Bella Devivo of Oxford Hills keeps her eyes on a header by Camree St. Hilaire of Lewiston during the first half on Tuesday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
LEWISTON — After surviving a trio of corner kicks in the first overtime, Lewiston used three in a row of its own in the second extra session to beat Oxford Hills in a KVAC girls soccer game Tuesday.
Leah Landry’s second-chance shot found the back of the next with 1:03 left in the game after Paige Pomerleau’s initial shot off Maddy Foster’s corner kick was turned away by Vikings goalie Elizabeth Hallee, giving the Blue Devils a 2-1 victory.
Rachel Ouellette, right, of Lewiston High School attempts to block a kick by Ella Kellogg of Oxford Hills in Lewiston on Tuesday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
“Paige kicked it, and I saw the opening. It bounced off the goalie, and I saw the opening in the right corner, and I just tried to put it in as fast as I could because I was getting mad,” Landry said. “I just needed to score, and I saw the opportunity off Paige’s shot and I just buried it in the back of the net as fast as I could.”
The Blue Devils (1-1) led for nearly all of regulation, scoring 1:45 into the game on Brie Dube’s redirect of a Foster cross, but Cecelia Dieterich tied the game on a penalty kick with 1:13 remaining.
“They didn’t give up after giving that goal up at the last minute or two left in the game,” first-year Lewiston coach Jeff Ackerley said. “And they wanted it badly in that (second overtime).”
The Vikings (1-1) got the initial boost off Dieterich’s game-tying goal, which she was able to deflect in off Lewiston goalie Gemma Landry after Bella Devivo drew the penalty when she was knocked down in the box.
Oxford Hills had three corners to Lewiston’s one in the first five-minute overtime, and the only shot was a low Dieterich strike in the box that Landry deflected just wide.
Lewiston then dominated the second overtime, getting the only four corners of the frame, with three all coming in a row after Hallee deflected away a shot by Dube.
Bella Devivo, right, of Oxford Hills and Julia Paquette of Lewiston battle for the ball during the first half on Tuesday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
“I think a lot of them were tired,” said Vikings first-year coach Lindsay Fox, who had only three subs. “I don’t know. They were hungrier that second overtime.”
The Blue Devils also looked more locked-in at the start.
“The first game of the season (a 1-0 loss to Hampden), the girls were really nervous, more than I thought they would be, but they were absolutely nervous. Here, once scoring that goal, they were able to relax and play their game more,” Ackerley said. “They didn’t feel as though they were trying to play catch-up. It was huge to score that early in a game.”
“We don’t know how to start a game,” Fox said. “Our Brunswick game (a 2-1 win) started out poorly. It takes us three minutes to get going. Then we owned that whole game, and then the last, you know, one single mark. But I’m proud of them. We’re young, we have two seniors, and they all work really hard.”
The Vikings didn’t get their first shot on goal until less than seven minutes remained in the first half, when Dieterich sent a 25-foot roller right at Landry, who had to make a diving stop on Celia Melanson at the halftime buzzer to keep Lewiston up 1-0.
Hallee kept the Vikings in the game, stopping six shots in the second half, and nine for the game.
“As a freshman, tonight was awesome,” Fox said. “She’s come strides since preseason. To have a 14-year-old commanding the goal, that’s big shoes to fill.”
Landry made seven saves in the Lewiston victory.
Lewiston High School goalkeeper Gemma Landry dives to make a save at the end of the first half during Tuesday’s matchup against Oxford Hills. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo
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