AUGUSTA — A well-executed penalty corner by Cony early in the second half of Tuesday’s Class A North field hockey quarterfinal with Edward Little nearly resulted in a tie-breaking goal.

“It just went wide, and one of the girls on the sideline (said), “Aw, that was perfect,'” Cony coach Holly Daigle said. “I was, like, ‘That was almost perfect.'”

Practice made perfect for the third-seeded Rams as Delaney Keithley scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on their next penalty corner to edge No. 6 Edward Little, 2-1.

Cony (10-3-2) will face No. 2 Messalonskee in the semifinals on Friday. Edward Little finishes its season 7-7-1.

“There have been some games where we struggled to execute on corners, but that one was just what we wanted to do,” Daigle said.

“Those are a huge advantage in a game,” Keithley said, “so for us to have a great insert, a great stop, a great pass, a great shot, it really came together.”

Cony enjoyed a huge advantage in corners in the second half (9-1) and the game (14-4). Edward Little did a good job of clearing the ball out and limiting the scoring chances for the Rams, who had just seven shots on goal. 

But the Rams dominated possession in the second half and limited the Eddies to just one shot in the final 30 minutes and four for the game.

“Edward Little is a very tough team,” Daigle said. “They transition the ball really, really well. I think we were a little slow to adjust to that. It was big to get that first goal, but it never felt comfortable to get one against a team like that.”

Cony adjusted its formation, adding an extra defender to its backfield to neutralize EL’s quickness in the second half

“We gave them a battle. I was extremely pleased with how we played,” Edward Little coach Greg Perkins said. “They beat us 1-0 earlier in the season and it was a one-goal game again. The defense has really come along well and I was really pleased with how it looked. I think we ran out of gas a little bit.”

“I think the sense of urgency changed,” Keithley said. “We took a minute or two in the half to discuss (that) this could be our last game. We could walk off this field and not go to practice tomorrow or we can work our butts off and continue to the next round.”

Edward Little didn’t get its first shot on goal of the second half until a little less than two minutes remained as Kaylie Vallee and Bella Coulombe and company tried to rally. But it was too little too late.

Both teams scored on their first penalty corner to finish the first half knotted at 1-1.

Kami Lambert got the Rams on the board first with an assist from Cari Hopkins 5:33 into the game. Vallee drew the Eddies even with 16:51 left in the first half on what was also their first shot of the game.