BANGOR, Maine – Penobscot Valley High School girls soccer coach Jeremy Durost said his team’s defensive play has been underrated this season due to the fact his Howland-based Howlers had scored 95 goals in 15 games entering Thursday morning’s Class D North semifinal against Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.
It may not be underrated any more.
Penobscot Valley posted its eighth consecutive shutout and sophomore midfielder Lila Cummings scored both goals as the Howlers topped the Panthers 2-0 at Husson University’s Boucher Field in Bangor.
Second seed and defending regional champ PVHS, now 16-0, will face top seed Wisdom of St. Agatha, 15-1, in Tuesday’s 4 p.m. D North championship game at Pottle Field in Hermon.
Third seed Central Aroostook, playing without four players who were on a school trip including two starters, concluded an 11-4-1 campaign.
PVHS nipped Central Aroostook 2-1 in the semifinals last season.
Freshman goalkeeper Brooklynn Raymond made five saves, all in the first half, to earn the shutout. Most of the shots were from distance as the Howlers swarmed the ball and didn’t allow the Panthers to generate any great chances.
CA had 13 shot attempts but just three in the second half.
Junior center back Allie LeBlanc and left back Emma Potter, a senior, were solid as was the right back combo of sophomores Eve McNally and Lauren Veino.
Veino moved back from the midfield to replace McNally when she was injured 15:18 into the game following a collision in the midfield.
Holding senior midfielder Mia Neal was also a key defensive contributor and Cummings and the other midfielders backtracked to limit Central Aroostook’s time in the attacking third.
“We dropped back very well,” said Cummings. “We made sure we had people back there and that nobody was left open.”
“Our defense is top-notch,” said Durost.
The Howlers paid close attention to dynamic and tireless Central Aroostook senior striker and leading scorer Abby Haines, who was a constant threat with her speed and skill.
She had four of the five shots that required saves.
The omnipresent Cummings opened the scoring with 23:41 left in the first half.
She had the ball along the left wing and tried to send a cross into the penalty area.
Her cross glanced off a Central Aroostook player’s head and floated over the head of helpless goalkeeper Charlie Pierce and into the net.
Haines nearly tied it early in the second half but her shot from the top of the area rolled just wide of the far post.
Just moments later, Cummings expanded the lead off an Elllie Austin pass.
Austin kept possession of the ball in traffic along the right side and slid a short pass to the open Cummings at the top of the box.
“Ellie made a beautiful pass. She worked hard to get that ball. Everyone was pushed down with our striker and with some of our outsides (so I was open). I just tried to put it in the back of the net,” said Cummings, who hit a powerful rising shot that cleanly beat Pierce.
Cummings said the team played “very well.
“We played physical, we passed, we kept the ball,” said Cummings.
Freshman Pierce wound up with six saves on 16 Howler shots including a couple of gems in the second half to keep her team within striking distance.
Her defense also cleared a ball off the goal line on a followup attempt.
“It was a tough loss,” said CA coach Molly Kingsbury. “We knew what we were getting into. They have size on us and maybe have a couple more scorers than we do.
“I thought we came well-prepared. It’s hard when you haven’t played a soccer game for almost two weeks and then to come out here. It was a tough battle, for sure,” Kingsbury added. “We were down a few players today but no excuses.”
Durost said Central Aroostook is a “very good team.
“They have a lot of experience. We had a dogfight with them last year so we knew it was going to be a battle again,” Durost said.
In addition to Haines, Izabel Pryor and Allisa Burtt were among the other Panthers who played well along with Harleigh Allen. Burtt left the game injured with 9:10 remaining after a battle for the ball.
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