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11/05/2009
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Staff photo by Joe Phelanfrom the Kennebec Journal
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from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
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All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
For two halves of regulation and more than 20 minutes of overtime, the Richmond girls soccer team dominated Greenville in the Western Maine Class D girls soccer championship game Wednesday. The Lakers packed in their defense, allowing Richmond to dominate possession of the ball.
But it was the Lakers, not the Bobcats, who caught a break and left the field holding the championship plaque.
Gretel Breton chipped a ball over the defense to teammate McKenna Peat, who outran the defense and chipped the ball over Richmond goalie Lindsy Hoopingarner with 9 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give Greenville a 1-0 win.
"It's a funny game," Richmond coach Troy Kendrick said. "You want to hope that you've lived right and you'll catch a break, but it didn't seem like we got one today. The kids played hard and they played well, but you have to score, that is the name of the game."
No. 2 Greenville (12-2-0) avenged a pair of regular season losses to No. 1 Richmond (13-1-0) to earn a return trip to the Class D state championship game.
On Oct. 1, Richmond beat Greenville 4-0. That loss prompted the Lakers to play with just two forwards and a diamond defense. The Lakers were content, Coach Chris Fenn said, to let Richmond dominate possession of the ball but didn't want the Bobcats to get any open looks.
"They beat us twice in the year and the last time they beat us 4-0 and they won the middle of the field and controlled it every time," Fenn said. "We put more bodies in the middle of the field, sacrificed offense and, to be completely honest, we were hoping to just get to penalty kicks."
For a while, it looked as if this game would indeed reach penalty kicks. Richmond had the ball in front of the Greenville goal for much of the game and had seven corner kicks in the two overtime periods but had few quality chances. Greenville's defense, led by sweeper Saige Weeks, didn't allow Richmond the time to get off a good shot.
"It seemed like they cluttered it a lot on defense," Richmond midfielder Megan DeRaps said. "We'd get shots, but it seemed like there were tons of people in the way."
Richmond appeared to take the lead early in the first half when Katelyn McAuliffe ran onto a cross from DeRaps on the far post. The goal, however, was waved off because officials ruled McAuliffe knocked it in with her elbow.
The Bobcats had another chance on a cross by Danica Hurley, but Kayla Hatheway, who was open on the far post, was unable to get a head on the ball. Late in regulation, Tara Hurley took a corner kick that was on net, but no Richmond player was able to get to the ball before Greenville goalie Sidney Richardson played it.
Greenville's best chance was its last one. Richmond nearly ended the game seconds earlier when Hurley had a shot hit the post, it got redirected off Richardson twice. Hurley then took a second shot that went just wide. Greenville finally got possession and Breton kicked the ball up the middle of the field.
Peat out-ran the defense to the ball and touched it once just outside the 18. Hoopingarner charged the ball and dove at it, but Peat was able to chip it up and into the goal.
"I was just thinking get it on net," Peat said. "I honestly thought the defense was going to catch me. It is just one of those things, it's one-in-a-million and it happened. Thank God."
Scott Martin -- 621-5618
smartin@centralmaine.com
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