St. Dom’s smokes Wiscasset with a 3-0 victory.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

AUBURN – Onward and upward.

The St. Dominic boys’ soccer team continued its ascension in the Western C standings with a 3-0 win over Wiscasset Wednesday in a soccer preliminary.

The sixth-ranked Saints advance to play at North Yarmouth Academy Saturday in a seemingly annual playoff meeting between the two rivals.

The Saints received two goals from Shawn Longley and a penalty kick from Josh Dwinal.

“We came in a little flat,” said St. Dom’s coach Lee Hixon. “I think the cold weather had a lot to do with that. We’re not a cold weather team by any means, but we got the job done, and we’re anticipating looking at NYA.”

Playing in a prelim was a new twist for the Saints (8-7). An administrative snafu that led to forfeiting six games dropped St. Dom’s in the standings, forcing the Saints to work their way back up. So instead of practicing or scrimmaging this week, St. Dom’s was playing for real.

“We got to stay game-ready, and we didn’t have to practice for a week,” said Dwinal.

They faced an 11th-seeded Wiscasset (6-8-1) team with nothing to lose, but the Saints stayed focused on earning the expected playoff matchup with the Panthers, a team the Saints split with this season.

“We just took everything the same as we’ve done all season,” said Longley.

Dwinal put the Saints ahead 5:33 into the game on a penalty shot. He beat Redskin keeper Ben Ellis to the right side for the quick lead.

“I was just looking for an opening,” said Dwinal. “It gives everybody confidence. There’s a big difference playing from behind than playing with the lead. It helps out everybody.”

The Redskins put some early pressure on but couldn’t produce a goal. Herman Wright had one of the best chances when he was alone in front for a shot but couldn’t put it on net.

With 27:34 left in the opening half, Longley made it 2-0. He took an Eric Rousseau pass, eluded a defender and went in alone on Ellis.

“He gave me a pass, and the defender tried a slide tackle,” said Longley. “I stepped around him. The goalie came out. I just tried to pick a corner.”

Josh Hixon and Patrick Ouellette had chances to add to the lead in the first half but his shots were stopped cold. The Saints outshot Wiscasset 5-1 in the second half. Longley scored his second of the game with 13 minutes left.

Rousseau set him up again, and Longley fired a shot from the left side.

“We didn’t pick up the tempo as I’d anticipated we would,” said Hixon. “I told them come playoff time anybody can beat anybody. It’s whoever is hungriest.”

The Redskins played physical in the second half. One Wiscasset player drew a red card while another pushed over a Saint and stepped on his back. The Saints remained calm, however, and keep their sights on the next playoff game.

“We had to make sure we kept our heads,” said Dwinal. “We knew we’d have another game, and we didn’t need any injuries or red cards.”