Big first half keys Hermon past PI girls
By Larry Mahoney
Bangor Daily News
HERMON, Maine — Wednesday’s Northern Maine Class B girls soccer game between Hermon and Presque Isle saw each team dominate a half.
Hermon was more opportunistic, building a 4-1 lead in the first half and withstanding a strong second half by the Wildcats to earn a 4-2 triumph.
Sophomore striker Alex Allain scored two goals, junior center back Emi Higgins converted a penalty kick and senior midfielder Morgan Buck scored with 4:40 left in the half as Hermon improved to 8-0-2.
Freshman defender Elizabeth Collins and senior midfielder Taylor Williams scored for the 6-4-1 Wildcats, who tied Hermon 2-2 in Presque Isle last month.
Hermon’s Bryanne Crouse made three saves on 19 shots while PI goalie Jillian Flynn made five saves on 16 shots.
“We did a lot of defending in the second half. Luckily, we had a very, very good first half,” said Hermon coach M.J. Ball.
“We looked young because we are young. Hermon’s a quality team, and they kicked our rear ends in the first half,” said Presque Isle coach Ralph Michaud, whose starting lineup included three freshmen and two sophomores. “But we took it to them in the second half.”
“We realized what we needed to do in the second half but it wasn’t enough to make up for a really bad first half,” said Flynn.
Hermon built a 3-0 lead in the game’s first 15:20.
Allain opened the scoring 6:42 into the game. Buck sent a diagonal pass across to Emily Perley, who chested it down into the path of Allain at the top of the penalty area.
“I took a touch between two defenders and I placed it,” said Allain, whose rising left-footed shot cleanly beat Flynn inside the far post.
Higgins made it 2-0 only 1:58 later from the penalty spot after her corner kick bounced around in the penalty area and produced a hand ball.
Allain expanded the lead off an Emma Allmon cross when she beat the onrushing Flynn to the ball and poked it under her before they collided.
Collins pulled one back with 10:12 left in the half as she converted a glancing header at the far post off a Williams cross.
But Hermon regained the momentum 5:32 later when an alert Bri Saulter spied the wide-open Buck on the right side of the penalty area and slid a perfect pass across to her.
“Bri has a great eye. I saw everyone on the left so I made a run [to the right]. Then I faked a shot and the goalie went for it,” said Buck, who slotted a 12-yarder into the far corner.
Williams, who won numerous 50-50 balls, scored 2:18 into the second half when Eleanor St. Peter’s corner kick pinballed to her and she roofed it from seven yards out.
PI aggressively swarmed the ball in the second half and kept Hermon pinned in its own end. But the Wildcats couldn’t transform their dominance into more goals.
