Girls Soccer: Jordan Grant leads G-NG in blanking Lake Region

NAPLES—Patriots senior Jordan Grant hashed a pair of goals at Lake Region on Tuesday night, securing a 2-0 win for Gray-New Gloucester. To be sure, the Lakers had their chances – they just couldn’t capitalize.

“We like to possess the ball; girls do the best when they have the ball at their feet,” G-NG head coach Marcy Francoeur said. “They have a great passing game – they really connect that way.”

G-NG controlled probably 70 percent (give or take) of the action in the bout, and Grant tallied her girls’ first point just over 13 minutes into the opening half. Grant headed the ball past LRHS netminder Liz Smith following a corner kick by West Duffy.

Mackenzie Siebert heads a ball for the Lady Lakers. Adam Birt / Lakes Region Weekly

Grant described her perspective on the play:

“We’ve worked a lot on our crosses in practices lately, and we have some girls with some really good kicks,” she said. “West is just an amazing crosser, and corner kicks we know, ‘Okay, here’s a time we can get a goal, right here.’ We know where we should run in. I saw the opportunity and took it.”

As mentioned, Lake Region also managed churn up a fair few opportunities over the course of the evening. With 6:00 to play before the break, for example, senior Mackenzie Siebert dashed up the right side of the field with the ball and pulled the trigger on a nice shot – it rolled just wide, near-side, but it was the sort of effort the Lakers needed to keep alive.

LRHS applied a bit more offensive pressure as the first half dwindled, but ultimately, they couldn’t notch before intermission arrived. Nor could they notch when they piled up a couple more shots just over 10 minutes into the second half; rather, Patriots keeper Ivy Abrams, a junior, stood strong.

Francoeur took a moment to applaud her lineup: “Oh my gosh,” she said, asked who played well. “Our midfield was amazing – Eliza Hotham, Madysen West, West Duffy; they really helped control the midfield for us and set the tone of the rest of the game.”

“Eliza Sturgis, coming off the bench, was huge for us,” Francoeur continued. “She’s just a working bee.”

Jordan Grant scored twice – and nearly had at least two more – for the Patriots in their 2-0 win. Adam Birt / Lakes Region Weekly

23:08 remained on the clock when Grant struck for the second time, charging into the fray and punching home the insurance point on a feed from Emma West.

“We had a little give-and-go situation. Emma took it down the left side, and kind of crossed it in,” Grant said. “I kind of took one touch and just quickly played it.”

Five minutes later, Lakers sophomore Shelby Sheldrick turned in a fantastic attempt on a direct kick. Sheldrick shot from maybe 30 yards out, and squarely found the net. Abrams, though, grabbed the blast.

Grant nearly earned her third of the contest around 16:00, when she belted a ball in close. But Smith showed her stuff, diving to scoop up the attempt and keep her girls hopeful.

Hotham, another senior (and a captain), crossbarred a try with 9:30 to go, and Grant posted one at 8:03. For their part, the Lakers managed a last-minute rebound following an indirect kick and a tangle of bodies that tied up Abrams – but to no avail.

Lake Region, 0-2-1 after the defeat, hosts Freeport on Friday, Sept. 13. G-NG, now 1-1 (their loss came against the Falcons), travels to Poland on Saturday.

“The girls are in a really good space,” Francoeur said, asked about going forward. “Beginning-of-the-school-year stress is coming off, and we’re very excited for the rest of the season.”