LEWISTON – For years, coaches have told told their teams not to stop playing until the final horn sounds.
The Brunswick Dragons girls’ soccer team is a perfect example of why it pays to listen to your coach.
Tori Pelletier’s buzzer-beating goal sent the Brunswick sideline into a frenzied celebration, as the fifth-seeded Dragons knocked off the No. 4 Lewiston Blue Devils 1-0 Friday in an Eastern A quarterfinal match at Don Roux Field.
With the final seconds ticking down, it appeared the match was heading into overtime when the ball was played into the Lewiston crease area. As Brunswick forward Lucy Morrell made an attempt on the ball, she collided with Lewiston keeper Katie Cobb (six saves). The ball deflected off Cobb to Pelletier, who quickly slipped the ball into the open net.
“I knew it was going to be my last shot,” said Pelletier. “I’m in like shock. I’m so excited, I don’t know what to say.”
The official time of the goal was 79:58, but the time on the scoreboard showed nothing but goose eggs.
Before ruling the goal stood, the two officials conferred with Lewiston athletic director Jason Fuller and determined the horn is sounded automatically after the time runs out.
The ruling was that the goal was scored prior to the horn going off.
“You can’t get much closer than that,” said Lewiston coach Rick Myers, “It’s a game of inches, and seconds. I was watching (the play) and watching the clock. I thought (the officials) were right on top of it.”
The game turned out to be a strategic, defensive-minded affair. The Blue Devils (11-3-2) had two prime scoring chances in the first half, only to have Mallory Long clang the crossbar and Brunswick keeper Lindsay Hammond (six saves) snuff out a breakaway attempt by Allison Morin.
The Blue Devils’ best bid in the second half came with 39 seconds remaining. Laura Martel jumped up from her center halfback position and created a breakaway.
As she settled the ball to fire a shot, Hammond rushed out of the net to cut down the angle, and made a belly save.
“She’s such a phenomenal player,” Myers siad of Martel. “We though she could feed our other forwards.”
The Dragons (14-2) sat back defensively with a strong wind working against them in the first half. Fifteen of their 17 shots came after the intermission.
“We played a very defensive game with the wind in the first half,” said Brunswick coach Martyn Davison. “In the second half they had a license to go forward. We were a bit fortunate to get the goal, but you need to have a little bit of luck.”
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