When the senior forward had a breakaway try at the end of regulation Tuesday, the Lewiston Blue Devil missed on the opportunity. She was visibly agitated with herself for failing to end the game then and there.
But she put it behind her.
“I just let it roll over, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to redeem myself and try to score,'” Blais said.
Then with 3:31 left in the second overtime, Blais got her chance. She found herself left unmarked in the middle of the field. She received a Morgan Eliasen pass and had open space to the net. This time, she didn’t miss. She fired a low shot to the left corner that lifted Lewiston to a stunning 1-0 overtime win over Edward Little.
“I was just thinking, ‘I can’t miss it,'” Blais said. “That’s all I thought was, ‘I can’t miss it.'”
It was a huge win for the Blue Devils, which hadn’t beaten the Red Eddies since 2011.
“I’ve never beaten them in my high school career,” Blais said.
EL (1-3-1) beat Lewiston in overtime in the Eastern A quarterfinals last fall, but the Blue Devils are a much improved club since that loss. Both teams appear destined to reach the playoffs again. So Lewiston’s win could be a significant boost for the Blue Devils (3-2).
“We’ve come a long way since the last time we played them,” Lewiston coach Brant Remington said. “We generated a lot more attack. Last year, we really relied on (goalie) Kelsey (St. Cyr) to keep us in the game. Again, she kept us in the game but today, it was a lot more team. It was such a team effort. Even the girls off the bench gave high-quality minutes.”
It was the second straight loss for the defending Eastern A champs, which lost to Bangor Saturday. It was the first time EL has been shutout this season.
“It came down to who wants to work harder then the other team,” EL coach Craig Latuscha said. “They won the 50-50 balls and they beat us to every ball. When they got a chance to score finally at the end, they put it in the back of the net. They played with a lot of passion and a lot of heart.”
It was a back-and-forth game for much of regulation and overtime. Both teams had their moments of opportunities. With EL making a push up field, Eliasen won the ball in the midfield and fired forward to wide a open Blais.
“She was wide open two or three times today,” Latuscha said. “A couple of other girls were, too. They could have had two or three other goals had they finished. Someone had to really step up or be left wide open like she was. She made a good strike. Good job. It was a nice shot. We tried to pull and it didn’t work our way.”
Blais had nobody around her and had an open look at the net. She placed the ball nicely to the left, where EL keeper Francesca-Beth Haines could do little to get to it.
“This time, I just looked at the corner instead of focusing on the goalie and where she was standing,” Blais said.
Lewiston’s attack up front gave EL fits throughout the game. Adela Kalilwa had a couple of early breakways where her speed got her past the defenders. She was a threat EL had to key on, which gave Blais and Kajha Gagnon room to work.
“There was a lot of focus on Adela on the right side,” Remington said. “That allows us to free up Kristina and Kajha Gagnon in the middle. That allowed them to get more touches on the ball.”
Haines made the stops on Kalilwa in the first half. EL’s best bid was a Piper Norcross opportunity in front. She maneuvered around a defender for a shot, but St. Cyr was there for the stop. Haines finished with eight saves while St. Cyr had six.
Both teams had chances in the second half. Lauren Berube was a spark for the Red Eddies, which had eight corners to Lewiston’s three. Berube had a shot saved by St. Cyr. Emily Jacques had a shot saved. Grace Gabri had a header go wide off an Olivia Jensen corner. Berube made a nice forward pass for Norcross, but St. Cyr charged out to break up the play. Another Jensen corner had Berube, Allison Mackenzie and Norcross with tries at a loose ball, but EL couldn’t get a shot out of the threat.
Lewiston got a steal from Kalilwa for a shot that Haines saved. Gagnon put a shot wide with Haines charging. Gagnon also sent Blais in on the breakaway late in regulation that Haines saved.
Lewiston had the best try in overtime when Alanna Taylor redirected the ball toward the net, but Haines was there for the save.
“It’s huge for us,” said Blais, whose team plays Mt. Blue, Brunswick and Mt. Ararat in the coming week. “EL’s a good team. That will keep our momentum going, and we needed that.”
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