Four goals in just over three minutes in the second half for the Mt. Ararat High School girls lacrosse team had most in attendance likely thinking that the Eagles were going to surge their way into the Eastern Class A Regional Final game, pulling ahead 8-4 at the time.
The No. 3 ranked Bulldogs (9-5) forced four overtimes against No. 6 Cheverus on Wednesday, taking the contest 16-15 and were able to hold on to that momentum against the second-seeded Eagles, who lost only one game all season to No. 1 Messalonskee back on May 19 in overtime, 12-11. Portland will visit Messalonskee (a 9-7 semifinal winner over No. 4 Lewiston on Friday) this upcoming Wednesday for the Regional title.
“It’s one of those things that it could have gone either way,” Mt. Ararat head coach Sam Chard said after the game. “We had a lot of turnovers and I think we hurt ourselves. But, once we settled down we started playing well, but you give up a four-goal lead. Things happen and that’s why they call it playoffs. It was a great game and both teams played well.”
“That’s something that happened in our last playoff game,” Bulldogs coach Cameron McManus said in regard to giving up four straight goals. “We weren’t down, but we let them (Cheverus) score four goals and something that we talk about is not getting down no matter what happens and staying in the game. This game is 50 full minutes and you can get the ball from end to end in 11 seconds, so it’s just not worrying about what’s going on with them, but playing our game no matter if we’re in the hole or not.”
It was a game that fans quickly got their money’s worth. Portland’s
Merritt Ryan started the scoring off with 18:03 on the clock, driving to the right of the arc and dumping it in for a 1-0 advantage. However, Mt. Ararat (13-2) responded less than three minutes later when Rebecca Schuman laced a pass to Alison Nolan, who was able to spin and shoot at point-blank range, tying it at one apiece.
The two teams battled back and forth in the low-scoring first half. Ryan notched her second of the game at the 10:41 marker, running the ball straight up the middle and shooting it over the outreached stick of Eagles’ goalie Eleanor Skinner. But, Erin Tome didn’t waste any time, tying the game less than two minutes later.
As the first half entered into the final 30 seconds, the Bulldogs held a 3-2 lead after Ella Coose put her team up, but Tome answered the call and pulled the momentum back in the Eagles’ favor with a shot coming after a flag was thrown at 22 seconds.
Portland goalie Liz Victor helped limit the Eagles, collecting five of her total 11 saves in the first half.
“That’s standard for Liz,” McManus said of her goalie. “She’s a senior captain for us, an amazing leader on the field, she’s definitely the kind of person you want in goal. She has a great head on her shoulders and not someone who will get down on herself. It’s not ‘I should have made that save,’ it’s ‘how could I have made that save?’ She makes adjustments and recognizes where the shots are coming from.”
“She played a good game,” Chard said of Victor. “She made some great saves down low on the eight-meter shots. They scouted us and we struggle with our eightmeter shots. It’s one of those things where it’s a psychological game and as it is they scored five goals right there and we couldn’t capitalize.”
Stehli’s stealth eye
Come the start of the second half, the Eagles took control. Mt. Ararat capitalized on a 5-1 run to take an 8- 4 lead, including four straight in three minutes. Katie Labbay and Tome led the way with two goals each in that span.
By this point the rain started to set in and it appeared to look as if the Eagles were going to run away with the win. But, Bulldogs’ Isabel Stehli took matters into her own hands, cutting the deficit to two goals with two tallies in 22 seconds. Six minutes later, she carried the ball into the offensive zone, beating the defense and sniping a shot down low to bring it within one.
With a 9-8 advantage, the Eagles drained more than two minutes off the clock in hopes to hold on for the win, but a turnover allowed the Bulldogs to storm down field and Ryan came through in the clutch with a shot inside that had the Portland crowd roaring as the clock displayed just 13 seconds.
It took only 47 seconds into the first overtime half to have a new leader. Ryan held the ball at the top of the arc after a whistle and forced one in for the 10-9 Bulldogs lead. Portland was able to take advantage of several Eagle turnovers on the now soaked turf to hold on for the win and move on to the Regional final.
“It’s been a great season,” Chard said. “Up and down at points, but mostly up. You can’t balk at a 13-2 season. The girls played well.”
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