READFIELD — No one knows better than the defending Class C champions that there is no such thing as instant gratification in playoff soccer.
Maranacook survived a frustrating first half and a pesky opponent to score three times in the second half and defeat Sacopee Valley, 3-0, in Tuesday night’s Western Class C quarterfinal match at Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams.
The top-seeded Black Bears (15-0) will host No. 4 Waynflete in the semifinals on Friday.
Matt Dubois scored two goals and Kent Mohlar contributed a goal and an assist for Maranacook, which outshot the Hawks, 23-2.
“We worked hard all game,” Dubois said. “We kept the chances up, and eventually the goals are going to come. They didn’t come in the first half. They could have. But we got them in the second half.”
Sacopee finished its season 5-8-3.
Sacopee goalie Michael Pingree (10 saves) made one of a handful of his outstanding saves on the night just before the Black Bears finally found the back of the net. Mohlar dropped a pass into a crowd of mostly blue shirts in front of the net that Dubois won and booted past a diving Pingree with 24:48 left.
“It was a set play that we’ve been doing in practice. Kent just flicked the ball up and I just crashed the net,” Dubois said. “It’s all hard work. It’s all crashing the net, being at the right spot at the right time.”
That formula worked on Dubois’ second goal a little over two minutes later. A Sacopee defender was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the ball deflected off him into the net to make it 2-0.
Another own goal was credited to Mohlar with 16:33 left.
“We scored twice on ourselves, but you don’t score on yourselves if they don’t put the pressure on,” Sacopee Valley coach Mike Lane said. “They did that all night long, and we weathered the storm as long as we could.”
Sacopee didn’t get a shot in the game until 10 minutes remained, and that was a direct kick that William Goforth sent wide left of the net.
Maranacook put the pressure on from the start with a half-dozen quality chances in the first 10 minutes, including a Mohlar header that Pingree kept a bead on and an uncontested shot by Dubois that skipped off the top of the crossbar.
“We’ve always been taught the first 15 minutes is what counts,” junior defender Mark Buzzell said.
Pingree held back the Black Bears with a fine diving save to deny Zack Godbout from 25 yards out in the final minute of the first half.
“I think we hold on a little longer had my center-back (Dominic Locke) been healthy,” Lane said. “He pulled his hamstring (in the preliminary round) against NYA. We put him at more of a holding center-mid in front of the defense and that was the reason we held them as long as we did. As soon as he started to feel it, they stuck it in.”
Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638
rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @RAWmaterial33
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