OAKLAND — Alexis Morin held her hands above her head and jumped up and down before getting mobbed by her Brunswick girls’ soccer teammates. Coach Martyn Davison raised a fist into the air and embraced his assistants, while Bangor players walked off the field in disbelief.
The Dragons are regional champions for the first time since 2009.
Morin, a freshman, headed home a long cross from Ella Gustafson with 1:18 remaining in the first overtime to give Brunswick a 2-1 victory in the Class A North final Wednesday at Messalonskee High School.
“I honestly kind of blanked out in the moment (when the pass was coming from Gustafson),” said Morin. “I was just trying to get a head on it and it worked out.
“It feels awesome (to be regional champions).”
The win propelled No. 3 Brunswick (15-2) into the Class A final Saturday against Windham (17-0) at Massabesic High in Waterboro.
Morin kept her composure when she saw the ball streaking toward her about 12 yards from the goal. She gracefully moved her head and pushed the ball over Rams goalie Emma McNeil, touching off a wild celebration.
“I thought Bangor was the better team (Wednesday), to be honest,” said Davison. “We rallied and fought back when we needed to. I thought we were a bit lackluster after we gave up the goal. We got a bit lucky at times and things went our way; that’s soccer.”
Logan Brown’s highlight-reel level goal with 11:35 to go in the first half gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead.
The goal came when Brown tried to send a cross into the box but was denied by Bangor defender Julia Smallwood. The ball came back to Brown for a shot that hit the right post and deflected into the back of the net.
Devon St. Louis tied the game with 22:38 remaining in the second half, sending a shot past Brunswick goalie Sophia Morin (13 saves) after a free kick from Hannah Sherwood.
“We just thought we’d get it to overtime at that point, knowing anything can happen,” said Davison.
When overtime came, the Dragons dominated, outshooting Bangor 4-1. Still, Bangor had a chance about seven minutes in when a St. Louis shot hit the post before Sophia Morin gobbled it up.
“Sophia (Morin) and our defense was phenomenal, they kept us alive at times,” said Davison. “I thought we could’ve gone without letting up that goal, but mistakes happen back there.”
Bangor threatened often in regulation. Emilyn Streams was denied by Morin on a penalty kick. St. Louis got a rebound shot but Morin was there to deny her. Later in the first half, St. Louis got the ball at point-blank range on her right foot, but Morin deflected that shot over the top of the net.
Bangor’s McNeil also was busy, finishing with 16 saves.
“We never gave up any hope and worked together as a team,” said Morin. “We didn’t let ourselves get down and we knew we could do it. Now we have one more.”
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