WATERVILLE — Alexa Frame scored the lone goal of the game on a cold, blustery day to lift the Waterville Senior High School girls soccer team to a 1-0 win over Mt. Ararat in an Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal Tuesday at Webber Field.
No. 4 Waterville (11-3-1) advances to play in the semifinals on Saturday, while No. 5 Mt. Ararat ends the season 9-5-1.
Minutes before scoring the game-winning goal, Frame adjusted her position from the left flank to a more central location. She noticed Mt. Ararat had a tendency to play the ball on the right sideline. The move paid off when Abbie Webster found Frame in the middle of the field.
“I was going to pass it off, but I noticed I was in a one-on-one situation,” Frame said. “So as I turned, I just went for it.”
Frame used her skill and quickness to elude a defender, pushed the ball into the left side of the penalty area and drove a hard, low ball past Mt. Ararat keeper Shauna Williams with 31 minutes, 56 seconds left in the second half.
The goal ignited a dominant stretch for Waterville, led by a defense that consistently won balls in the midfield area.
Morgan Pellerin spearheaded the Panthers’ effort, distributing passes from her defensive midfield position. Pellerin, along with Jayme Saulter, Colleen O’Donnell, Lauren Massey and Melanie Bureau, didn’t allow a shot in the second half.
“The key for us was winning headers and stepping to the ball,” Pellerin said. “We dropped back a lot and continued to win balls, which was big for us.”
Waterville keeper Morgann Tortorella made two quality saves in the first half but never was threatened in the second. Williams made three saves for Mt. Ararat.
Recent rain made Webber Field a soft and muddy surface that contributed to choppy play in the first half and few shots. Webster nearly put the Panthers on top from a set play from 30 yards out. The senior forward struck a hard, high shot that got by Williams and rattled the crossbar before bouncing out of the penalty area.
Waterville had one other quality opportunity late in the game when Frame gathered a loose ball in the Mt. Ararat penalty area. She struck the ball at the eight-yard line and it took a peculiar hop, hitting the left post and rolling across the face of the goal. It hit the right post and was cleared by the Eagles defense.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.