LEWISTON — Fred Conlogue might have left out one piece of pertinent information when he gave his Mt. Blue Cougars a scouting report for Tuesday night.

He failed to inform his players that Lewiston  goalkeeper Lex Jimenez might be one of the best they’ll see. Just as Conlogue planned, his Cougars quickly discovered that for themselves.

 Jimenez produced another outstanding effort in net for the Blue Devils, but Mt. Blue’s talent up front proved too much in a 5-1 win.

“I didn’t tell them she was a good goalie,” said Conlogue. “I knew she was a good goalie. “I think they could tell with her first save how correct her form is.”

Jimenez kept the Blue Devils close in the first half with an abundance of spectacular saves as Mt. Blue outshot Lewiston 13-4. Still, the Cougars kept up the pressure and didn’t get frustrated.  Conlogue emphasized to his team, “She can’t save all of them.”

“We all knew she was a really good goalie,” said junior forward Miranda Nicely. “We knew she was an excellent goalie. I think we were just excited to get all those shots off and have such nice combinations.”

Chelsea Newhall had a pair of goals for the Cougars (6-5-1). Nicely had a goal and an assist. Eryn Doiron and Hope Thompson added goals for Mt. Blue. Lewiston’s goal came from Maegan Mathon.

“I was excited because I thought the girls finally put everything together,” said Conlogue, whose team lost to Bangor 4-0 Monday. “They just played really well as a whole.”

The Cougars came right out and put pressure on the Blue Devils.  Mt. Blue’s balance and skill up front allowed the Cougars to move the ball effectively and set up quality shots.

Newhall got the first goal just 6:47 into the game. She got the ball just shy of midfield and made a quick cut to beat a defender. She outran three Blue Devils for an open shot.

Mt. Blue had ample opportunity to add to the lead.  Mackenzie Conlogue had a bid from the corner that Jimenez saved. The Lewiston senior finished with 17 saves.

Lewiston got the tying goal with 21:15 left when Kyleigh Letourneau crossed the ball from the right side. There were three Blue Devils at the far post. Mathon got a foot on the loose ball and popped it into the top of the net.

“We knew we just had to keep the intensity up and play hard the next five minutes,” said Nicely.

Nicely had a low shot and Newhall had another try, but Jimenez saved them both. Then a nice passing play led to the game-winner with 8:42 left.

Doiron dished to Nicely on the right wing. Nicely put the ball back in front where Doiron had crashed the net and put the loose ball into the net.

“We talked about just being unselfish and playing the balls to an angle,” said Conlogue, whose team is ranked sixth in Eastern A. “That’s so you can get the deflects and the rebounds. (Jimenez) can’t cover that whole space.”

 Zyrah Giustra had a chance to add to the lead but Jimenez made a leaping save. Moment’s later Lewiston had an opportunity when Mariah Carrier had a free kick that was saved by Cougar keeper Gabby Foy. She finished with four saves after Thia Bridges started the game and made one stop.

 Mt. Blue made it 3-1 with 1:35 left. Nicely slipped and lost the ball but Newhall followed up the play. She stepped up for a blast for her second of the game.

“We bounced back,” said Nicely. “This was a really fun game. I could see that everyone was having a lot of fun. I think that helps us. Everyone does a lot better when we’re having fun.”

Mt. Blue added two more in the second half. Conlogue fed Hope Thompson, who snuck behind the defense for a shot 12 yards out with 14:13 left. Then Nicely scored a similar goal. She was sent in alone on a Kiana Thompson pass.

“As the game wore on, we were able to just spread them out and it allowed us to keep going side to side more,” said Conlogue.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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