BATH

When the Morse High School girls soccer team has struggled this season, it has not been because of a lack of scoring opportunities.

On Tuesday, in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B matchup with two-win Gardiner, the Shipbuilders spent nearly the entire second half inside the Tigers’ defensive zone, outshooting Gardiner 9-0 and finishing with a 17-2 shots edge in all.

But, Gardiner still managed its third win (3-8-2), riding two early goals and the aggressive play of goaltender Ally Day to a 2-1 victory, dropping Morse to 8-3-2. The Shipbuilders have one full week to figure things out, with a home date with Erskine Academy this upcoming Tuesday in the team’s regular-season finale.

“I think we were waiting for calls to happen, and the game took care of us rather than us taking care of the game,” said Morse coach Steve Boyce, who praised Day, who had 11 saves. “She is one of the better keepers in the state, something we have encountered a lot lately.”

“They played a good game and their goalie is amazing,” said Morse forward Amanda Gagne, who along with teammates Miracle Trimble, Savannah Simmons-Grover, Lauren Pelletier, Ruth Nadeau and Paige Martin, were frustrated by Day’s play. “We tried our hardest to keep the ball in their half. But, it was hard for us to get it over their goalie.”

Things started poorly for Morse, which fell behind when Gardiner tallied a pair of goals five minutes apart early in the opening frame.

Marisa Quirion got things going for the Tigers, chipping a pass from Morgan Carver past Morse goaltender Alesha Aucoin at the 11- minute mark.

Morse put some pressure on, especially Trimble, who had six shots in the first half.

“We played a really aggressive game, and my defense in front of me played really well,” said Day, who praised Trimble. “She is so talented, and there were a couple times I went down and the ball just missed high or wide. This is a huge win for us.”

At the 16-minute mark, Morgan Carver made it a 2-0 game off a pass from Mikayla Carver.

Morse answered Gardiner’s surge with its only goal. The Tigers had a direct kick blocked by the Shipbuilder defense. A quick outlet from Martin sent Trimble in on a breakaway from midfield. The striker made a move on Day and held off a defender before slipping the ball into the net with 22:26 remaining until halftime.

Gardiner tried to get past the Morse defense of Nichole Laggan, Morgan Cram, Baylie Cram and Leia Graves, but the Shipbuilders allowed no shots the rest of the way.

At the other end of the field, the Shipbuilders pressed for the tying goal, holding a big territorial edge in shots in the second half and finishing the contest with a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. The best scoring chance for the Shipbuilders came with 15:52 remaining when a corner kick led to a Trimble chance from 10- yards out. But, her shot sailed high of the target.

With eight minutes left, Day was whistled for holding onto the ball too long, resulting in a scoring chance from the top of the penalty area. But, Day made a save on Pelletier, and Gardiner played solid defense from there to record the upset win.

“We will practice the next three days and hopefully learn something from this,” said Boyce, whose squad is currently sitting in third place in the Western B Heal Point Standings.

Gardiner 2, Morse 1

At McMann Field Complex
Gardiner — 2 0 — 2
Morse — 1 0 — 1
Goals — (G) Marisa Quirion, Morgan Carver; (Mo)
Miracle Trimble.
Assists — (G) Morgan Carver, Mikayla Carver;
(Mo) Paige Martin.
Shots — Morse 17, Gardiner 2.
Saves — (G) Ally Day 11; (Mo) Alesha Aucoin 0,
Madison Olsen 0.
Corner kicks — Morse 7, Gardiner 0.
Records — Morse 8-3-2, Gardiner 3-8-2.
Up next for Morse — Tuesday at home against
Erskine Academy, 5 p.m.