Wiscasset’s Gwen Webber, left, battles Lisbon’s Kiley Merritt, right, for the ball in MVC girls’ soccer action Thursday in Lisbon. (Eric Maxim/The Times Record)
LISBON — Over the first two games, the Lisbon girls’ soccer team worked to find its offense, scoring four goals while splitting its first two games of the Mountain Valley Conference campaign.
On Thursday against Wiscasset, the Greyhounds dominated from start to finish, rolling to an 8-0 victory for a 2-1 start to the season.
Kiley Merritt and Carly Drischler led the way for Lisbon, combining for five goals.
But, despite the one-sided play, the Greyhounds held only a 1-0 lead late in the first half, mostly because Wiscasset junior goaltender Lily Souza did her best impersonation of a hockey goalie. Despite a large shot disadvantage, the only blemish on Souza’s save percentage came on a Sophia DiGregorio goal with 22:09 remaining in the first half.
“There were balls right on the goal line where she dove and was able to get to them,” Lisbon midfielder Giana Russo said.
“She played that first half amazing, getting to everything and getting everything. She did a remarkable job,” Wiscasset (0-2) coach Duane Goud said.
Lisbon came out firing, launching the first five shots on the Wiscasset cage. Souza watched a shot slip through her fingers, but reacted by quickly diving on the ball as it neared the goal line. Moments later, DiGregorio had a wide-open goal to shoot into. Souza dove headlong to make a remarkable save to keep the game scoreless.
Lisbon coach Jenniffer Perron pushed her team to “keep at it.”
“I told them to keep the pressure on, that she can’t stop all of them. She was making remarkable saves, places that she shouldn’t have been able to make a save,” Perron said.
With 3:27 remaining in the first half, Merritt tallied her first goal off a pass from Emma DiGregorio for a 2-0 Lisbon edge. Two minutes later, the duo hooked up again, with Merritt’s second tally making for a 3-0 halftime lead for the Greyhounds.
“They were ready to roll and the aggression was there, instead of standing and waiting they attacked,” said Perron, whose squad held a 20-1 shot edge through 40 minutes, as Souza made 16 saves.
In the opening minute of the second half, a Lisbon shot was headed wide. Souza seemed to lose her balance and tumbled to the ground. She was helped off the field, forcing Goud to make a switch.
The Greyhounds took immediate advantage, as Russo blasted a 20-yard shot into lower right corner of the net, now manned by freshman D’Nisha Dawkins. A three-goal burst over a seven-minute stretch made it a 7-0 contest before Drischler scored her second goal with 12:46 remaining, beating Wiscasset’s third netminder, senior Sydnie Thayer.
“We were able to make some plays and get some shots into the corners,” Russo said after her team finished with a 31-1 shot advantage. “We have been working on our chemistry in practice. That is the biggest thing for us.”
“It is next person up, be ready to play,” said Goud, whose Wolverines host Monmouth on Saturday at 6 p.m. “We were down 3-0 at halftime, and as soon as our goalie went down, we went flat. We need (Souza) going forward. We need our best. We come out flat, we are in trouble. We just need to get ready for games. We have the potential. It is just about working together.”
Lisbon, which visits Carrabec on Saturday at 1 p.m., received one save from starting goaltender Sarah Haggerty. The Greyhounds held a 6-0 edge in corner kicks.
Lisbon’s Giana Russo (12) heads the ball past Wiscasset’s Sydnie Thayer (9) in MVC girls’ soccer action Thursday in Lisbon. (Eric Maxim/The Times Record)
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