Boothbay’s Maddy Gaudette, left, tries to hold off Oak Hill’s Rylea Swan from getting to the ball during the Raiders’ 2-1 win in Wales on Thursday.
WALES — Boothbay’s bus arrived later than Thursday’s MVC girls’ soccer was scheduled to start.
The Oak Hill players arrived even later mentally, but the Raiders were able to rally by halftime and hold off the Seahawks, 2-1, at Fairchild Field.
The game started an hour later than planned, so the Seahawks (0-3) wasted no time getting into the game. Annie Bryer looped a shot from the top-right corner of the box over the head of Oak Hill goalie Anna Dodge three minutes in.
“We got 10 minutes to warm up, so I was afraid we would come out flat,” Boothbay coach Ben Powell said. “But we came out with a good possession and the shot. You can’t start a game better than the first goal in three minutes.”
The Raiders (3-0), who warmed up longer than usual for their home game, didn’t get their first shot on goal until 11 minutes in. Their first goal came 12 minutes later. Abriana Deslauriers fed Eliza Whisenant from the top of the box to the right side, and Whisenant’s tough-angle shot got past Boothbay goalie Jackie Mcloon.
“I think at times you need a great play,” Oak Hill coach Jeremy Young said. “One great play sparks things. One great pass sparks things.”
Oak Hill took the lead with just over a minute before halftime. Makayla Hilchey’s cross from the right made it to the left side of the goal mouth, and Rylea Swan was there for the put-in.
“We talked about at halftime that no team is going to give us a game. They’re not going to come off the bus … and they’re just going to roll over and give us a victory. We have to arrive at the field with the right mindset, and take it,” Young said. “Certainly those first few minutes we weren’t quite there. We hadn’t quite arrived yet.”
The Raiders kept trying to add to their lead in the second half, but to no avail. Mcloon stopped all five shots sent her way in the second half, and finished with 12 saves total.
“Jackie was phenomenal today,” Powell said. “She had an awesome game. Huge, big saves.”
“Second half we didn’t put it in the net, but certainly we had an abundance of chances,” Young said. “We talked about that you can have a great half of soccer and not score.”
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
Oak Hill’s Sydney Drew, left, and Boothbay’s Olivia Paolillo fight for possession of the ball during the Raiders’ 2-1 win in Wales on Thursday.Oak Hill’s Eliza Whisenant holds off Boothbay’s ReAnna Heino for possession of the ball during the Raiders’ 2-1 win in Wales on Thursday.Oak Hill’s Julia Noel (33) blasts a shot past Boothbay’s Lovely Uberita, left, during the Raiders’ 2-1 win in Wales on Thursday.
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