WATERBORO — On Sept. 19, after a three-goal loss to Cheverus, the vaunted Gorham High girls’ soccer team dropped to 1-3, leaving 17-year head coach Jeanne Zarrilli with an odd thought.
“For the first time, I was worried about making the playoffs,” Zarrilli said. “We were struggling. We had young players, injuries and we were working out our formation. Piece by piece, we put it back together.”
Gorham fixed its issues and is now on a 12-game unbeaten streak after a 2-1 win over Windham on Tuesday in a Class A South quarterfinal game.
Olivia Michaud scored one goal and set up the other for Maddie Michaud, who scored the game-winner at 23:58 into the second half.
No. 4 Gorham (11-3-1) moves on to Friday’s semifinal game, a rematch with 15-0 and top-seeded Cheverus. No. 5 Windham is done at 10-4-2.
Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled for the grass field at Gorham, but was moved to the turf at Massabesic High.
The Eagles (10-3-1) took a 1-0 lead, 2:14 into game. Emma Millett ran down a breakout pass and got past the Gorham defense, burying her shot in the left corner. The “home” Rams were down quickly.
“We came in a little nervous,” Olivia Michaud said. “We had lost our home-field advantage. We just had to settle down.”
Nothing settles the Rams down like seeing Michaud with the ball.
“She’s the heart and soul of our team,” Zarrilli said.
Eleven minutes into the half, Michaud dribbled down the right side. An excellent passer, Michaud instead cut left, in front of two defenders, and toward the net.
“I just felt like that, sometimes, you have to take it to the goal,” Michaud said. “I cross it a lot, but (this time) I looked at the goal. We needed one.”
Michaud might have kicked it into traffic, but then tapped the ball to her left foot – “a split-second decision” – and scored in the far corner at 11:15, tying the game.
This game had a similar feel to the one four weeks ago – Windham took a 1-0 lead then, but Gorham tied it before halftime and beat the Eagles, 2-1.
But after Gorham tied it on Tuesday, the Eagles kept coming. Millett, Abbey Thornton, Julia McKenna and Sarah Talon were seemingly a touch away, but could not produce another quality chance.
“We did have momentum,” Windham Coach Deb LeBel said. “But they’re the ones that capitalized.”
Gorham’s back line of Madisen Sweatt, Lexi Waterman, Gracie Forgues and Katie Kutzer stayed solid, with goalie Lily Courtney always in position.
At the start of the second half, Windham continued to try and free a forward, but it was Gorham that created the one break. Olivia Michaud had the ball, and Maddie Michaud was open.
“The (Michauds) are fast,” LeBel said. “We had kids marking them, but they still got the job done.”
Olivia, a junior, crossed to the sophomore Maddie, and she finished it for the game-winner.
“Maddie always makes me look good,” Olivia Michaud said.
“We really gutted that one out,” said Zarrilli, who brings an improved team to Cheverus on Friday.
“Our team has come together,” she said. “I’m proud of them.”
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