BRUNSWICK

Edward Little received goals from five different scorers and relied on its midfielders to secure a 5-0 victory in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference high school field hockey clash on Wednesday.

In the season opener for both, the teams enjoyed a cool evening as the sun fell below the trees, providing shade for most of the field.

While the temperatures were beginning to cool, the Red Eddie offense became hot.

“It’s definitely a team effort, they work very well together,” first-year coach Kim Joler said after her team awarded her the game ball after her first varsity win as a coach.

Becca Raby tallied the first goal about 12 minutes into the game, taking a lose ball in front of the cage and knocking it past Brunswick keeper Ainsley Harrower for the score.

Trailing by a goal, Brunswick threatened at the 16:20 mark when Erin Coughlin shot on net, but was turned away when EL goalie Elise Syphers cut down the angle for the save. The Dragons struggled to put together scoring opportunities from there as the Red Eddie defense limited Brunswick’s shots on goal by keeping the Dragons out of the circle.

“We didn’t have as many shots on goal as we should have,” Brunswick coach Karin Paquin said. “We came out a little flat at the beginning.”

With 8:36 remaining in the half, EL scored again with an unassisted goal by Kiana Fournier for the two-goal lead. EL possessed the ball for much of the first half, but the Brunswick defensive trio of Maggie Folsom, Kristen Hummer and Rosie White kept EL off the board for the remainder of the half.

“Those girls play hard back there,” Paquin said. “They are comfortable back there with each other and do a good job for us.”

“The three of us have been playing defense together for a few years,” White said. “We are constantly talking about defense and our position, even outside of practice.”

EL outshot Brunswick, 5- 1, in the opening 30 minutes.

Second half

The second half began promising for Brunswick, only to be stymied once again by the Red Eddie defense.

The rallying defense sparked EL’s offense, as the Red Eddies received a goal each from Courtney Larson and Olivia Roth in the first seven minutes of the second frame, earning the approval of their coach.

“Absolutely, they played well for us. The girls work so hard,” Joler said. “We try to keep that momentum that we get from our forwards and our midline is strong, playing both sides. Tonight it worked.”

Roth nearly scored again at the 20-minute mark, putting a shot on net, only to have teammate Bella Coulombe stick the ball into the cage for EL’s fifth goal of the game.

“It feels amazing to help someone score a goal,” Roth said of her assist. “I was trying to get it to the goal, but it went too far out, so I was hoping she would tip it in.”

Brunswick (0-1) made a couple of charges, but it was too late. As Paquin pointed out, digging out of a 5-0 hole isn’t easy.

“They came back hard in the last two minutes and started shooting on goal, we just need to do that all game,” said the Brunswick coach. “We didn’t get that fire until there was two minutes left on the clock, and at that point, you’re not coming back from a five-goal deficit.”

EL (1-0) completed the shutout, with Syphers stopping three shots in the final minutes to preserve the blanking. Joler credits her squad’s leadership.

“We’ve got three captains, but honestly, we could have a ton more. They feed off each other, which I think is super important,” Joler said.

As for Brunswick, it’s only game one and Paquin understands a lot can be learned from this.

“About halfway through, my assistant coach (Elaine Derosby) saw something I was doing wrong,” Paquin said. “So I started videotaping their play. I am going to sit down and watch it and I am going to analyze the video myself and see what we need to work on.

“But I also want the girls to watch, so I’m giving them homework tonight since they don’t have school yet. They too are going to watch the video and analyze it. We need to see where we’re breaking down and need to fill in the gaps.”

Brunswick hosts Camden Hills this upcoming Wednesday (4 p.m.) before traveling to Skowhegan on Sept. 6, also at 4 p.m.

Edward Little 5,
Brunswick 0
At Brunswick
Edward Little — 2 3 — 5
Brunswick — 0 0 — 0
Goals — (EL) Becca Raby, Kiana
Fournier, Courtney Larson, Olivia
Roth, Bella Coulombe.
Assist — (EL) Olivia Roth.
Shots on goal — Edward Little 11,
Brunswick 5.
Saves — (EL) Elise Syphers 5; (Br)
Ainsley Harrower 6.
Corners — Edward Little 4;
Brunswick 2.
Up next for the Dragons — Wednesday
at home against Camden Hills, 4
p.m.