Both teams having one win coming in were about the only similarities in this Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference matchup as the visiting Eagles out-possessed, out-ground-balled and out-scored the Dragons by a 10-2 score.
Mt. Ararat has won two straight to improve to 2-3, while Brunswick fell to 1-5. Both teams are in action today, with the Eagles home to Oxford Hills (4 p.m.) and the Dragons at Morse (7 p.m.).
“Winning the draws was very important today, and once we had the ball we were very patient,” said Mt. Ararat coach Sam Chard, whose Eagles held a 10-4 edge in draw controls and a 23-14 shot advantage, including 17-7 in the first half when Mt. Ararat had a 7-0 halftime lead. “Our kids know that they can play, and the last couple of games they have played well. We were selective, knowing (Aschbrenner, 10 saves) is good on the ground, so we shot a lot in the air today.”
“It was about possession,” said Brunswick coach Alex Sullivan. “They are a fast team, so it is about getting the ball, keeping the ball and keeping it off the ground. We didn’t do that. We need to stay composed better, especially on offense.”
Eagles jump
After Aschbrenner turned away Mt. Ararat’s first shot of the contest, Isa Blessington converted a pass from Erin Tome for a 1-0 Eagles lead just 57 seconds in. Mt. Ararat kept coming, with Tome finishing off a pass from Emily Welch, and Welch setting up teammate Shannon Harty for a goal with 18:37 left in the frame for a 3-0 edge.
“We definitely got our confidence in the Edward Little game (a 9-5 Eagles win on Saturday), and we played some really tough teams early that prepared us for tonight,” said Tome, who finished with five goals and two assists. “It was important to get ourselves set up on offense and figure out what to do to get the ball into the net. I was feeling it today. It feels good to beat Brunswick.”
Ronni Pelletier made it 4-0, and Tome whipped a shot past Aschbrenner off a post-to-post pass from Pelletier for a 5-0 edge.
“She was on today and on fire,” said Chard of Tome. “She scores a couple of goals a game at least, and she sees the field well and her shots are very good.”
Tome scored twice more unassisted before the end of the half for a 7-0 Eagles lead, and goals by Pelletier (Welch), Welch (Tome) and Tome in the second halves first eight minutes upped Mt. Ararat’s advantage to 10- 0.
Defensively, Mt. Ararat’s Ana Knight, Magan Thomas-Copland and Jordan Chase kept Brunswick from sustaining offensive pressure. Starting Eagles net minder Eleanor Skinner had three saves in nearly 34 minutes. Casi Perow relieved and made one stop the rest of the way.
Brunswick finally found the back of the cage with 4:15 remaining as Sarah Ferdinand finished off a setup from Anna Callahan, and Jenna Brooks sprinted end to end to finish off the scoring with just under one minute left.
With the Dragons at the midway point of their season, Sullivan wants to see her team begin to show the confidence that they have displayed at times this season.
“We have shown it in practices and in games and scrimmages, that no matter what the scoreboard says the girls can perform well,” said Sullivan.
Tome led the Eagles in ground balls with seven, with Jordan Chase adding five. Brunswick’s Anna Webster paced the Dragons in ground balls with four, followed by Brooks with three.
Mt. Ararat 10, Brunswick 2
At Brunswick
| Mt. | Ararat | — | 7 | 3 | — | 10 |
| Brunswick | — | 0 | 2 | — | 2 |
Goals — (MtA) Isa Blessington, Erin Tome 5, Emily Welch, Shannon Harty, Ronni Pelletier 2; (B) Sarah Ferdinand, Jenna Brooks. Assists —(MtA) Erin Tome 2, Emily Welch 3, Ronni Pelletier; (B) Anna Callahan. Shots — Mt. Ararat 23, Brunswick 14. Saves — (MtA) Eleanor Skinner 3, Casi Perow 1; (B) Mikaela Aschbrenner 10. Draw controls — Mt. Ararat 10, Brunswick 4. Records — Mt. Ararat 2-3; Brunswick 1-5. Up next for the Eagles — Today at home against Oxford Hills, 4 p.m. Up next for the Dragons — Tonight at Morse, 7 p.m.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less