GORHAM — In a test of patience against endurance, patience won out.

After Gorham dominated the first half and carried play for most of the second, Jenny Darasz drove home a touch pass from Emily Bragg with 9:17 to play Wednesday night to lift Gorham to a 1-0 victory over Deering in a Western Class A girls’ soccer game at Gorham High.

“You needed so much patience,” Darasz said. “With all the craziness that goes on out there, you have to wait for good shots.”

The play was set up on the right wing by Lizzie Sullivan, who dug free the ball in tight coverage and sent a cross into the center of the 18-yard box.

“(Sullivan) just kept working, she passed it in, I passed it over and Jenny finished it,” Bragg said. “You have to go with any chance you’ve got. You can’t take a step back or you’ll miss all the chances.”

It was the first goal Deering (3-1) allowed this season, and it was hard-earned. Keeper Emily Mooney (18 saves) saw a lot of the ball as Gorham’s high-pressure defense kept play in Deering’s end.

“(Mooney) is really good at playing the cross and getting to it first,” Gorham midfielder Emily Lewis said. “We had to figure out where she couldn’t get it and where it would be easier for us to get it on goal.”

Gorham (3-1) tried near post, back post, straight on. Kate Hopkins and Sullivan combined along the left flank, sending crosses into the box for Jenna Cowan and Kiana Plumer. While they failed to connect, Gorham’s attack did let Deering’s back four of Erin Mathews, Sophie Silva, Courtney Brett and Abby Elowitch know they might be in for a long night. They held up most of the game. When Deering did give up clean shots, Mooney was there.

“Gorham’s always a tough competitor,” Mooney said. “We’ll definitely learn from this and continue to improve.”

“Deering played very tough in the back,” Gorham Coach Jeanne Zarrilli said. “They were going to make it difficult for us to score; we had to be a little more creative and change the game plan a little. (Darasz and Bragg) ran really hard to get in the right place at the right time.”

Indeed, it seemed only a matter of time before Gorham broke through.

“There’s nothing (Mooney) could have done,” Deering Coach Kevin Olson said. “She’s a phenomenal keeper and she kept us in the game. We had a defensive breakdown and they put it in.”

Gorham held a sizable edge in corner kicks (6-2) and shots (26-11), and shots on goal (19-7).

Gorham keepers split the game, with Renae Staples making three saves in the first half and Emma Smith four in the second. Neither was seriously tested.

“We couldn’t generate anything,” Olson said. “Every time we had the ball, someone was there.”

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