn away Bangor threats at 17 minutes, 22 minutes, and again at the 32-minute mark.
“She has come such a long way this year. She’s got the size and she’s coming off the line. We’ve grown from the basic things to her aggressiveness in the net, she’s been huge,” Kirk said. “She made some big plays out there today, making good decisions. And the best part is we get her back next year and then the next.”
Mt. Ararat’s Ema Hawkes did all she could on the offensive end, gliding through defenders and creating open space for the offense. A pair of shots by the junior forward resulted in first-half corner kicks for the Eagles, but the hosts were unable to punch one in.
After 40-minutes of action, the game remained scoreless as the Eagles held a slim advantage in shots, 5-3, while taking all six corner kicks by either team. Bangor keeper Emma McNeil made five saves, while Daulerio stopped all three shots.
A little under twelve minutes into the second half, Mt. Ararat’s Alexa Gurney broke down the right side of the field. After she hesitated to free herself from her defender, the junior fired a shot on goal. On its flight, senior Reese Turcotte was able to get a piece of the ball,deflecting it enough to roll past McNeil for the game’s first goal.
“I saw that she was shooting it and I knew we needed to score,” Turcotte said. “I put my foot on it and hoped for the best. I knew it didn’t matter if she scored it or if I did, we needed to get on the scoreboard.”
“I did know Reese was there,” Gurney said when asked if she saw Turcotte in the middle. “I saw her out of the corner of my eye and I figured if I just got it in the mix someone would be on the end of it.”
Daulerio preserved the one-goal lead at the midway point after Andrews took a shot at the keeper from point-blank range. The play resulted in a corner kick for the Rams, and on the boot to the middle, the ball was headed off the crossbar for a goal kick. Minutes later, another close call for Daulerio and the Eagles when a loose ball was picked up by Bangor and with Daulerio out of the net, Mt Ararat’s Brennan Thiboutot cleared the ball and the score remained 1-0.
The Rams were able to score the equalizer with a little over 10 minutes remaining in regulation when Devin St. Louis pounced on a loose ball as Daulerio fell to the ground for the save, but Andrews was there to send the ball to the back of the net.
“We are always taught in practice to follow your crosses, follow your shots and follow your passes. That’s what Rowan did and that really helped our team to victory tonight,” St. Louis said about the game-tying goal.
St. Loius nearly put the Rams ahead with four minutes left as she broke free to the net, but was stopped by Daulerio, who finished with 10 saves, and the game ultimately went into overtime.
Bangor outshot the Eagles 8-3 in the second half, taking eight corner kicks to Mt. Ararat’s one.
Mt. Ararat put two shots on goal to open the extra frame as McNeil turned both away, finishing with nine saves.
Bangor grabbed possession after the second miss and brought the ball down the field. An Eliza Jansujwicz pass through the middle found St. Louis, and the sophomore tapped it into the net for the game winner.
“Everything around me went blank, I didn’t hear the crowd or anything. I just thought about that we need this win, we earned it, it’s overtime and we need this goal. I just took the shot and it went in,” St. Louis said.
Despite the result, the Eagles held their heads high, with seniors Heather Gallant, Bre McCourt, Turcotte, Thiboutot, and Kyla Greenleaf all stepping on the pitch for the last time in high school.
“We fight hard and I’m proud of everyone this season,” Turcotte said. “The past few seasons I have played we’ve had some struggles. This year we put it all together and had some fun. It all started with good leadership and we all got along, all fought hard and did our share. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I’m definitely proud of our season.”
“We got flat after we scored for 12 minutes, it hurt us. But we came out in overtime and played really hard,” Kirk said. “We’re losing some good leaders in our seniors, but we’re going in the right direction and we have a good foundation.”
Gurney agreed.
“I love how we play together. That’s what I look forward to with this team,” the junior said. “We have more girls coming up that we’ll bond with and I look forward to it.”
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