LEWISTON — Layla Facchiano and her fellow midfielders are embracing Edward Little’s strategy and on Tuesday she was was the catalyst for the Red Eddies’ attack in their girls soccer victory over Lewiston.
The junior midfielder had a goal and an assist and Edward Little won 3-0 at Don Roux Field to maintain possession of the Maca Roddy Trophy.
Facchiano said the goal was to keep the Maca Roddy Trophy — named after former Edward Little soccer player Maca Roddy, who died in a car accident in 1995, and is awarded to the winner at the second Edward Little-Lewiston regular-season game — for the third straight season.
“We have had it for two years, so we wanted it back,” Facchiano said.
Edward Little coach Tyler Shennett said the Red Eddies’ execution of the game plan was on point.
“We have been focusing on moving that ball, and our midfield of three of Katherine Garcia, Layla Facchiano and Violette Vincent, really getting them on the ball and facilitating everything, offensively and defensively,” Shennett said. “Game by game, practice by practice, they have continued to improve and all and all are starting to execute our plan to perfection.”
The Blue Devils (0-12-2) nearly took an early lead on Avaya Desjardins’ two breakaway opportunities in the first 11 minutes of the game. But, on the first, she lost control of her dribble and Edward Little goalie Izzy Jalbert (two saves) grabbed the ball, and Jalbert stopped the second with a save.
“We had some chances, but the effort wasn’t where we wanted it in the first half,” Lewiston coach Kevin Albert said. “We waited too late and we are a second-half team, and we didn’t make the most of our opportunities that we had. I was happy we got them and the girls worked really hard.”
The Red Eddies (6-7-1) had a few chances inside the 18-yard box but were called offsides. Lewiston goalie Jersey Cunningham (six saves) also stopped a shot by Hope Fontaine.
Edward Little finally scored midway through the first half, on its third corner of the game when Facchiano knocked the loose ball into the goal for a 1-0 advantage.
“Corners, I like a lot because it creates an opportunity for me to score,” Facchiano said. “I am on the goalie on corner kicks, and my teammate was able to skim it across the goal and it tipped off my chest.”
Kevin Albert said the corner kick could have been a goal kick instead.
“It was a little bit of a questionable one, but you miss one there, but we might get one later on,” Kevin Albert said. “So that is kind of the way it goes. The referees did a great job tonight; there weren’t too many questionable things. The corner kick they scored on, we didn’t defend it like we should have.”
Facchiano set up Gabby Gerry’s shot from 20 yards out for a goal in the 29th minute for a 2-0 lead.
“I would say Gabby’s shot was the goal of the game for me,” Shennett said. “The shot, the one-touch hit, the bend on it — she executed it perfectly.”
Edward Little’s Sophia Cote and Lewiston’s Maddie Albert each came up short on quality scoring opportunities in the first 17 minutes of the second half.
Violette Vincent extended the Red Eddies’ lead to 3-0 when her 20-yard kick sailed under the crossbar in the 22nd minute.
“One of the things I talked to Layla about at halftime was I wanted her to be a little more attacking and help pull play,” Shennett said. “A lot of times there was a player following her around and once she moved out of the pocket, the defender went with her, and that opened the space for Violette to move into. She hit the ball perfectly.”
Kevin Albert said he was pleased how Lewiston forced Edward Little to take chances from outside the 18-yard box.
“We did a good job of keeping them outside, pushing them and forcing them to beat us from the outside,” Kevin Albert said.
Vincent was named Edward Little’s MVP of the game and Maddie Albert was Lewiston’s MVP.
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