BRUNSWICK – The Mt. Blue girls’ soccer team had two distinct obstacles Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars not only needed to topple third-seeded Brunswick but also had to convince themselves it could be done.

It was effort that made them believers – and penalty kicks that made them victors.

Mt. Blue stunned the Dragons with a 2-1 victory in their Eastern A quarterfinal game. It was a 4-3 win in the shootout that lifted the Cougars to their first quarterfinal win since 1991.

“These girls have worked so hard all year round,” said Mt. Blue coach Dave Ronald. “Our seniors were 2-12 when they were freshmen. They’re now 12-3-1. It’s a credit to their hard work and the support of their parents and the community.”

Pia Lane, Leigh Ronald, Ava Amador and Chelsea Thompson all scored during the penalty kicks while keeper Emily Deane made two crucial saves to advance the Cougars to Wednesday’s semifinal at second-ranked Mt. Ararat.

“This is huge,” said Thompson. “We won our first home playoff game since 1991 on Wednesday. So this is really big for us.”

It was Thompson’s goal in penalty kicks that lifted the Cougars to victory. Tied 3-3 in the shootout, Thompson was Mt. Blue’s fifth shooter with Brunswick’s last hope to follow. She chipped the ball to the left side, just off the hand of Dragon keeper Maisie DeGoosh.

“I was nervous, but I just blocked out all the noise and pretended it was practice,” said Thompson. “I just took my time and blocked everything out and did the best I could do.”

Brunswick’s Alexa Dearborn had the chance to tie it, but her high shot was stopped by a leaping Deane and went off the crossbar and over the net.

“I was just trying to focus and not really worry about it and just do my best and be ready for whatever came,” said Deane.

A Mt. Blue victory looked anything but imment as the game began Brunswick (12-2-1) cruised to an early lead, striking first on a goal by Hilary Champagne. The Cougars were on their heels and didn’t get the ball past midfield for the first six minutes of play. It wasn’t until an Amador shot at 8:40 that Mt. Blue managed any kind of offensive counter.

“Everybody was saying we could win before we went out,” said Thompson. “I think it took a couple of minutes for everyone to actually believe it. We stepped it up and did the best we could.”

Brunswick nearly made it 2-0 on Christine Damon shot at point-blank range. The Dragons also had a goal off a Champagne header waived off because of an improper charge. Amador and Marlie Mochamer mustered the only offensive chances but as the half wore on, the Cougars began to make strides. Mt. Blue continued to play hard and gained confidence.

Early in the second half, it was a shot by Lane that changed everything. Lane curled a ball around a defender and took advantage of a screened DeGoosh for the tying goal, 4:51 into the second half.

“After we scored we got really pumped up,” said Deane. “Before, we knew we could win the game, but once that score came, we really knew we could do it.”

The Cougars momentum only grew. As numerous bids by Brunswick’s Alison Walton missed, the Dragons began to press and make mistakes. They had another goal waived off to an offsides call and another potential bid to a foul.

“We focused all season long on some really basic things -win the 50-50 balls, stay with your mark, play the ball wide, and move to space and pass to space,” said Ronald. “It’s really fundamental offense and defense.”

Brunswick had a chance by Lucy Morrell off a corner in overtime and Champagne put one over the net, but the Cougars controlled much of the play over the final two 15-minute periods. Hannah Allen had a bid and Amador fired a shot off a Mochamer corner.

In the shootout, Mt. Blue built a quick 3-1 lead on goals by Lane, Ronald and Amador. Brunswick got one from Morrell, but Deane made a stop on Sam Roy on a shot to her right.

“I guess my positioning was good,” said Deane. “I was just ready for the ball.”

After Walton scored for the Dragons, Kelly Yardley had a shot to the right corner saved by DeGoosh. Taylor Caron scored to tie it 3-3 with the final two shooters remaining.

“I looked where I always look but then it was kind of last minute where I decided to shoot,” said Thompson. “I just happened to go to the goalie’s right.”

The Cougars had lost in a prelim two years ago but won a prelim last year before losing to Bangor in the quarterfinals.

“Each year we’ve kept saying, ‘Take it to the next level,'” said Ronald. “This is it. We said ‘we’ve won a prelim. Now we have to win a quarter.’ Now we’ve won a quarter. It’s just been continued improvement.”