Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 20, 2012

Girls' soccer: Stags at home in the rain

Cheverus ousts its crosstown rival and earns a shot at top-ranked Windham.

By MARK JEANNERET Special to the Press Herald

PORTLAND - Sadie Lyons' first-half goal gave ninth-seeded Cheverus all the offense it needed Friday to knock off No. 8 Deering 3-0 in a Western Class A girls' soccer preliminary game played through intermittent rain at Memorial Field.

"We played in the rain a lot this season so we were prepared for this," said Lyons. "We've played at this field a lot, too, because our field was too wet, so we were used to the turf.

"It sort of felt like a home game a little bit."

The Stags (10-5) will face top-ranked Windham (13-0-1) in a regional quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Lyons' goal came in the final moments of the opening half. Abigail Goodrich controlled a ball deep in the Deering end and found Lyons unmarked in the penalty area. Lyons lofted a shot over the head of keeper Lee Ann Downs, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead 2:27 before the break.

"The first goal in any soccer game is absolutely huge," said Cheverus Coach Dan LaVallee. "Given how we lost to them in the regular season (3-2 in overtime on Oct. 12), that goal gave us the belief that this would be our day."

The Rams (9-5-1) had a couple chances to open the scoring but failed to convert. The first came in the opening moments off Deering's only corner kick of the half. Alexis Elowitch got a head on the delivery but was denied.

Elowitch also had an opportunity 15 minutes into the game, but her shot from 25 yards was stopped by Cheverus keeper Mikayla Mayberry.

Abby Maker was in the thick of things on nearly every Cheverus chance in the opening half. The best occurred five minutes into the game when she snuck in behind the defense but sent a shot over the crossbar.

Cheverus padded its lead midway through the second half. During a scramble in front of the Deering goal, the ball came free to Eden Monsen, who found the back of the net to make it 2-0.

The only real threat mounted by Deering in the second half occurred three minutes later when the Rams were awarded a free kick from about 35 yards. Edie Pallozzi's shot carried high over the goal.

"We just didn't generate the offense we've been doing the last four or five games," said Deering Coach Kevin Olson.

"We put a little pressure on (in the second half) but we just never got a shot on frame, and that's what we talked about. Just get a shot, because in these conditions you never know."

Alyssa Smith completed the scoring off a corner kick with 10 minutes remaining.

 

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