Girls' soccer: Bulldogs duck 'Hounds

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Lisbon's Ashley Beaulieu passes the ball past Hall-Dale's Meg Cousins in the first half of their game Thursday. Beaulieu scored the Greyhound's only goals in a 3-2 loss to the Bulldogs and those two goals gave her 27 on the season, breaking the school record for most goals in a single season by a Lisbon soccer player. Marcus Bubar scored 26 last year.

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- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Lisbon's Kayla Angelico crashes into goalie Anna Levesque and Shandelle Sioch during an unsuccessful shot on goal in the first half.

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- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Ashli Canabush heads the ball away from Hall-Dale's Teresa Withee in the first half of their game Thursday in Lisbon. Hall-Dale won 3-2.

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- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

Amber Waterman/Sun Journal Amber Cloutier keeps the ball out of the control of Hall-Dale's Hailey Longfellow in the first half of their game Thursday.

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- Amber Waterman/Sun Journal

LISBON — With a furious attack that took less than a minute, the Lisbon girls' soccer team had Hall-Dale staggering.

The Greyhounds opened the second half Thursday with back-to-back goals and almost instantly erased a deficit and put the Bulldogs on their heels. Lisbon couldn't deliver the knockout punch though, and Hall-Dale weathered the storm, regained its footing and survived with a 3-2 victory.

"We knew we made two mistakes on their goals," said Lisbon coach Jake Gentle. "We had opportunities to score and just didn't knock them in. We just had to forget about those mistakes that we made and go hard to the ball. Sometimes you score when you go hard to the ball like that when the ball is in the box. That's what happened. It changed the momentum of the game for us. We scored two really quick, and it was a great game the rest of the way."

Hall-Dale's Carylanne Wolfington scored two goals, including converting a direct kick with nine minutes left to play. That broke the tie and gave the Bulldogs the win. Hall-Dale (11-1-1) blanked Lisbon 4-0 in the first meeting.

"Historically, in other years, we wouldn't have been able to meet that mentally and psychologically," said Hall-Dale coach Guy Cousins, whose team was ranked fourth in Western C. "It wasn't me pulling it together. It was the girls really getting themselves to get back into the game that's theirs."

Lisbon's Ashley Beaulieu had both goals to break the school mark for tallies in a season. Marcus Bubar had 26 last season. 

"I knew I had to get two goals," said Beaulieu. "It's a big accomplishment. It was one of my main goals."

Lisbon (10-4) found itself down 2-0 at the half. Wolfington scored 11:05 into the game and Hailey Longfellow added a second goal with 22:02 left in the half. Despite the Greyhounds strong start, Lisbon was outshot 12-5 in the half and facing a deficit.

"We talked at the beginning of the game about it being a game of firsts," said Gentle, whose team was eighth in Western B. "There's the first to the ball, the first touch, the first five minutes after a goal is scored, the first five minutes of the game and the first five minutes of the second half. We came out pretty hard and gave up a goal and kind of got lost a little bit."

In the second half, Lisbon upped the ante and pressured the Bulldogs immediately. When Ashli Canabush tried to convert a Brooke Lawrence corner, it was blocked by the keeper. Beaulieu was right there to chip it in off the crossbar.

"It deflected off the goalie, and I volleyed it in," said Beaulieu.

That came at three minutes and just 57 seconds later, a throw led to a loose ball and a scrambling Hall-Dale defense. Canabush tapped the ball toward Beaulieu, who buried the equalizer.

"It was just bouncing, bouncing and bouncing," said Beaulieu. "Ashli actually tipped it, and I had to chase after it."

Lisbon had plenty of chances to add another. Hall-Dale's Anna Levesque made a diving save on Canabush. Lawrence nearly chipped one over the keeper's head and Kayla Angelico set up Canabush in front but her attempt went wide.

Then with nine minutes left, a trip just outside the penalty area set up a direct kick. Wolfington lifted a shot over the wall and curled past the outstretched arms of Lisbon goalie Kyrstin Ramich, who had a fine game with 14 saves.

"I just wanted to put it on net," said Wolfington. "Coach told me that if I kicked it at them, they'd duck because they wouldn't want to get hit. So I just tried to hit it at them."