OAKLAND — The Messalonskee girls soccer team needed a lift to keep its Class A North playoff hopes alive, and it got one Thursday night.
Messalonskee controlled play from start to finish Thursday night at Veterans Field to earn a crucial 2-0 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference win over Waterville, gaining the Eagles some steam in their fight for the final Class A North girls soccer postseason spot. Caroline Westhoff and Emma Parsons collected the goals for Messalonskee (4-6-1), which entered the day 10th in the Heal point standings.
The top eight teams in the region qualify for the playoffs.
“I told the girls our playoffs started tonight,” said Messalonskee coach Kirk Soule.
“From a coaching standpoint, I care about creating opportunities. We were creating opportunities. It’s the finishing part we’ve struggled with this year. If we can continue to get the opportunities, and if we make it into the playoffs maybe we can start to connect on a few of those. … I like the fact that from the start of the season to the end of the season, we are getting better.”
The Eagles played like a team determined to reach the postseason.
Waterville (6-4-1) was pinned in from the opening kick. The saving grace for the Purple Panthers was the play of keeper Lexi Van Der Westhuyzen, who made 10 saves, and the lack of finishing touches from the hosts.
Messalonskee fired 25 shot attempts in Van Der Westhuyzen’s direction, although less than 50 percent (12) of those on target.
Messalonskee’s Rylee Pelletier (10) takes a shot on Waterville goalie Haley Dunn during a girls soccer game Thursday night in Oakland. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Westhoff hammered home the opener in the 22nd minute with a bullet from the left side of the 18-yard box.
“It’s been a long time coming for us to get these goals in,” Westoff said.”We’re working hard, we’re working as a team, we’re working to stay positive, and that’s all we can do.
“It was a confidence boost for us. That just kind of set the stage for the rest of the game and had us on from there.”
The lead doubled less than five minutes into the second half with Parsons’ 180-degree turn-and-fire from range.
Armed with a 2-0 lead, the Eagles went to work defensively from end to end and touchline to touchline. Testament to how little Waterville could generate, Messalonskee conceded just one shot attempt in total — and none on target.
“That took the pressure off,” Soule said of Parsons’ goal. “After that, you started to see our flow, the lateral movement and the passing started to get much better. Our personality is to play defensively and rely on the counter-attack, and then if we can a lead we can possess and move the ball. Hopefully, we can get into the playoffs and get some of that.”
The visitors were held without a shot in the second half.
“We’ve been really focusing on holding our formation and keeping our fullbacks high,” senior center back Lilly Moore said. “For lack of a better word, we keep a Nike ‘swoosh’ for defense. We’ve been really focusing on shifting and centralizing, getting back and looking to support each other.”
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