HAMPDEN, Maine — The Orono High School girls soccer team moved a step closer to a second regional championship in three years on Friday as Norwegian exchange student Aashild Fridtun scored a pair of goals and had an assist to lead the Riots to a comprehensive 4-0 win over George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill in a Class C North semifinal.
Junior midfielder Brinsley Chasse chipped in with a goal and an assist, both off her own corner kicks, and junior striker Becky Lopez-Anido had the other goal for the top-seeded 14-1-1 Riots, who will host sixth seed Bucksport in Wednesday’s 2 p.m. title game.
Bucksport, now 6-6-4, upset No. 2 Houlton 1-0.
Fifth seed GSA concluded a 9-3-4 season with all three losses to Orono.
Due to wet field conditions, the game was moved from Orono’s grass field to Hampden Academy’s artificial turf field, and it took the Riots just 1:45 to dent the scoreboard on the cold, blustery afternoon.
Fridtun dribbled across the top of the penalty area and had a left-footed shot blocked. The ball deflected back to her, and she pushed it to her right and cracked a powerful curling right-footed shot that glanced in off the fully extended fingers of freshman goalkeeper Elisabeth MacArthur.
Lopez-Anido extended the lead 15:19 later by finishing off a passing sequence involving Brooklynne White and Fridtun. White passed it up to Fridtun who slid it across to Lopez-Anido.
Lopez-Anido maneuvered back and forth across the top of the penalty area and launched a quick, left-footed shot that nestled inside the far post to MacArthur’s right.
“After practice yesterday, I spent 15 to 20 minutes with Brinsley practicing that,” said Lopez-Anido. “I was so proud of my team today. They really stepped it up.”
The Riots scored early in the second half when Chasse’s inswinging corner sailed over the head of MacArthur and into the net.
Chasse said Orono assistant coach Yates Murphy suggested earlier this season that if the wind is blowing toward the net, to curl the corners into the goal area “because it may go in.”
Another well-placed Chasse corner deflected in off Fridtun’s body.
“We did pretty well adjusting to the field and the wind. It wasn’t a day for pretty soccer and we were effective when we needed to be,” said Orono head coach Cid Dyjak.
Orono’s fullback corps of Brooklynne White, Lauren Stoops, Jordan Hernandez and Samantha Round did an exceptional job as goalie Katelyn Richards wasn’t forced to make a save on five GSA shot attempts.
MacArthur made six saves on 17 shots and Elinor Haldane, Alyssa Chesney and Morgan Dauk turned in quality performances for GSA. Chesney hit the post late in the game.
“Orono is a very good team. They’re deeper than we are,” said GSA coach Steve Bemiss. “But we tried and I’m happy with the performance.”