There are good ties and there are bad ties.
The Leavitt girls’ soccer team have had a number of stalemates this season, but the Hornets have tried to see the positive side of their efforts.
“The four ties could have developed either a mindset of hopelessness or one of resiliency,” said Leavitt coach Chris Cifelli. “After this week, I am confident we developed the latter.”
The Hornets had four ties, but a pair of key wins not only may have boosted the Hornet’s spirits, but also their standing. Leavitt is currently ranked third in Class B South at 4-2-4.
“The Erskine and Gardiner games revealed a lot about our team’s character,” Cifelli said. “We were down in both, but they remained composed and played to our strengths to come out ahead.”
After opening the season with a 5-0 win over Spruce Mountain, the Hornets tied four of its next six games. The Hornets managed wins over Lincoln and MCI, but the Hornets tied Erskine, Gardiner Maranacook and Morse. After a 2-0 loss to Oceanside, the Hornets earned two valuable wins over the Eagles and Tigers last week in rematches.
“Ties can be frustrating, but I thought we played well in all of those games,” Cifelli said. “If we looked at them as opportunities lost, it can weigh on you. We looked at the fact that for a large part of the season, we had lost one game. In two of those ties, we came back to win and against Morse, we scored the tying goal with two seconds left. The girls have been incredibly determined and have stayed positive in some adverse situations.”
Leavitt rallied to beat Erskine last week with a late goal in regulation and another in overtime. Senior Amanda Poulin delivered the tying goal with 1:33 left in regulation. Then Liliana Cousineau scored the game-winner with 4:06 left in the second overtime.
Against Gardiner, Leavitt came from behind again. Leavitt tied it with 14:12 left in regulation on a Nikki Daigle goal off a Poulin corner. Then Carlee Long delivered the victory with a goal off another Poulin corner.
Leavitt has some challenging games ahead with Medomak Valley, Waterville, Maranacook and a rematch with Spruce Mountain. Leavitt finished 5-7-3 last year, losing in the prelims. The Hornets graduated just one starter from last season. Leavitt’s hopes was to build on last year’s strong finish, and the Hornets could be poised to do this with another late run.
“As is with every coach we hope to be playing our best in mid-October,” Cifelli said. “I believe we still have small adjustments to make, but mentally, we’re in a really good place.”
Growing together
Much of the St. Dom’s girls’ soccer team may be new to the varsity level, but many of the Saints aren’t new to each other. This year’s St. Dom’s team features an abundance of underclassmen, and many of them have been playing together in past seasons.
“Most of them came up playing together,” St. Dom’s coach Alicia Pelletier said. “Most of them have been in the St. Dom’s program since they were little. They’ve known each other and played with each other. That’s a big help. Most of these kids have been there forever.”
That’s been a factor in the Saints’ success this season. St. Dom’s graduated a wealth of talent from last year’s club that went 11-3 and lost in the Western C quarterfinals. Only a handful of upperclassmen returned and the continuity that the younger group brought with them this season has helped the Saints build something special from the start.
“Most of the juniors and seniors didn’t know them as well, but they have stepped it up and been awesome with them,” Pelletier said. “Even if we’re relying on freshmen and sophomores in key positions, that doesn’t seem to bug our seniors. They take these kids and push them hard in practice. Even when they get beat, it’s all in good fun. They’re very encouraging to each other.”
The proof is in the results. St. Dom’s has gone 8-1-1 this season and are the top-ranked team in Class C South. The Saints’ only loss was to Monmouth 2-1. St. Dom’s also had a 2-2 tie with Madison. The team has allowed just seven goals all year and have posted five shutouts.
“When you start five to six freshmen and most of the others are sophomores and you really only have three juniors or seniors on your whole team, you’re going to have some growing pains,” Pelletier said. “Overall, they’ve risen to the occasion.”
The team still continues to show inexperience at times, but the Saints are growing each day. They finish the regular season with a schedule with a number of winnable games and should be in good position for the tournament.
“They have a great work ethic and they all work incredibly hard,” Pelletier said. “All I can ask for at any point is that every single minute, they’re putting out 110 percent and pushing themselves to be better.”
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