CUMBERLAND — Undefeated seasons are nice, but sometimes it’s good when a team experiences defeat.
“Every loss is a lesson,” said Greely High girls’ soccer coach Josh Muscadin, whose Rangers lost two weeks ago at Yarmouth. “We were 12-0 and everyone was taking it easy.”
A more focused Greely team showed up Saturday for a Class B South semifinal against Yarmouth, and the Rangers advanced with a 2-1 victory.
Top-seeded Greely (14-2) moves on to play host Wednesday in the regional final against second-seeded York (10-3-3). York gave Greely its second loss, three days after the defeat to Yarmouth.
“This was redemption (game) and now we get to play against another team that beat us,” Muscadin said.
Fourth-seeded Yarmouth finishes at 7-6-3.
Yarmouth keeper Meredith Lane (12 saves) and backs Lauren Bartlett and Lilly Watson held off the Rangers for 30 minutes. But Greely scored two goals less than three minutes apart – Ellie Schad at 30:41 and Izzy Hutnak at 33:32 – for a 2-0 halftime lead.
“They have a very talented team with great offensive weapons. They seemed to be everywhere,” Yarmouth Coach Rich Smith said.
“But we played hard. We gave it our all that last 40 minutes.
The Clippers closed to 2-1 on a penalty kick by Cory Langenbach with 2:28 remaining.
Greely held on. Keeper Maddie Cyr (eight saves) made her final stop on a Katie Clemmer shot with 34 seconds left.
Cyr had three fellow seniors playing stellar defense in front of her – Susannah Jacobson, Maggie Reed and Kelsey Otley.
“My senior backs were very strong,” Muscadin said. “We came to play.”
Midfielder/forward Jocelyn Mitiguy helped create offense for the Rangers as Greely controlled most of the flow. Lane came out aggressively and took away some of Greely’s chances.
But Schad would not be stopped, dribbling through a crowd and putting away a point-blank shot.
“I just remember getting past one defender and not having a hard shot,” said Schad, who is also a standout hockey player but will have to put that sport on hold temporarily when hockey practices begin Monday.
“I’m (eager) for hockey, but I definitely want to go to the end with soccer.”
Her soccer teammates feel the same way. Greely has lost in the regional final the last two years.
“We really want this,” said Hutnak, who scored on a shot that was meant to be a cross but hit the post and bounced in.
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