After making a diving save, Lewiston goalie Gemma Landry, right, can only watch as Messalonskee’s Lily Wilkie tracks down the ball before booting it into the back of the net for a goal during Tuesday night’s soggy girls’ soccer game in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
LEWISTON — Gemma Landry did her best to save the day for Lewiston, but the skill of Messalonskee and the finishing touch of Anika Elias were too much for the Blue Devils and their sophomore goalie.
Elias scored three goals to lead the Eagles to a 4-2 victory in a KVAC Class A North girls’ soccer game Tuesday night on the wet turf of Don Roux Field.
Landry finished with 16 saves on 20 shots in a performance that almost didn’t happen.
“We weren’t even sure she was going to play,” Lewiston coach Brant Remington said. “She got hurt in the first half on Friday down at Camden (Hills) and came out. Ended up going to the hospital and had an x-ray on her shoulder. Didn’t really practice much yesterday, but got cleared to play basically right before the game. And so kind of a nice uplift for the rest of the girls, knowing that she was OK to play, and she didn’t miss a beat.”
“That’s a very good goalie,” Eagles coach Chris DelGiudice said. “We were putting balls on net, and somehow she was just always there.”
Elias opened the scoring for the Eagles (7-1) just 1:33 into the game, slicing through the defense and beating an unprotected Landry.
Lily Wilkie scored on a cross from Caitlin Parks 16 minutes in, and Elias scored on a tough-angle shot that went off Landry’s wet gloves and in the goal 33 minutes in to make it 3-0 Messalonskee.
“She’s doing what we need her to do and putting the ball in the net when we need it,” DelGiudice said. “And, you know, she’s dangerous. You can see teams definitely focus on her a lot up there.”
The Blue Devils (2-5-1) got on the scoreboard 14 seconds later thanks to an Eagles own goal. Remington chalked it up to the “rain gods” helping his team out after an earlier corner kick made it into the goalie box but the Blue Devils couldn’t get a shot off.
“That kept us alive,” Remington said.
DelGiudice said the own goal was “just a miscommunication” between his defense and goalie Hannah DelGiudice.
Lewiston cut the deficit in half 2:11 into the second half, with Brie Dube scoring on a rebound after DelGiudice couldn’t corral Kelsie Lynch’s cross.
Elias rounded out the scoring by converting a penalty kick 9:42 into the second.
DelGiudice made a pair of saves for the Eagles in the win.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
Messalonskee’s Edin Sisson gathers the ball before Lewiston’s Megan St. Cyr can get to it during Tuesday night’s soggy girls’ soccer game in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
Lewiston’s Megan St. Cyr, left, and Messalonskee’s Molly Calkins battle for the ball during Tuesday night’s soggy girls’ soccer game in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
Lewiston’s Leah Landry, left, boots the ball upfield before Messalonskee’s Cloe Sisson can get to it during Tuesday night’s soggy girls’ soccer game in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
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