Brunswick’s Molly Taub, right, and Hampden Academy’s Helen Shearer (5) battle for the ball along the sideline during Tuesday’s girls Class A South quarterfinal soccer game at Brunswick. The Dragons scored four first-half goals en route to a 4-0 victory. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
Brunswick High School girls soccer coach Martyn Davison has been surprised throughout the season with the way his young Dragons have performed.
After a 1-2 start to the campaign, Brunswick reeled off 10 wins in its final 11 games, earning the Dragons the No. 2 seed in the Class A North Heal Point Standings and a home date with seventh-seeded Hampden Academy on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
Played in a persistent drizzle, the Dragons played perhaps their best half of the season, tallying four goals for a 4-0 victory and a spot in Saturday’s semifinals. Brunswick will host No. 6 Bangor, which stunned third-seeded Mt. Ararat, 2-1 in overtime.
After playing the Broncos in a pair of tight 1-0 victories during the regular season, Brunswick left little doubt about Tuesday’s outcome, putting four goals past Hampden netminder Adie Hughes in the game’s first 40 minutes.
“We could have probably had more. I was delighted,” said Davison of his team’s play. “We tend to get up 1-0 in our games, then have to hold on. Today, that second goal was crucial.”
The game began with both teams playing between the 18s, with Brunswick’s Molly Taub making a nice run that had Hughes charging out of her cage to make an early save. Hughes turned away Izzy Banks and Riley McAllaster to keep the game scoreless through nine minutes.
Brunswick kept coming, and Banks created a chance, taking control of a Hampden (7-6-2)
Brunswick senior midfielder Izzy Banks (10) looks up the field during a Class A North quarterfinal soccer game against Hampden Academy on Tuesday. Banks scored a goal as the second-seeded Dragons cruised to a 4-0 win. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
turnover and powering a shot past Hughes for a 1-0 lead with 30:26 left in the opening half.
“We knew this would be a tough game, and (Hampden) dominated the first 10 minutes. I thought we were in trouble. But goals change games, and Izzy’s goal was a big one,” Davison said.
Brunswick continued to press the play, and the hard work finally paid off. Kynli Van Leer was in the right spot on a Banks corner kick, finding the ball in a mass of bodies and slipping her shot into the back of the net for a 2-0 Dragon edge.
Brunswick’s Izzy Banks, center, is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game’s first goal against Hampden Academy on Tuesday. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
Less than three minutes later, Van Leer was in the right position again. Betty Bakkila sprinted between a pair of Hampden defenders and launched a shot that was blocked. The ball bounced right to Van Leer, who launched the ball into the open net for a 3-0 lead with 12:39 left until halftime.
“It was a mental game for us, to come out strong and play as a team,” said Van Leer. “We really clicked together tonight and we gave it our all.”
Bakkila completed Brunswick’s big first frame, taking a long pass from Lila Solberg and sprinting away on a breakaway after a Broncos defender slipped on the wet turf. Bakkila made no mistake, easily slipping a shot past the dive of Hughes for a four-goal lead.
“I couldn’t wish for anything more — a 4-nil lead in the first half,” Davison said. “We are really a young team, but we have been consistent. We started rough, but they have continued on and I am continually learning about them.”
As the rain picked up in the second half, a pair of scary moments had Davison worried as Banks and Taub left the contest with lower body injuries. Taub returned shortly after exiting, however Banks did not. Davison rotated his Dragons throughout the second half, holding Hampden Academy to just four shots on goal in the contest. Brunswick keeper Aisley Snell turned all four shots away for the shutout, while Hughes made five saves as the Dragons finished with a 10-4 shot advantage.
The Brunswick defense of Logan Brown, Layne Brewer and Lexi Guptill dominated play, keeping the Broncos from generating solid offensive looks.
“We were able to rest a few players in the second half, which was nice,” said Davison, whose Dragons now prepare for Bangor.
The teams met Oct. 18 in Bangor, with the Dragons (12-3) earning a 3-0 victory.
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