The Sanford girls’ soccer team was more defensive minded in the past. But this year with high-scoring juniors, Coach Kendra Brown’s team is piling up goals to fuel its fast start.

Sanford scored 29 goals in the first five games for a 4-1 start. In the first four games the Redskins scored 20 goals compared to eight at the same point last year.

The highest-scoring game was a 9-0 win over Bonny Eagle.

Brown said it’s not the work of “one or two studs,” which she likes because it’s harder to stop her seven talented scorers.

“In the (6-1) Kennebunk win, there were all different players scoring,” Brown said. “If they don’t have a good shot, I tell them to drop it to someone else. An assist is better than shooting into the side of the net.”

Of the seven players racking up goals, five are juniors. Allison Legere leads with seven goals, including three in a 5-0 win over Marshwood. Hannah Callis is next with five.

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But, Brown said, the Redskins’ offensive zeal is near contagious.

“Since we’re scoring so much, we don’t have to worry as much about giving up goals,” Brown said. “It’s a balance. Now scoring comes easier. We just have kids who can put the ball in the net.”

THE FRYEBURG GIRLS have had a losing record the past three years and haven’t been to the playoffs in five years — but the Raiders’ senior goalie/captain may change all that, their coach said.

Maggie McConkey had 936 saves coming into this season, and just may be the catalyst the Raiders need to turn their playoff luck around.

After going 2-12 last year, the Raiders are 1-2-3, and Coach Terry MacGillivray credits McConkey.

In the 3-2 win against Yarmouth, McConkey kept it close with 38 saves.

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“If you look at it, if you get that many shots, it’s not a statistic that shows a strong team. But she’s a pretty darn good goalie,” MacGillivray said. “It’s not like she hasn’t won awards. My soccer team this year is a more powerful soccer team. And she’s keeping us in the games.”

MacGillivray said the senior keeper, who is also the third baseman on two state championship softball teams, is an all-around athlete.

He said McConkey is well beyond 1,000 saves for her career and should leave a school record that will stand for years.

She had her best season last year with 301 saves, after stopping 258 and 259 her freshman and sophomore years, respectively.

“As a freshman to start she was good. And then she saw a tremendous amount of shots. She was averaging 25 shots a game,” MacGillivray said.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com

Twitter: Flemingpph

 


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