CUMBERLAND — The playoffs are all about opportunities and what you make of them.
Skylar Cooney of Greely made the most of her first chance, and that set the stage for an improbable appearance in goal by senior Katie Steinberg, who had never before played keeper but often joked with Coach Josh Muscadin that she would be great there.
“She’s horrible,” Muscadin said with a shake of his head after Greely dispatched Freeport 4-0 in a Class B South girls soccer quarterfinal Tuesday night.
“She had been asking to play. Finally I was like, ‘Yeah, go in there.’ “
To the delight of her teammates, Steinberg borrowed a pair of gloves and a green practice vest, made one save and thumped one punt over the final 14 minutes to preserve the shutout in relief of freshman Camille Clement, who made seven saves.
“I guess I’m the new backup, de facto goalie,” Steinberg said after she finished laughing at Muscadin’s ‘horrible’ remark.
The third-seeded Rangers (11-3) advanced to Saturday’s regional semifinals against either second-seeded Oak Hill (13-1) or seventh-ranked Cape Elizabeth (9-6). That game, scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed because of rain.
Sixth-ranked Freeport (11-5) lost 3-1 to Greely in the regular season.
The game was barely two minutes old when Cooney buried a cross from Ellie Holt for a 1-0 lead.
Fifteen minutes later, Julia Martel set up Anna DeWolfe in front and DeWolfe didn’t miss.
“It’s all over,” came the chant from Greely’s student section, with more than 62 minutes remaining.
Freeport (11-5) had two good opportunities to cut the deficit in half.
Seven minutes before halftime, Clement ranged far from the goal and had to make a scrambling on-the-run save of a drive by Tia Peterson of Freeport.
A short time later, Clement slipped and fell to her knees but still managed to bat away a strong shot from the top of the box by Peterson.
The score remained 2-0 at halftime. Greely removed any doubt by scoring 42 seconds apart early in the second half.
Martel intercepted a pass and booted the ball over Freeport goalie Carly Intraversato not quite 14 minutes after the break.
Sophomore Brooke Obar then made it 4-0 after Holt and Courtney Sullivan worked the ball her way in traffic and Obar blasted a shot that slithered through the grasp of Intraversato, who finished with 17 saves.
“It was kind of lucky, I think,” said Obar, noting the slick conditions and stiff wind.
The Falcons, who beat 11th-seeded Lincoln Academy 2-1 in a prelim Friday, again played without Coach Elayna Girardin on the sidelines.
“She’s just out,” said Freeport assistant coach David Intraversato. “We had a great season. They’re just strong, a good team.”
The victory extended Greely’s winning streak to eight games.
“The majority of the time, especially in the playoffs, you don’t get that many chances,” Muscadin said. “So when you do get it, make sure you put it away, because if you don’t, it can come back to haunt you.”
Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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