By ALEX SPONSELLER

Associate Sports Editor

SANFORD — The Sanford girls soccer team cruised to a 10-1 win over visiting Maine Girls Academy on Wednesday night at Cobb Stadium.

Despite a competitive first half, the Spartans would break the score open in the second and put the game away fast.

Sanford would take an early 2-0 lead in the first on goals from Abby Toothaker and Rachel Ledue. 

The turning point came with just under three minutes remaining in the half, when Toothaker netted her second goal to give the Spartans the comfortable 3-0 lead at the break.

“Full credit to Maine Girls Academy, they did compete and they made it difficult for us in the first half. The third goal did kill it, at halftime we felt like it could have been even more,” said Sanford coach Sam Gallagher.

The Spartans caught fire out of the gate in the second, getting four goals in the opening 20 minutes. Toothaker continued to roll, getting two more goals to finish with four on the day. Julia Allen also scored, along with Molly Boissonneault, who converted on a penalty kick.

Megan O’Connell would go on to score twice in the final minutes, along with Hope Tarbox who recorded Sanford’s 10th goal with just six seconds remaining. MGA’s lone goal came from Catherine Reid with 4:35 remaining.

“In the second half they really turned it on, credit to my girls, goals came form everywhere on the field, different players got on the score sheet from the left, the middle, the right,” said Gallagher. “It was great to see, it was a good win for the team.”

After jumping ahead to the early 3-0 lead, the Spartans decided to stick to the gameplan, and not to make any halftime adjustments.

“I don’t think we needed to. I thought we controlled the first half but Maine Girls Academy put up a good fight. I thought as long as we got the fourth it would kill the game and it did, the way we played and the style we played was good,” said Gallagher.

After scoring just four goals in the last five games and being shut out in three of them, the Spartans were able to finally produce big offensively. Although Sanford scored 10 goals, Gallagher hopes his team will keep things in perspective.

“It doesn’t do anything for the team’s confidence and the team knows it,” said Gallagher. “The girls knew once the fifth goal went in we had to build up from the back, we were looking for more passes, it certainly wasn’t as many goals as you count.”

The Spartans improve to 6-4 on the year and are poised to clinch a playoff spot in the Class A South. Sanford hopes to finish strong, and to hopefully earn home field advantage to begin the postseason.

“Playoffs is in sight which is a big achievement for the girls. If we do make the playoffs that’s the first step, and once we are in the playoffs we’ll look to go further,” said Gallagher. “The first step is getting over the line in the playoffs and seeing whereabouts we finish. We would like to get the eighth seed and get a home game.”

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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