SACO – And a freshman shall lead them.

Thornton Academy freshman Amanda Arnold provided all of the offense the Trojan girls soccer team needed to advance in the Class A Western playoffs on Tuesday afternoon as the No. 2 Trojans blanked No. 7 Windham, 1-0.

With the win, the Trojans advance to the Class A West semifinals on Saturday afternoon. They will face the winner of the No. 3 Greely vs. No. 6 Gorham game that was played on Tuesday night. The game time at Hill Stadium is set for 1 p.m.

Arnold’s goal came with just under 10 minutes gone in the second half and it came on a memorable play. The Trojans cleared the ball deep into the Eagle zone and Arnold hustled to the ball. Eagle keeper Amber Verrill came out of the net to play the ball, but Arnold got to it first. Arnold took the ball around Verrill and seemed to have a clear path to a wide-open net.

But then the unthinkable happened, she slipped.

Fortunately for the Trojans, Arnold had the composure to get back to her feet before the defense could take the ball away and knocked it into the empty net to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead and eventually, the game.

After the game, Arnold said she didn’t think much about the play as it was happening. “I was just going for it,” she said. “I was on the ground, and I tried to get back up because I knew it was illegal (to shoot while on the ground). I got back up and kept on going.”

Thornton Academy Head Coach Chris Kohl said he was very impressed with Arnold’s composure during the play, especially keeping her head when she fell down. “She did a great job of placing the ball,” he said.

Kohl said that the goal was especially big because he knew that the Eagles weren’t likely to allow another one during the game. “Windham’s defense is excellent,” he said. “they have a great back line, they have a great keeper and they’ve had a great season.”

Armed with the slim 1-0 lead, the Trojans had to withstand a ferocious Eagle attack for the remaining 30:53 after Arnold’s goal. Thankfully for the Trojans, their defense was more than up to the task as keeper Sydney Proctor and the rest of the defensive corps kept the Eagles off the board.

“We’ve really come together as a defensive unit,” Kohl said. “They’ve had a great season back there. (We’ve had) 10 shutouts, (Proctor) is part of it, but you’re only as good as your defenders in front of you and your midfielders and forwards, they’ve done a really good job of keeping the ball in front of them and having some composure.”

Thornton Academy’s Amanda Arnold goes for the ball ahead of Windham’s Riley McCarthy on Tuesday. Arnold scored the Trojans’ lone goal in the 1-0 playoff win.
Staff photo by Mike Higgins