LEWISTON — When Laurianne Murphy said, “Go,” Brie Wilson didn’t have to ask for directions.

“We’ve been working together for a long time, so we can just look at each other,” Wilson said. “We were waiting a little bit for (Cony) to pressure us. Laurianne just looked at me and said, ‘Go.’ I said, ‘Okay,’ and I just went for it.”

The two seniors teamed up for the game-winning goal with 49 seconds remaining in regulation Thursday. From behind the net, Murphy fed Wilson in front for the tally to give Lewiston an important 11-10 win over the Rams.

“She was behind the net with me,” Murphy said. “I passed it to her and she passed it back to me. I told her to cut around, and she ended up getting open. She went in and luckily, she got it. She finds the craziest shots. She’s able to find open spots where she shoots. So she was the one to take it.”

Cony (3-1) was the top-ranked team in Eastern A. Lewiston (4-2) was fifth and coming off a disappointing 12-9 loss against Messalonskee.

“It was so important,” Murphy said. “We lost to Messalonskee, unfortunately, the other day. That would have helped us a lot. So we were ready to win this game. We worked hard, and we didn’t want to lose.”

Cony rallied from behind twice and even took the lead in the second half. Though the Rams proved a tough opponent, Lewiston finished strong to secure the win.

“Our kids showed a lot of grit,” said Lewiston coach Skip Capone. “When they came back to take the lead, especially with the circumstances of the penalty and things, we could have easily let it get away from us. It didn’t.”

Murphy finished with a goal and six assists, including helpers on Lewiston’s final four goals. Mikaela St. Laurent had three goals while Wilson had two goals and an assist. Jess Cote also had a pair of goals while Sam Cote was stellar in goal.

“The kids played great on both ends,” Capone said. “Sam Cote was great in goal. We were balanced offensively, which we really liked.”

Cony got five goals from Emily Quirion and four from Bayleigh Logan. Haley Quirion had a goal and two assists.

After a 5-5 tie at the half, Lewiston opened the lead up on goals by Kristina Blais and Jess Cote, but Emily Quirion rallied the Rams. She scored three straight goals to give Cony the 8-7 lead with 15:33 left.

“We just had to tell each other to keep pushing and we did,” Wilson said. “It was hot out, but I think the girls really wanted this win. So we pushed through our tiredness and our injuries. We really pulled together today.”

Sierra Thistlewaite tied the game 8-8 with 12:46 left. Murphy was on the right side and fed her in front. Then on a similar play, Jess Cote finished off a Murphy pass with 12:15 left for the 9-8 advantage.

Cony tied it with 11:22 remaining when Emily Quirion ducked and dodged Lewiston defenders for the goal. St. Laurent put Lewiston ahead again on a Murphy pass with 6:31 left, but Logan got the equalizer with 4:02 left.

Lewiston’s defense played strong down the stretch and did a nice job limiting the open shots the Rams got on goal.

“Our defense has been stellar all year,” Capone said. “They’ve all done a great job. There were a couple of times they could have gone up by another goal or it was tied. We had a couple of real critical stops. That’s a testament to the whole team.”

Logan’s goal with 4:02 left came following a foul on Sam Cote, forcing the goalie to start the play out of the net. The Rams managed to score before Cote could get back into position.

Lewiston got possession in the final minutes and called time with 1:57 left.

“We just wanted to settle it down,” Capone said. “Everything we do is through Laurianne. She’s kind of our quarterback on offense. She gets us settled down and makes some great passes. She’s got a good knack not only for scoring but also hitting the girls that are open with really good passes.”

As the final minute ticked away, the Blue Devils were looking for that very kind of opportunity.

“For me, I’m so big on passing,” Murphy said. “A lot of times when they score, we get really nervous and panicky. We try to force shots. I was so glad that we were able to slow it down for a second. I look for whoever is open, and I try to be patient with it.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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