Local Sports
Girls' soccer: Early exit for Saints
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AUBURN — There was a point this season in which the Sacopee Valley girls' soccer team was nowhere near a playoff berth.
Between injuries and a slow start, the Hawks were 2-6-1 midway through the fall campaign and any kind of playoff glory appeared doubtful.
A lot has changed since then. And as miserable as the season may have been back in September, Sacopee is living large now after stunning top-ranked St. Dom's Tuesday in the Western C quarterfinals. Emily Lane scored late in the first overtime to deliver a 3-2 victory.
"We were the underdogs coming into this," said Lane, a junior forward. "We lost the first four or five games, and then something clicked. Then we won like five or six. So this is a huge win for our team."
Lane scored two goals and assisted on another. Her strike with 6:29 left in the first overtime gave the Hawks (7-7-1) their fifth win in their last six games and handed the Saints (12-1-2) their first loss of the year.
"In the past, it's always been a one or two-goal games," said St. Dom's coach Kathy Little of their former WMC rivals. "So it was pretty close all the way through.
"We had the opportunities. We just didn't capitalized. Towards the end of the second half, we had plenty of time to finish it and not even have overtime."
Before making the move to the MVC, St. Dom's soccer teams earned a lower seed and then drew a higher-ranked MVC squad. The Saints' strength of schedule would often be an advantage and such a pairing would often prove beneficial. This time, it worked against the Saints. The Hawks were accustomed to the field and knew the Saints well enough to feel good about their chances.
"It was definitely a matchup that we thought was doable," said Sacopee coach Kevin Murray. "We've played them every year. Her team is the same team we saw last year. We lost one here and won one at home. We knew kind of what to expect."
Both teams had to rally from one-goal deficits, but in overtime Sacopee nearly won it just 20 seconds into play when Kara Singleton burst through the defense and put a shot wide. When Lane had her chance later in the session, she didn't miss.
Lane, who now has 52 career goals, beat three St. Dom's defenders inside the midfield and then maneuvered past another for her shot.
"It was like an adrenalin rush," said Lane. "After getting by one, I saw an open space. I just went for it. If you get an adrenalin rush like that, it's like nothing can stop you."
After dribbling past the fourth defender on the left side, all Lane had in her way was goaltender Elise Applegate.
"All I saw was the goalie," said Lane. "Her arms were wide out. I kind of just kicked it. I didn't even try putting it anywhere."
The Saints came out strong and took the early lead at 9:26. Ali Desjardin's shot was saved by keeper Courtney Ross, but Meagan Poulin was there to chip in the rebound. The goal not only gave the Saints momentum but also motivated the Hawks.
"I think that kind of fired our team up," said Lane. "We're a reactive team. When that first goal was scored, we kind of kicked it into gear and started playing."
The Hawks got the equalizer with 25 minutes left in the half. Maeve Downey's shot from the left side was redirected in front by Lane.
"To let up that first goal, we could have just rolled over," said Murray. "You could see very quickly that they weren't going to."
The Saints nearly took a 2-1 lead when Alex Landry's shot off a direct kick found the top right corner of the net, but it was waved off on an offsides call. Then early in the second half, Desjardin had a header off a Landry corner that went over the net.
The Hawks took a 2-1 lead with 30:22 left in regulation when Lane crossed the ball from the left side to Singleton at the first post. She one-touched it home.
"An assist like that is something you can't draw up or even imagine," said Murray. "That was just beautiful."
The Saints rallied with 21:59 left. A pass from the midfield got by a defender and Ross came out of the net too soon to play the ball. Desjardin won control and had an open goal.
"We never let down," said Little. "We picked it up. We kept our composure and came back and scored another."
It was back-and-forth the rest of the way. Both teams played well, but it was a superb individual effort by Lane that made the difference.
"Our team has to hold our heads high," said Little. "We accomplished a lot. We set the tone when we came into the MVC. We've just got to keep our heads high."
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