Faith Grady wasn’t expecting it, but probably could have been.
When the St. Dom’s senior soccer player got a call from her’ coach, she was surprised to hear the news about this year’s Mountain Valley Conference all-stars.
Not surprisingly, Grady had been named the MVC Player of the Year.
“I forgot all about it,” Grady said following her team’s 3-0 Western C preliminary win over Dirigo on Saturday. “I had forgotten about awards and everything. Then I got a call from Coach.”
Grady was excited about the honor and shared the news to someone who could relate. Former Saints goalie Kelly Pomerleau won the award the previous two seasons.
“The first thing I did was text Kelly Pomerleau.” Grady said. “She said that she was really proud of me. So that meant a lot.”
Grady netted her 26th and 27th goals of the season Saturday in the tourney win over the Cougars. The fourth-ranked Saints (12-3) had 47 goals total as a team.
“She’s improved her ability this year to be more than just her speed,” St. Dom’s coach Alicia Pelletier said. “She’s really worked hard in the offseason and has added things to her repertoire.”
The Saints host fifth-ranked Maranacook on Wednesday in a regional quarterfinal.
One amazing feat Pomerleau accomplished a year ago was to win the MVC Player of the Year honor in both soccer and in basketball. Grady is a standout on the basketball team, but knows duplicating that achievement won’t be so easy.
“That’s going to be tough,” she said.
Grady was joined on the MVC all-star list by the Saints’ stellar defender Sam Ladd, who was also a first team pick. Kym Johnson earned second team honors.
Other locals recognized by the MVC included first team selections, Haley Fletcher (Monmouth), Deliah Schreiber (Lisbon), Alexandra Sult (Lisbon), Kailyn Hill (Lisbon), Kate Jordan (Mt. Abram) and Sarah Klein (Mountain Valley).
Locals on the second team included, Shannon Buzzell (Monmouth, Megan Bradbury (Dirigo), Leanna McNally (Mountain Valley), Sydney Wilson (Monmouth), Sammy Grandahl (Monmouth), Bree Ivy (Oak Hill) and Abby Mazza (Mountain Valley).
A look ahead
Regional quarterfinals are coming up Tuesday and Wednesday. A number of local teams are still chasing playoff glory. Here’s a look at the upcoming matchups:
Tuesday’s boys’ quarterfinals
In Eastern A, top-seeded Lewiston (13-0-1) hosts eighth-ranked Mt. Blue (6-5-1). The Cougars are coming off a prelim win over Oxford Hills on Saturday. The Blue Devils defeated Mt. Blue earlier in the season, 6-1 in Farmington.
Sixth-ranked Edward Little (8-5-1) takes a trip to Hampden (11-3). The third-ranked Broncos and defending Eastern A champs beat the Red Eddies 3-1 late in the season.
In Western B, Gray-New Gloucester (7-5-2) earned the fourth seed and hosts Lincoln Academy (7-4-3). The Patriots didn’t play the Eagles in the regular season. Gray-NG already improved its record from last year and would like to extend its season after losing in the quarterfinals last fall.
In Western C, Mountain Valley (13-0-1) hosts its first playoff game in years. The second-ranked Falcons host Carrabec (8-7). The Cobras beat Mt. Abram in overtime in Saturday’s prelim. Mountain Valley is coming off a grueling overtime loss to Hall-Dale in penalty kicks in Saturday’s MVC championship game. The Falcons beat the Cobras in the regular season, 2-0.
Fifth-ranked St. Dom’s (10-2-2) plays at Waynflete (11-1-2). The Saints take a six-game winning streak into the quarterfinals.
Monmouth (11-4) gets a rematch with Hall-Dale (13-1). The Mustangs, who beat Lisbon in Saturday’s prelim, lost to the Bulldogs 1-0 in the regular season.
In Western D, second-seeded Buckfield (11-3) hosts Islesboro (5-6-1). The two teams didn’t play in the regular season. The Bucks lost in the quarterfinals last fall but have won seven of their last eight games.
Wednesday’s girls’ quarterfinals
In Eastern A, second-ranked Edward Little (10-1-3) hosts the rematch with seventh-seeded Lewiston (6-7-1). The Red Eddies beat the Blue Devils 3-0 in the first meeting but tied them 1-1 last week.
Ninth-seeded Mt. Blue (5-8-2) already travelled east once this week. The Cougars beat Brewer in Saturday’s prelim. Mt. Blue returns to Bangor to face the top-ranked Rams (12-0-2). The Cougars just played Bangor last week and were tied 2-2 late in the game before a pair of late goals secured a 4-2 win for the Rams.
In Western B, Gray-New Gloucester (5-8-2) advanced in Saturday’s prelim with a 3-0 win over Lake Region. Now the Patriots meet second-ranked Yarmouth (8-3-3). The Clippers won the first game, 3-1.
In Western C, second-seeded Monmouth (12-1-1) hosts Sacopee Valley (10-2-3). The Hawks, a Western Maine Conference team, typically proves to be a tough foe against MVC squads in the playoffs. The Mustangs are coming off a hard-fought loss to Madisosn in the MVC championship game.
Third-ranked Mountain Valley (11-3) hosts Waynflete (8-1-5). It’s a rare home playoff game for the Falcons. The Flyers are a seasoned playoff team, but the Falcons have won seven straight.
Fourth-seeded St. Dom’s (12-3) hosts fifth-ranked Maranacook (11-3-1). The Saints and Black Bears don’t play in the regular season. Maranacook plays mostly a competitive KVAC B schedule. St. Dom’s has won six straight.
In Western D, Buckfield (10-3-1) took the fourth seed and hosts Rangeley (7-5-1). The two teams split during the regular season. The Lakers won the first match 3-2 while the Bucks took the second game 1-0. The Bucks have won eight of its last nine games.
Remembering Cassidy Charette
The soccer teams from Lewiston and Edward Little teamed up to help raise money for the Cassidy Charette Scholarship Fund last week.
Charette was the Messalonskee High School girls’ soccer player that was killed in a recent hayride accident. She was not only well know by her Eagles teammates but also the soccer community in general. She played on a number of other teams with girls in the area.
In back-to-back games between Lewiston and Edward Little to end the regular season last week, donations were taken in hopes of giving money to support the scholarship fund being established in Charette’s name. Between the two games, the teams raised $600.
kmills@sunjournal.com
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