LISBON FALLS — Juliana Harwood didn’t have much time to ease into the game Friday.

The Waynflete goaltender was faced with a breakaway bid in the first minute of play. Lisbon scorer Kayla Angelico burst through the defense and was in alone on the Flyer keeper.

“I saw her coming, and I knew I just had to react,” the sophomore goalie said. “When you go down, you try to take up as much space as possible. I think it hit off my foot.”

Harwood denied that bid and many others. She thwarted a strong start by the Greyhounds and then watched her team come to life in the second half. Waynflete scored four goals in the final 21 minutes in a 4-0 Western C semifinal win.

“We had plenty of chances to score,” said Lisbon coach Jake Gentle. “We really did. I think we had one in the first minute of the game. I don’t know how many saves their goalie had, but she saved the game for them early on. If we put a couple in there, it changed the dynamics of the game.”

Walker Foehl had goal and two assists for the Flyers, who’ll play the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Monmouth and St. Dom’s.  Sadie Cole, Arianna Giguere and Marijke Rowse also had goals for the Flyers (10-2-4). Top-seeded Lisbon (13-2-1) had only given up nine goals the entire regular season and had posted eight shutouts.

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“We sometimes start out a bit slow,” said Foehl. “We’re trying to work on that. Once we get into our game, our passes come together. Our defense was incredible. Juliana and Rhiannan (Jackson) were amazing.”

Lisbon came out strong and were winning control of the ball. The Greyhounds put pressure on the Flyer defense from the get-go. After Angelico’s breakaway bid was stopped, Harwood made a diving save off a header that followed a Gabby Ouellette flip throw. She caught the ball off a flip with Chantal Bisson on the doorstep. Kailyn Hill also had a header of a Ouellette throw that was saved.

“They had a lot of shots in the first half,” said Harwood, who finished with eight saves. “The play was all on our side of the field. The defense was pretty active. We just tried to calm ourselves down and tried to work the ball out and up the field.”

Late in the first half, Waynflete began to settle in and started getting better opportunities. Cole had a header off a Foehl corner that went over the net. Isabel Agnew had a redirection that was saved by Lisbon keeper Courtney Martel.

In the second half, Waynflete upped their game and Lisbon struggled to keep pace. The Greyhounds got a Hill header that was saved 2:12 into the game. That was the last prime scoring chance the Greyhounds had.

After Giguere hit the post 3:20 into the half, the Flyers hemmed in Lisbon’s defense.

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“I think we started to win more balls,” said Waynflete coach Todd Dominski. “Our energy level, we just had more. In the beginning, they were all over us.”

Lisbon was outshot 10-2 in the second half and began to wear down by the constant pressure. Defender Gabby Ouellette was already playing hurt with a large bruise on her shin. She still managed an outstanding game between her flip throws and stellar defensive play.

“They responded pretty well,” said Gentle. “We struggled to get it up the field. We just kept kicking it out for a throw in. They capitalized on it. We couldn’t clear it. Eventually, if you let a team control your play, they’re going to put one in. They just kind of wore us down in the end.”

The first goal came with 20:48 left. Foehl crossed it from the right side. Cole was at the left post to redirect it off her body.

“I usually try to see people there,” said Foehl. “She definitely got there and she attacked the box really well. It really gave us some momentum, and we really broke through.”

With 15:12 left, Gigure took a Foehl pass and chipped it into the top of the net. Then with 11:36 remaining, Foehl buried a free kick from outside the box for the 3-0 lead. Rowse then added another shot to the top of the net with 8:18 remaining.

“We had a great season,” said Gentle. “It was one of the best we’ve had at Lisbon in a long time. The girls played their hearts out. They just ran into a really good soccer team.”

kmills@sunjournal.com


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