HOULTON, Maine — The seconds could not tick off the clock fast enough for Houlton girls soccer coach Tim Tweedie on Wednesday evening.
Holding a two-goal lead in rainy conditions against Aroostook County rival Madawaska, the top-ranked Shires decided to play more defensively late in the second half of Wednesday’s Class C quarterfinal. That game plan paid dividends as Houlton kept the Owls out of the net in the final 10 minutes to pick up a 4-2 victory.
Houlton (13-0-2) advances to the semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday and will host No. 5 George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill (10-6). Madawaska, the No. 8 seed, ends its season at 9-6-1.
Houlton received two goals each from senior Emily Mooers and freshman Kolleen Bouchard. Mia Hanning had two assists, while Claire Gilpatrick added one.
Sam Boucher and Aspen Cote each scored a goal for the Owls. Cote’s goal came on a penalty kick with 11:59 left in the game.
“I feel they are not really a No. 8 seed,” Tweedie said. “They are one of the top five teams in the region. They are a well-coached club.”
Houlton goalie Katie Condon made seven saves on 10 shots, and Owls goalie Alexis Levesque stopped 12 of 16 shots. The Shires held a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks.
“We felt confident coming in, but we made a couple of mistakes defensively, and it cost us early,” Madawaska coach Dan Cyr said. “Our game is working off our defenders and attacking quickly. We tried to tighten up our defense … but Houlton just has some real good players. They work very well together.”
After Bouchard scored her second goal with 19:17 to play to give Houlton a 3-1 lead, Tweedie switched things up by moving Mooers to a more defensive role.
“One bad touch could have put some more [Madawaska] balls in the back of the net. I had enough faith in my forwards that if I leave them up front we could still score,” Tweedie said.