BRUNSWICK — Allie Walton scored both of Brunswick’s goals and snapped a 1-1 tie at 15:49 of the second half as the Dragons edged rival Mt. Ararat 2-1 in an early season showdown of Eastern Class A girls’ soccer powers Tuesday.

The Eagles tied the game 1-1 in the first half when Randi London took advantage of uncharacteristically sloppy play by the Brunswick defense, but the defending state champions took control after intermission.

Mt. Ararat goalie Shauna Williams grabbed a Dakota Foster blast from the right. Then Walton buzzed the net with a shot from 35 yards out. Foster twice fed Walton for bids that Williams collared. The siege continued as Allison Hill worked through three defenders and passed to Walton, who drilled the crossbar.

Finally, Brunswick’s Paige Tetu banged a shot off the crossbar, Morgan Libby chased down the rebound and sent it back up to Walton, who was breaking in alone. Williams came out to challenge, but Walton went to her right and had a wide-open net to fill.

Asked if the move was planned, the senior, who now has nine goals in four games, said, “I’ve found that the times … when I think, I miss, so I just let my body take over.”

As to any possible letdown after the tying goal, Walton said, “There have been games when we’ve gotten frustrated, but we just tell ourselves, if you don’t shoot, you can’t score.

“Mt. Ararat is always strong, these games are always tough, and everyone has to step up against them. The fact that we had so many opportunities in the first 15 minutes of the second half showed what we were capable of.”

In the opening half, the Dragons (4-0) focused on chipping through balls over the defense and took the lead when Foster intercepted an Eagle goal kick and passed ahead to Walton, who was breaking down the right side. From the corner of the penalty area, Walton ripped a shot into the high far corner of the net at 7:08.

Mt. Arafat made things interesting when Celia Ouellette fed Landon, who converted to tie the game 1-1.

“I thought we were a little sluggish at times,” said Brunswick Coach Martyn Davison. “Mt. Ararat is always going to come out hard and battle you 100 percent of the time, and if you’re not ready to match that intensity, you’ll be in trouble.

“But I thought we played a good game,” Davison continued, singling out midfielder Hill and defenders Libby and Lauren Thacker before adding, “Pretty much everybody (played well), actually.

“The thing is, since it’s a rivalry game, the kids put so much pressure on themselves and are so desperate for the winning result that they forget to play the game.”

Mt. Ararat Coach Sam Chard, praised the efforts of Williams (12 saves), London and Jaymee Wallace.

“Brunswick is always a good team, and it’s always a good game when we play them, but we showed we can play with anybody,” Chard said. “We missed some opportunities and so did they, and we panicked a little bit in the second half, and they took advantage. That’s going to happen sometimes.”

 

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