BRUNSWICK

To say the least, the Brunswick High School girls soccer team had an odd preseason.

Figure, head coach Martyn Davison was overseas after a death in the family, and assistant coach Pat Roche watched one player after another come down with an injury, never once having a full squad available to him.

Except for a player or two, Davison had the majority of his Dragons available in soggy conditions on Thursday, facing arch-rival Mt. Ararat in their home opener. Brunswick held on for dear life, taking a 2-1 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference decision.

The victory gives the Dragons a 1-1 mark, while the Eagles fell for the first time, dropping to 2-1.

“It was the most difficult preseason that we have ever had,” said Davison, whose squad hosts Brewer on Saturday at 11 a.m. “We have had a ton of injuries, and thankfully they have all come back. I have been away for three weeks, and the team really hasn’t been formed yet, so to come and play like that says something. We traveled to Hampden Tuesday, got home at 11 p.m., did little yesterday except a light stretch and went at it today. I have changed the team formation a bit. It was wrong at Hampden, and it made a difference today. It gave us much more of a balance.”

Despite holding an 18-13 shots advantage and an 8-2 edge in corner kicks, Mt. Ararat had difficulty finishing, falling behind 2-0.

“We just didn’t finish and they did,” Mt. Ararat coach Sam Chard quickly summed up. “We got outhustled today. We may have some skills, but they outhustled us.”

Brunswick leads

Mt. Ararat had the edge early in the contest, using the outside speed of Nikki Bradstreet and Libby Ouellette, along with the inside foot work of Torri Pelletier and Christine Levesque to gain the territorial advantage. Ouellette had a golden chance snuffed out by Brunswick netminder Maddie Brescia, and a hard shot by Katie Labbay from 20-yards out sailed high and wide.

Brunswick countered, getting a solid look from Julia Champagne, followed moments later by a high blast off the foot of freshman striker Maeve Arthur, who missed the opener at Hampden.

It was Arthur who scored the first goal, her first varsity tally. As a steady rain fell, Arthur launched a high shot that deflected off the fingertips of Mt. Ararat starting goaltender Lauren Williams (four saves) for a 1-0 lead.

“Maeve is a quality player and really makes a difference,” said Davison. We play the counterattack with her, knowing her speed can lead to something.”

Still holding a precarious onegoal lead midway through the second half, Brunswick received some insurance. Champagne gathered a loose ball and sent a shot toward the Mt. Ararat goal, now manned by Kate Guerin (one save). Brunswick striker Alicia Davis, who had just entered the game, beat an Eagles defender and put home the Champagne pass with 24:51 remaining.

“It is Mt. Ararat, so it was big,” said Davis of her game-winning goal. “Everyone really worked together today and passed the ball real well. We kept playing hard, and we know it is Mt. Ararat. We always have to go hard against them.”

Mt. Ararat began to push back. Pelletier shot high and Brescia dove to stop Bradstreet’s cross, inches in front of a hard-charging Ouellette.

There was little Brescia was able to do on Mt. Ararat’s next chance, as Levesque stole a Brunswick clear and found Ouellette, who broke in alone and slipped a shot past the Brunswick netminder with 5:57 remaining.

“They had to go for it, knowing it was game over, and I noticed halfway through the first half and made a change to a 4-3-3,” said Davison. “It gave us a bit more slither in the midfield, and I thought Emily Black and Molly Gramins were outstanding today. Mt. Ararat is dangerous on the counterattack, a really good team, and they did the job on the inside.”

Mt. Ararat earned a pair of corner kicks in the closing minutes, but the Brunswick defense of Kira Wolpow, Emily Cowan and Aidan Sachs cleared those opportunities out of danger.

“Everything is going to be a battle and nothing can be taken for granted,” said Chard, whose squad looks to rebound Saturday at home against Mt. Blue (11 a.m.). “We went to regionals last year, and some think it is going to be easy again. You have to work for every single ball every single game. Hopefully, they will realize that.”

Brunswick 2, Mt. Ararat 1

At Brunswick
Mt. Ararat — 0 1 — 1
Brunswick — 1 1 — 2
Goals — (MtA) Libby Ouellette; (B) Maeve
Arthur, Alicia Davis.
Assists — (MtA) Christine Levesque; (B) Julia
Champagne.
Shots — Mt. Ararat 18, Brunswick 13.
Saves — (MtA) Lauren Williams 4, Kate Guerin
1; (B) Maddie Brescia 6.
Corner kicks — Mt. Ararat 8, Brunswick 2.
Records — Brunswick 1-1, Mt. Ararat 2-1.
Up next for the Eagles — Saturday at home
against Mt. Blue, 11 a.m.
Up next for the Dragons — Saturday at home
versus Brewer 11 a.m.