By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

YARMOUTH – A scoreless tie at the half might have been a small victory Friday for the Mt. Abram girls’ soccer team.

But Alex Mack made sure that didn’t happen. Her goal late in the half put North Yarmouth Academy in the driver’s seat in the Western Class C final. NYA cruised the rest of the way in a 2-0 victory.

In a similar situation a day earlier in the semifinals, the Roadrunners built some momentum after a scoreless first half to post a 1-0 victory over St. Dom’s. Mt. Abram couldn’t produce a similar fate Friday against the defending state champs.

“It made them have to come from behind,” said Mack. “I think it helped a lot. We were really tired. We had a really tough game (Thursday). To come out and play again, we started off a little slow, but we were really trying to push and score before the half.”

NYA beat the Roadrunners handily in the semifinals last year, but Mt. Abram provided a gallant effort against a team built around 14 veterans. The Roadrunners were bolstered by a raucous crowd and never let up.

“I think last year we came in scared,” said Mt. Abram coach Marc Keller. “This year, we came in having a very successful season. We didn’t play scared, we came out and tried to play our game. There were times we were able to do that and put a lot of pressure on, but they’re a very skilled and disciplined ball club.”

Mt. Abram pressured the NYA defense at times, but couldn’t get the handful of bids it had against St. Dom’s.

“With our defense, they play with a lot of confidence,” said NYA coach Jeff Thoreck, who discovered his team was playing Friday morning after plans to play today were changed at the last moment. “They’re a crucial part of our game. Instead of playing balls in the air and having it be a 50-50 opportunity, they like to put it on the ground and through the middle and then attack. It’s important that they play possession and make those good decisions.”

Mt. Abram had a quick burst to start the game. Pressure by Jen Thomas and Rebecca London nearly led to scoring chances, but NYA outshot the Roadrunners 12-2 in the first half. Mt. Abram nearly weathered that storm before Mack scored with 3:15 left. She maneuvered by a defender and fired a shot that deflected off a player and into the top right corner of the net.

“We were just really pushing and trying to be intense,” said Mack. “I took a lot of shots. That’s the one that went in.”

Mt. Abram’s keeper Briana Wilkins had a strong game and made a nice save on Mary Longley to end the first half. She also stopped Longley on a bid in the second half.

The Roadrunners only threats in the second half came in the first 10 minutes. NYA keeper Emily Staszak got knocked over by a defender to leave an open net, but the Roadrunners couldn’t take advantage. Later, a Heather Hayes free kick headed for Logahn Walker in front was grabbed by Staszak.

NYA scored the second goal with 8:15 left when Meintel collected a loose ball and chipped it inside the left post.

“They’ve got 11 players on the field at all times that can control the ball,” said Keller. “That’s tough. Their attack can come from anywhere.”