LEWISTON — Katherine Theriault, Islah Godo and Emma Berry helped lead the charge with two goals apiece as Mt. Ararat defeated Lewiston 7-0 in girls soccer action Saturday at Don Roux field.

Theriault, a sophomore striker, scored a goal with a header off a corner kick by Berry.

“Emma Berry, she had a really nice corner and I got my head on it,” Theriault said. “So, that was pretty exciting. I promised my coach I would get a header this year.”

Offensively, Theriault added that the Eagles “connected a lot through wide runs,” and utilized the wingers out wide to beat the defenders and sail the ball into the net.

Godo, a senior center midfielder, was first to score for Mt. Aarat, just over five minutes into the first half by booting a long ball from the right side past Blue Devils’ goalkeeper Emily Desrosiers.

“It was great, I mean, I kind of just had some space, and I just ripped a shot from pretty far out, and it went in,” Godo said. “So, I was really happy. I think it set the tone for the game.”

Lewiston coach Kevin Albert said the Blue Devils were forced to make an early-season adjustment in goal, starting Desrosiers after senior keeper Dayla Tripp dislocated her shoulder Thursday. Desrosiers had 13 saves on 20 shots.

“She has not had a lot of experience, and it’s hard,” Albert said. “It’s hard to start your first game against a team like Mt. Ararat, who’s skilled, but they came out here. They were positive, they kept playing, they kept working hard. We just have to continue to get better and battle hard.”

Albert added that Lewiston struggles due to not having a feeder team, and lacking players who play recreationally outside of the fall season. He said most of his players will lace up their cleats for the fall season, and then may not touch a ball again until summertime.

“We’ve had the numbers, but we don’t always have the necessary skill, and it’s something that we continue to work on as a program,” Albert said.

To counter that, Albert said the focus in practice is on repetition and fundamentals. With that prioritization, he said tactical and positional coaching is pushed to the side. However, compared to season’s past, he said Lewiston has improved greatly on touches and passes, and is making steps to increase offensive output. The Blue Devils battled a few times in the midfield on Saturday, but did not have a shot on goal.

“Over the last couple years, we’ve improved, like the amount of goals that we’ve given up, we’ve decreased the amount of shots we’re giving up and the passing has been better,” Albert said.

Mt. Aarat assistant coach Heather Allen stepped in for head coach Kevin Flaherty, who was absent from Saturday’s game. She said the season-opening win helped set the tone for the Eagles.

“We’re kind of a team that sometimes plays down to other people’s levels, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I think we came and played our game like we hoped to,” Allen said. “So, I’m pretty proud of them.”

Allen added that Berry scored more goals in Saturday’s game than she had all last season. For Theriault, Allen said scoring off a header is an opportunity that the Eagles have been trying to generate going into this season, which made it all the more exciting when Theriault nailed it with just 3:56 remaining in the game.

Berry said the Eagles finished last season as the underdogs, but worked hard and conditioned even harder over the summer in order to come out hot at this year’s start.

In addition to Berry’s two goals, Theriault’s two goals and one assist and Godo’s two goals, Julianna Allen also scored from the left side with 2:49 remaining in the game. Three out of the seven goals scored were off of corner kicks.

“We’re one of the top 10 teams in the state to watch, which is exciting,” Allen said. “I wanted them to set the tone, to show that we deserve to be on that lis, so I feel like they really did that today.”