LEWISTON – Rick Meyers knew he needed to relax and just let his kids play as one overtime followed another Friday.

That’s because one of his players told him so.

As his Lewiston girls’ soccer team watched Oxford Hills rally for a late tying goal, Meyers was fully aware that the next goal would end the season for one team. It wasn’t so easy to stay calm amid such tension. When Blue Devil Brittany Nadeau suggested her coach chill a little and let the Blue Devils play, Meyers did just that.

It was good advice. The Blue Devils prevailed 2-1 with a Kelsey Varney goal in the second overtime.

“Brittany Nadeau, she really pulled me off to the side and said Coach, you need to relax. We can do this.'” said Meyers. “So I just sat and kind of picked grass the last two minutes until we got that corner and put it in.”

Varney finished off a Laura Martel corner kick with 1:50 left in the second overtime to advance the Blue Devils (12-3) to the Eastern A semifinals for the second straight year.

“I knew it was a perfect kick,” said Varney. “So I just had to get my head there and try to put it in.”

The goal spoiled a fine effort by the Vikings (10-5-1). Oxford Hills dominated the first half, holding Lewiston to one shot, but Oxford Hills couldn’t break the scoreless tie despite outplaying Lewiston for 40 minutes.

“We battled, and we played very well,” said Vikings coach Kyle Morey. “That first half we did everything but finish. We had our chances.”

The Blue Devils showed more intensity in the second half. Lewiston’s passing kept the Vikings off the offensive, and allowed the Blue Devils to produce the scoring chances it failed to get in the first half.

“We had to play as a team,” said Varney. “We knew we just had to pick it up and play more team ball and look for open players.”

Defender Luca Jacobsen put Lewiston on the board 9:52 into the second half. A ball came out to her at the top of the area, and she ripped a shot into the left side of the net.

“Luca’s goal was huge,” said Meyers. “That was her first goal of the year.”

Oxford Hills kept plugging tied it with 6:36 left in regulation when Abby Chouinard’s free kick was headed in by Lauren Austin.

“We fought back with six minutes left and it was our fullbacks again doing the scoring,” said Morey.

Martel had a couple of chances thwarted in the first overtime but made her corner kick from the left side count in the second overtime with Varney rushing the right post.

“To have her leap up and head that ball, that was phenomenal,” said Meyers. “She tracked that ball the whole way and just buried it.”