LEWISTON — Just like last year, top-seeded Monmouth had to face ninth-seeded Sacopee Valley in the Class C South girls soccer quarterfinals.
Just like last year, the visiting Hawks were coming off a preliminary-round victory over an eighth-seeded Madison team.
Unlike last year, the Mustangs avoided the upset, finishing off the Hawks 5-4 behind a hat trick from Alicen Burnham at Lewiston High School’s artificial-turf Don Roux Field on Tuesday.
“We were out for revenge,” Burnham said. “We wanted this win. We wanted to beat them.”
Monmouth coach Gary Trafton didn’t try to stop any revenge talk leading up to the game.
“Put it this way, the last two days of practice I had a T-shirt that says, ‘Sacopee 3-1,’ so …” Trafton said. “I just was trying to remind them to that. They knew, but just trying to get them a little motivated. I don’t think I need to motivate them. So it was nice to get this one.”
The Mustangs (15-0) had the best scoring chances early, but the Hawks (9-3-4) who found the back of the net first on a goal that served as a reminder that the conditions were a little wet.
A low cross into the box slipped out of the hands of diving Monmouth goalie Emma Johnson, and the Mustangs failed to clear the loose ball far enough out of the box. Gabby Jamerson-Martin was there to send the ball back in, and her shot rolled past Johnson and inside the right corner of the goal.
Monmouth quickly answered with a shot of its own inside the right post. Audrey Fletcher got by two defenders in the box and tied the game with a low strike past Kylie Day that sneaked inside the frame.
The goals kept coming.
The Hawks went back ahead on Lakyn Hink’s 20-yard shot, only for Burnham to tie it for Monmouth less than two minutes later on a cross from the right side that went off Day’s gloves and into the goal.
The first four goals of the game happened during a span of 7 minutes, 19 seconds midway through the opening half.
“We let up a little bit there in the middle after we scored our second goal, and then they scored two soon after ours and kind of set us back again,” Hawks coach Brian Hink said.
The Mustangs took their first lead with 7:30 to play before halftime. Fletcher’s corner kick deflected out to Bunrham, whose shot toward goal was put in by Anna Lewis.
Monmouth scored an insurance goal midway through the second half, but the Hawks responded less than two minutes later. Burnham made it 4-2 with a back-to-the-goal volley shot after Fletcher’s direct kick to the right of the box went off Day’s gloves.
“Wasn’t really expecting that, but it was a good goal,” Burnham said. “I surprised myself there. I just kind of tried to put my body out on the line for that goal tried to get it over.”
Hink scored her second goal off a long Lindsey Hendricks direct kick, which went over a scrum in the box and the Monmouth clear attempt went short to Hink, who had an open goal to shoot into.
Fletcher and Burnham connected again for a goal to re-gain a two-goal advantage for Monmouth. Fletcher’s direct kick from outside the top-left corner of the box went off Day, and a charging Burnham deflected the ball into an open goal with 17:16 remaining.
“Those were big because sometimes we don’t follow the shots this year,” Trafton said. “We’ve been harping on it, and they came to play and they knew that they had to with the wet ball like that.”
Hink completed a hat trick by scoring off an Allie Black corner kick before the final buzzer to round out the scoring.
The four goals against were more than the three the Mustangs allowed, total, in the regular season.
“To score four goals against that team is good,” Hink said. “We haven’t let up more than three in a game, and to have them score five against us, that was a really good game. Two really well-matched teams, I think. It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I wish it went the other way.”
Johnson finished with seven saves, while Day turned away eight shots.
The Mustangs next face fourth-seeded Maranacook in the semifinals.
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