LEWISTON —After playing goalie for the past three years, Oxford Hills senior Elizabeth Hallee decided leave the net and move to the front line as a striker.
Hallee’s choice to go on the offensive helped the Vikings notch their first win of the season Tuesday, when she punched in two first-half goals to kickstart Oxford Hills to a 6-0 win over Lewiston in a KVAC girls soccer tilt.
Hallee said an injury helped her make the decision to leave the goaltending position.
“This is my first year not playing fully in the goal,” she said. “I have been playing goalie since my freshman year, and last year I was (saddled) with an injury. Now I am up front.”
Hallee said she is has adjusted and is comfortable with her new role on offense — and without the additional responsibilities of goaltending
“I like it a lot,” she said. “I like opportunities to score. I like being in the game, seeing the game. Less pressure, honestly.”
The Vikings were right top of things in the first half and scored three goals in a 12-minute span.
Hallee put Oxford Hills (1-2) on the board first with a goal 2:28 into the game. Meredith Harthorne followed a goal before Hallee struck again with her second of the game.
“I thought my second goal was going to go over (the net), but it worked in my favor,” Hallee said.
Oxford Hills led 3-0 at halftime.
The Blue Devils (0-4) struggled to score through out the game and couldn’t find away around the Vikings’ defense.
“We talked a lot yesterday, as far as what we need to do better as a team, about communication and playing the with a better first touch to someone in our team,” Lewiston coach Jeff Akerley said. “We are struggling putting that all together right now. It has been a work in progress this year.
“There is a lot of new faces this year and right now we haven’t found that good balance between each other and that good team play.”
The Vikings added three more goals in the second half, too. Sophomore Gianna DeVivo opened the scoring when she punched one in on a direct kick. Senior forward Ashley Richardson then kicked in the Vikings’ fifth goal.
Ella Pelletier topped off Oxford Hills’ scoring with a goal that pushed the lead to 6-0.
“I think we have been kind of working the whole season on making combination plays throughout the field, and it seemed like we were able to capitalize on it,” Oxford Hills coach Brittany Moore said. “We also talked about making sure we are going hard to every ball.
“The Vikings seem to rise to the occasion. I am hoping they continue to do that …”
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