GARDINER — As exhibition games go, Monday night’s matchup between the Cony and Gardiner high school girls soccer teams stood out for a couple of reasons.
First, because it was part of the annual Drive Out Cancer Challenge, it drew a large crowd of 400, big by soccer standards and probably more fans than either team will see during the regular season. Second, it was part of the Cony-Gardiner rivalry which always ups the stakes for both teams.
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Cony prevailed 5-2 on the strength of four second-half goals, two from Bayleigh Logan. Josie Lee, Hayley Quirion and Emily Quirion added goals for Cony while Ally Day and Morgan Carver scored for the Tigers. Lee and Day were named players of the game.
“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Lee said. “Our defense is pretty strong this year. For offense we just need to work more on getting the ball to someone and I think we’ll do pretty well. Our goalies, they’re new, but they’re looking really good.”
The Tigers played well for the first 10 minutes but couldn’t generate a shot on freshman keeper Autumn Sudsbury. In fact, she didn’t have a save in the first half.
“She played middle school last year for the first time,” Cony coach Jeff Hersey said. “She’s never had any goalie training.”
The Rams recovered from a slow start and took a 1-0 lead just over 10 minutes into the half when Lee chipped in a loose ball. The play started on the left sideline when Cony senior Lindsay Folsom’s flip throw-in bounced over the head of Gardiner goalie Maddy Cutler to an uncovered Lee. Cutler made four first-half saves including a beauty off a back-heel shot from Folsom.
“We played one half of the game,” Gardiner coach Chad Kirk said. “I think we played really well 20 minutes each half.”
The Rams stormed the Tigers end early in the second half and got a pair of quick goals, in the first five minutes to take a 3-0 lead. Logan knocked in a deflection after Cutler made a strong initial save, and Hayley Quirion scored from 20 yards out on the second goal.
Gardiner’s first shot on goal, by Day, went in, to make it 3-1 at the 10-minute mark. But the junior striker was bottled up most of the game by Cony defenders.
“She plays a very physical game but she’s got a lot of skill to go with it,” Hersey said of Day. “Any coach would love to have her.”
Emily Quirion knocked in a rebound with her back heel to make it 4-1 before Carver took advantage of a collision between Cony keeper Skylar Watson and a defender to make it 4-2. Logan scored her second goal from 20 yards with two second left. Cutler finished with eight saves while Sunsbury and Watson combined for two.
Boys soccer
Cony 1, Gardiner 1: The teams played to a tie in Gardiner as part of the Drive OUt Cancer Challenge on Monday night. Mike Luber scored for Cony in the first half while Dan DelGallo tied the scored for the Tigers in the second half. Cony opens its regular season Friday at home against Mt. Blue, while Gardiner travels to Lincoln Academy.
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