LEWISTON — With the wind and two open looks, it didn’t take long for Mt. Ararat to seize control of Tuesday’s soccer game.

The Eagles buried two goals in the first 3:54 and barely looked back in a 6-2 win over Lewiston.

“I think our girls were really fired up for this game,” said Mt. Ararat coach Sam Chard, whose team only beat the Blue Devils 2-0 earlier in the season. “Our offense has been clicking the last couple of games and tonight, it showed. We moved people around to different spots, just for experimentation, and it seemed to work.”

Mt. Ararat (7-3-1) has won four straight games after losing to Bangor 2-1. The Eagles have scored 19 goals in those last four games.

Though Lewiston (5-5) got an early goal themselves to make it 2-1, the Blue Devils couldn’t keep pace. Kristina Blais scored just 5:16 into the game, but Mt. Ararat responded with two goals to finish the first half up 4-1.

“That broke our backs right there,” Lewiston coach Brant Remington said. “Our girls’ didn’t quit. They came back and scored one. They kept playing hard. Mt. Ararat’s skill set is very high. They definitely brought their A-game tonight.”

Chloe Beattie had a pair of goals for the Eagles, which are ranked fifth in Eastern A. Erin Tome and Libby Ouellette each had a goal and an assist.

Lewiston got a goal from Blais and the first varsity tally from freshman Taylor Chamberlain. The Blue Devils are ranked eighth in Eastern A and battling for one of those final playoff spots.

Mt. Ararat got the first goal just 1:13 into the game. Tome crossed the ball from the left side. Ouellette was in front and wide open for the easy shot. Then just two-plus minutes later, Beattie scored the first of her two on the night. She was also left alone in front.

“We had some marking issues in the back,” Remington said. “They did a really good job flooding the area on us.”

Lewiston got one of those goals back. Blais had a rush down the right side and scored on the Blue Devils’ first shot of the game at 5:16. Lewiston had other chances to score. Alanna Taylor had a bid with an open net but shot it wide. Blais had a try at a rebound but put it over the net.

“One thing these girls need to work on is finishing,” Remington said. “Based on the last couple of years, they haven’t had the opportunities to finish. They’re finally starting to generate some offense and chances to finish. They’re learning. They’re getting better at it. (Mt. Ararat) is really good at finishing and that made a big difference early.”

Lewiston’s hopes of getting an equalizer ended when Beattie scored her second of the game with 26:55 left in the half. She hit a low shot from the left side. Lewiston keeper Kelsey St. Cyr made a diving attempt at it but couldn’t reach it. Then with 1:28 left, Tome fired a shot from the outside through a screen. It skipped past St. Cyr for a 4-1 lead.

“That was our goal – to get the ball and get the wind,” Chard said. “The girls did a nice job with that.”

Mt. Ararat padded the lead in the second half, though Lewiston had the wind advantage. Ronni Pelletier redirected a cross from Ouellette at 9:32. Then with 22:21 left in the game, Torri Pelletier made it 6-1.

“With the wind like that, we have a pretty good control game,” Chard said. “We try to keep the ball on the ground. We’ll take the wind anytime, but with the wind against us, that’s when we wanted to play the ball on the ground.”

Lewiston got the final goal with 6:34 left when Chamberlain scored her first.

Lewiston players were wearing pink game jersey’s and the field was lined in pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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