LEWISTON — The Edward Little girls’ soccer team scored early and late Friday night.
That was enough to take control and lead to a sound 5-1 win over Lewiston.
The Red Eddies scored just 1:33 into the game and added a second goal with 55 seconds left in the first half for a 2-0 lead. EL then struck again 1:39 into the second half.
Jaclyn Masters had two goals and an assist while Kory Norcross also had a pair of goals. Emily Hartnett had a goal and an assist. Emily Dixon had the lone tally for Lewiston.
“The girls came to play,” said EL coach Craig Latuscha. “The girls have been excited all week long. They’re our rivals and we’ve had really close games the last three or four years. The girls wanted this and have really thought about playing this game since Tuesday after we beat Erskine.”
EL (3-2) produced a solid effort all around for its second straight win. The Red Eddies’ midfield and forward line controlled play much of the game and were able to utilize its skill and quickness to mount consistent pressure. EL outshot Lewiston 23-7.
“Our team has great chemistry,” said Masters, a junior striker. “Our strikers work great together. The whole teams gets along great this year.”
Masters set up the first goal when shot had a shot from the right side. It was saved by Lewiston keeper Mackenzie Masselli, who had a nice game with 13 saves. The rebound landed out front for a charging Harnett, who redirected it home.
“That was very big,” said Masters. “Usually scoring first is a big confidence boost.”
Lewiston (0-5) stayed within reach for the rest of the opening half but could only muster two shots on net. EL made it 2-0 in the final minute when Lexis Clavet crossed the ball in front. It was bobbled in the goal by the keeper and Norcross put it home.
“We scored right off the bat because we were excited,” said Latushca. “Then we got kind of complacent and sat back a little bit. Then we kind of scored a lucky goal. She fumbled it, and we put it in. We had a talk at halftime that we couldn’t let down, and we came out flying.”
EL made it 3-0 to start the second half. Kate Sawyer dished off a nice pass to Masters on the wing for the goal.
“I told Kate what to do and she made a nice through ball,” said Masters. “I ran onto it and I just shot it.”
Lewiston got one back with 35:18 left in regulation. Dixon fired a shot from the right side. It was redirected into the net by an EL defender. Lewiston’s comeback push was shortlived. Masters scored on a rebound with 20:19 left and then Norcross finished off an Emily Grund pass with 8:01 remaining. Lewiston had five shots on net in the second half but EL’s defense kept them at bay and keeper Taylor Landry did a nice job make the plays when needed.
“Lewiston played really tough and our girls played really tough,” said Latuscha. “A couple of bad breaks happened for them and we capitalized on the errors they made.”
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