READFIELD — Olivia Ridley scored 26 minutes into the first half, and seventh-seeded Sacopee Valley defeated No. 5 Maranacook 1-0 in the Western Class C girls’ soccer final on Wednesday.
Sacopee (13-2-3) advanced to the state championship against Fort Kent on Saturday at Deering High. The Black Bears, who were knocked out of last year’s regional semifinals by the Hawks, finish 13-4-1.
Additional Images
“This is just Cloud 9 right now. We wanted this so bad,” Ridley said.
Ridley redirected a direct kick by Courtney Ryan and from about 6 yards out found the lower right corner to give the Hawks the lead.
“It was a set play and an amazing cross from Courtney Ryan. All I did was get a leg on it and it goes in,” Ridley said. “I was just trying to get a body on it. I was just happy that it was on goal.”
Sophomore Madison Day made six saves for the Hawks’ third shutout in four tournament wins.
Sacopee’s last three victories have come on the road. The Hawks made a similar run in last year’s tournament, including a 1-0 win at Maranacook, before falling to Waynflete in the regional final.
“I think (last year) helped us. We’re basically the same team. All we lost was one senior,” Day said. “We’re pretty much the same team on pretty much the same road except (the regional final) isn’t where it ended this time.”
Liz D’Angelo made seven saves for Maranacook.
Sacopee outshot the Black Bears 14-9.
Maranacook controlled play for the first 20 minutes but couldn’t generate many offensive opportunities.
“We just didn’t gel in the middle,” Maranacook Coach Mike Morin said. “I think we were a physically stronger team. It showed in the first 10 minutes but then it just kind of fizzled out and we sat back on our heels.”
“Once we started to settle the ball down, play the ball with our feet a little bit, it definitely came our way for quite a while,” Sacopee Valley Coach Kevin Murphy said. “The goal was a result of us pushing forward, playing a little more up-tempo up top and that pressure turned into a good opportunity.”
Maranacook’s best chance to tie the game came midway through the second half when a Black Bear headed a Jana Elwell throw-in backward toward the net. The ball bounced to Sarah Clough for the second touch but her shot from about 10 yards out was high.
“We have a great group of seniors and they’ve all worked hard. They played well and that’s all you can ask for them,” Morin said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.