SOUTH PORTLAND — Biddeford girls soccer coach Darren Boynton said freshman Ailaina Keely wasn’t happy when she started the year on the JV team. But Keely was happy to make her debut on Wednesday night, and so was Boynton that she did, as Keely scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over South Portland at Martin Memorial Field.

“It’s something we preach all the time, is be ready for your opportunity. The girls, we wanted to develop them at the JV level, and we just had a feeling that someone was going to contribute at some point,” said Boynton. “We actually were pretty confident (Keely) would score today, because she’s got a nose for the goal.”

Keely’s first goal ”“ her first varsity goal after scoring “a ton” of goals on JV, she said ”“ came in an unconventional manner, as a send-in from fellow JV call-up Conchita Thomas took an unconventional bounce past South Portland goalie Emma Russell 28 minutes in. Keely, making a run into the box, was there to knock the ball in before Russell could recover.

“That was pretty exciting,” said Keely, who said she was thinking “just shoot” when the ball got past Russell.

“It’s something that our assistant and JV coach (Rick Doyon) has preached, that you always run through everything,” said Boynton. “To have that opportunity happen immediately in her first varsity game is a pretty important experience for her.”

The goal took some pressure off the Tigers (2-4-2), especially a defense that held off a suffocating Red Riot (1-6-1) attack for much of the first half.

“It’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year long. I won’t say it’s intentional, but we kind of feel the other team out,” said Boynton. “Like two boxers in a ring, they were just feeling out what was going on and waiting for their time to step up and attack.”

Boynton said having an experienced goalie in Anna Marie Seiler makes the tactic possible, as it gives the defense confidence.

That confidence was tested early on again in the second half, as South Portland had three chances in the first 11 minutes, but either missed or were stopped by Seiler.

That pressure allowed Biddeford to stretch the Red Riot defense on the counterattack, which is exactly how Keely scored again 16 minutes into the second half. Olivia Paquette sent in a pass to the edge of the box, and Keely took two touches before firing a shot into the right side of the goal.

Keely said she saw “an opportunity” and used the nose for the goal that Boynton spoke of.

“We brought up these players because they had a certain skill set. And to have them contribute, and have the team recognize it and work around it so well, and then to have a good team victory is absolutely huge for these girls,” said Boynton.

The win brought the Tigers to within a point of the final playoff spot in Western Class A, and gave them their first win since early September. Biddeford next faces defending state champion Windham on Friday, but then faces two teams currently out of the playoffs ”“ Sanford and Noble ”“ in consecutive games. Boynton said he hopes Wednesday’s win can be the start of a late-season run to secure a postseason berth.

“It was really important, because we felt we needed to have a spark. We needed to have something to get us back on track,” he said. “I’m hoping it’s the spark that we’ve been looking for.”

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.