BIDDEFORD – For a team whose defense was supposed to be its strength, the Windham girls soccer team has been awfully offensive in the opening part of its season.

The Eagles got two goals each from forwards Ciera Berthiaume and Jenna Soucy to beat Biddeford 5-0 Wednesday and improve to 4-0 on the season. The Eagles have scored 16 goals in those four matches, with four apiece coming from Berthiaume and Soucy, a freshman and sophomore, respectively.

Getting goals from a pair of underclassman isn’t a luxury most coaches have, and Deb LeBel certainly isn’t complaining.

“We definitely have some younger kids stepping up on offense, which is really nice. We’ve got a lot of young depth both in front and back,” LeBel said. “Ciera brings a lot more speed up front. She’s a very strong player and is able to get around players.

“And Jenna has great skill. She’s playing really well with Ciera. The two of them up front are really tough.”

After a first 10 minutes that saw little in the way in solid opportunities on goal, Windham opened the scoring at the 29:28 mark when midfielder Shannon Valente got in behind the Biddeford defense and in on Biddeford keeper Olivia Curtis

But instead of shooting, Valente played a perfectly measured pass across the box that found an open Berthiaume for a tap in and a 1-0 Eagles lead.

Berthiaume had her second at 19:45, this time from a bit father out. The forward picked up the ball streaking down the left side and looked for a target as she reached the Biddeford box. But instead of crossing, she went for goal and floated a shot over Curtis’ head and into the far side of the net.

Windham could have had even more in the first as both Soucy and Lauren Shoemaker both had long-range shots rattle off the cross bar in the last 15 minutes of the period.

Soucy would get hers 10 minutes into the second half when a throw in came to her 15 yards on the right side of goal. The sophomore had a go at the goal and put her shot across net and into the top corner, leaving Curtis with no chance.

Five minutes later the forward got her second goal from nearly the same exact spot, this time whipping a shot on the near post that got under Curtis.

“We’ve been practicing volleying a lot in practice, so that was exactly what we do in practice. I just finished it like we usually do,” Soucy said of her first goal. “The other one I beat a defender and got a shot off around her, and it just sank in off the goalie.”

Jordan Symonds capped the route with nine minutes to play when she scored from close range off her own rebound for Windham’s fifth.

Kate Kneeland and Nicole Kennedy split time in the Windham net and for the most part had the day off as the Eagles’ powerful defense didn’t allow a Tigers shot on goal until the 77th minute.

Windham’s perfect record includes a 2-1 win against Gorham Sept. 5, a game that LeBel had circled on the calendar as an early-season tester for her squad. With that win in hand, this season the Eagles have the belief to go with their talent.

“That gave the kids some confidence hopefully going into some other big games that we can beat the big teams,” LeBel said. “Last year we didn’t have that confidence, so hopefully we can carry that forward against Scarborough, Cheverus and some of the other better teams.”

The Eagles will look to make it a perfect 5-fot-5 when they host Marshwood at noon Saturday. LeBel said her squad was “cautiously confident,” and for now it’s just a case of beating the same drum.

“I just hope we get better as a team, and I think we can win states this year. So we’re going to go for that,” Soucy said. “We just have to keep our momentum and up and keep our confidence up and not let anything set us back.”

Windham defender Jordan Symonds fends off three Biddeford players for control of the ball in midfield. Symonds scored Windham’s last goal in the second half as the Eagles beat the Tigers 5-0.
Shannon Valente winds up to slot a pass through the Biddeford defense that would result in Windham’s first goal for Ciera Berthiaume. 
Windham forward Melissa Morton attempts to nutmeg past Biddeford defender Ryanne Desgardins early in the first half Wednesday. 
Windham forward Jenna Soucy boots a shot that would go off the cross bar in the first half Wednesday. Soucy would go on to score twice in the second half  as the Eagles’ beat Biddeford 5-0. (Staff photos by Cameron Dunbar)