BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor High School girls soccer team turned in a thorough performance against fellow Class A North contender Brunswick Tuesday night, parlaying second-half goals by junior midfielder Katie Butler and senior striker Sarah Bragg into a 2-0 victory over Brunswick.
Bangor improved to 8-1 while Brunswick fell to 6-2-1.
Butler opened the scoring just 3:40 into the second half, and Bragg expanded the lead with 21:55 remaining.
Talented freshman striker Libby Spekhardt assisted on both goals, and the Rams were solid defensively, limiting the Dragons to few scoring chances until the final 15 minutes when the desperate visitors generated a handful of opportunities.
“This is the best we’ve played all season,” said Spekhardt, who set up the first goal with a nifty move at the top of the penalty area to free herself for a blistering 14-yard shot toward the far corner.
Freshman goalkeeper Beth Labbe moved across nicely to get her hands on the shot, but the rebound spilled across to the far post where Butler steered it home with the inside or her right knee.
“It was really slippery and we knew crazy things could happen in the box, so I went in there to try to follow [Spekhardt’s] shot. Being 6-foot-1 kind of helped,” Butler said with a grin.
Bragg’s insurance goal finished off a passing sequence involving Morgan Trimper and Spekhardt.
Trimper slid the ball to Spekhardt who found the unmarked Bragg at the top of the box.
“I took one touch and hit it with my left foot,” said Bragg, whose 17-yard shot appeared to deflect off a Dragon defender before nestling in the back of the net.
Brunswick tried valiantly to battle back and nearly pulled one back when junior striker Kira Wolpow worked herself free in the penalty area only to poke her 10-yard shot wide of the post to Bangor goalie Emily Gilmore’s left.
Gilmore was forced to make a pair of rapid-fire saves a few minutes later as she got her hands on Wolpow’s shot from 20 yards out and then smothered Maeve Arthur’s follow-up attempt.
Gilmore finished with five saves on 11 shots while Labbe finished with 11 stops on 25 shots.
“We played well as a team. We worked hard,” said Bangor standout junior midfielder Grace Morris. “Our defense was tough. We stepped to every ball, and we won a lot of 50-50 balls.”
“They have a strong defense,” said Brunswick freshman central midfielder Jenna Brooks. “They moved the ball really well. It was hard to get in between them.”
“They’re a really good team,” said Brunswick freshman wing Anna Kousky.
Morris and junior midfielder Megan Conner were dominant in the midfield for the Rams, and tenacious sophomore left back Lauren Young and freshman center back Bella Varisco turned in stellar performances in the back.
Sophomore striker Arthur and senior midfielder Emily Black shone for the Dragons, and junior back Aidan Sachs headlined a solid defensive showing by Brunswick.
JV: Bangor 3-2