POLAND — It was a game that would ultimately speak volumes about their playoff chances.
Saturday wasn’t a must win for the Poland girls’ soccer team, but the Knights knew just what a win would mean for their tourney hopes. They also knew what a loss might do,
“We weren’t out of the playoffs, but going in, we were thinking that if we did lose, it could have set us out so that we couldn’t make the playoffs,” senior midfielder Jen Powell said. “Winning this, we knew there was a good chance. We needed to win. So we did win it.”
Emma Turton had three goals, while Powell had a goal and an assist for the Knights (3-7) in a convincing 5-0 triumph over Sacopee Valley.
Turton and Powell each scored first-half goals to stake Poland to an early lead. Turton then scored twice and Kylie Martin added a goal in the second half.
“Our results have been the opposite lately, ” said Turton, a junior forward, whose team lost to York 5-0 last week. “So it feels really good to be that team on the other side.
The Hawks (4-5-1) were ranked 10th in Western Class C. The defending Class C state champions were a tough foe for the Knights in recent years, but the graduation of a wealth of seniors left a young group. Still, the points the Knights gain in the win go a long way in keeping Poland’s tourney hopes alive. Poland was two places out of a playoff berth in Western Class B entering Saturday’s game.
“That put us in a playoff spot now where we sit,” said Poland coach Aaron Rand, whose team finishes with Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth, Gray-New Gloucester and Traip. “We have winnable games left.”
Play was fairly even in the early going. Sacopee Valley had to shuffle the lineup when Alexis Toolin received a bloody nose. The Hawks pulled keeper Shelly Pellegrino and moved her up to bolster the field play. She returned to goal later in the half. Poland put some pressure on but couldn’t finish.
“I thought the first 15 or 20 minutes we were a little flat,” Rand said. “Then we started passing the ball well and started putting the ball to space. We started playing up to our ability for a change.”
With 18:46 left in the half, the Knights finished one off. Emily Bolduc sent the ball forward from the midfield. That sprang Turton on the right side for a shot.
“Lately, I haven’t been shooting far post,” Turton said. “I’ve been all over the place. I just wanted to keep it on the ground. I did exactly what I wanted to do.”
Poland outshot Sacopee Valley 11-0 in the first half and 10-3 in the second. With 1:15 left in the half, Powell made it 2-0 and secured all the momentum for the Knights. Anna Bolduc’s corner kick from the right was redirected home in front.
“I knew Anna was going to cross it,” Powell said. “She has a pretty hard shot. Makayla Dube charged the net, and it deflected off her. I stayed on the back post just to cover. Coach always says to crash the net and cover the back post. That’s what I did.”
Turton set up Emily Bolduc for a try late in the half, but the shot went wide. Early in the second half, a charge foul was called in the box. Turton made quick work of the penalty kick for a 3-0 lead at 8:47.
Sacopee Valley’s best chances came in the second half. Kayla Brown made a nice run, but Poland keeper Haley Whitworth charged out to break that up. Defender Johanna Moody saved a potential goal by heading the ball away from an open net, while Sophie Spiller broke up a possible breakaway.
“We had great support on defense and had great communication,” said Rand. “They played very well.”
Turton made it 4-0 with 12:09 left. Powell sent a pass ahead from the midfield for the rush. Then with 7:15 remaining, an indirect kick by Paxton Arsenault was put in front, where Martin put it home.
“We came out with a lot of spirit,” Powell said. “Our season hasn’t been exactly what we expected, but coming out with a lot of spirit and the drive of wanting to win, we definitely pulled it off and played as a team.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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