MONMOUTH — With a smile from ear to ear and his voice nearly gone, Monmouth Academy girls soccer coach Gary Trafton watched his young Mustangs do the two things they seem to do best this year — battle and win.
With a 2-0 Mountain Valley Conference victory over Wiscasset (3-2-1) on Wednesday, Trafton’s charges are now 6-0, with Mt. Abram his team’s next test at home on Friday.
“We wanted to go to the next level this season,” Trafton said. “We have been close the past few years, so the goal this year was to move forward and compete with the top teams. So far, we have.”
After allowing three goals in a 4-3 victory against Dirigo in the second game of the season, the Mustangs have shored up their defense, allowing only two goals in the past four games, including consecutive shutouts.
“We were playing like we always play, knowing they would play hard and aggressive, but we stayed right up on them and played them man-to-man,” said sweeper Shannon Buzzell, who along with defensemen Ashley Coulombe, Lenny Urquhart and Sidney Watson suffocated the Wiscasset attack. “We know everything is going to be tight. We are used to playing these close games, and we are confident protecting a lead.”
“The girls that came back this year and the freshmen who have come up are all very skilled. There are times we have five freshmen out there at a time,” said Trafton. “These girls are not big, but they know what to do with the ball.”
Monmouth rode an early break, with standout Kylie Kemp scoring on a penalty kick in the 18th minute, and Kemp’s hustle led to a goal by teammate Melissa Brassard with seven minutes left until halftime for a two-goal advantage.
“It was important to get ahead,” said Kemp. “We haven’t been coming out strong, and I was worried that we wouldn’t again, but that goal really got us going. And, the second goal was even better. A two-goal lead gives us a lot of confidence.”
The break Monmouth needed occurred near the top of the penalty area. A Wiscasset player tumbled to the ground, with the ball striking her arm. A penalty kick was awarded, and Kemp’s shot beat Wolverines goaltender Kayla Gordon inside the left post.
Wiscasset’s best chance in the first half came on a direct kick from Maeve Carlson, whose shot was stopped by Monmouth goaltender Adriane Gonzales, who had eight saves.
Monmouth received an insurance goal later in the half. Kemp hustled to chase down the ball near the end line. She beat a Wiscasset defender and lifted a pass in front of the Wolverines’ cage. Brassard dug the ball free and scored to make it a 2-0 contest at the half.
From there, Monmouth’s defense did the job, taking away space from dangerous Wiscasset forwards Alecia Faulkingham, Sarah Hanley, Kasey Cromwell and Miranda McIntire.
“We have been giving teams too much space, and that is when we get into trouble,” said Trafton. “We are getting stronger and had good rotation today. Against Oak Hill (a 1-0 victory), we were able to hang in during a close game, and today we hung in there when Wiscasset came at us those last 10 minutes.”
“We were trying to get the ball out to the flags, especially with Monmouth keeping one player back (Buzzell), and we just weren’t doing that enough,” said Wiscasset coach Duane Goud, whose team has now played six games in just 12 days and will host Telstar on Friday. “We were tired coming into this game today. We have played a lot, and against tough teams. But, I am positive and looking forward to the rest of the season. We’re still right there.”
Gordon finished with nine saves for Wiscasset, including a breakaway stop on Kemp late in regulation. Monmouth held a 15-10 shot advantage and slight 2-1 edge in corner kicks.
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