Late goal lifts Boothbay to victory over Lisbon
Boothbay forward Riley Sullivan was in the right place at the right time Wednesday, as she scored the winning goal against Mountain Valley Conference rival Lisbon. Sullivan broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the contest’s final 23 seconds.
A Lisbon infraction with less than a minute remaining gave Boothbay possession at the dotted line. Attacking midfielder Nicole Clarke carried the ball for five yards from the goal’s right and sent it cross field to Sullivan, who knocked it past the goalie’s stick hand.
“I usually don’t take those hits, but time was running out,” Clarke said. “We’re taught to cross the ball the closer you’re to the goal, and hopefully somebody will knock it in. And that’s what Riley did.”
This was the second game of the season for both teams. Boothbay is 2-0 and Lisbon is 1-1. Boothbay coach Donna Jordan believed Lisbon, the Class C South runner-up a year ago, would be a tough opponent for her team. According to Jordan, the Greyhounds have nearly all their top performers returning from last season.
“We knew Lisbon would be a good test for us. They have good team speed and it was a great game to watch between two very good teams,” Jordan said.
The Greyhounds displayed why they are still among the top teams in the Class C South. Lisbon forward Chase Collier scored five minutes, twenty seconds into the contest. Boothbay had three good first half scoring chances, but the half ended with a 1-0 score.
During the 10-minute halftime intermission, Jordan implored her team’s front line to step up and move faster to the ball inside the circle.
“If we don’t attack then we won’t score,” she told her players.
It didn’t take long for the Seahawks to heed their coach’s advice. Forward Kayla Lewis scored 21 seconds into the half. Center forward Sydney Meader, who assisted Lewis’ goal, put the Seahawks ahead with her own unassisted goal with 12 minutes and 45 seconds left.
Lisbon tied the score on forward Savannah Czechalski’s goal with nine minutes, 48 seconds left. Czechalski received a pass from outside the dotted line and re-directed it past Boothbay goalie Erica Eames, who made four saves on six shots. Boothbay scored three goals on seven shots.
For Meader, the biggest challenge playing against Lisbon was the Greyhounds’ speed and ability to knock the ball off her teammates’ sticks. She described Lisbon as a “highly competitive skilled team.”
“It came down to who got to the ball first, and when it counted, we knew what to do with the ball,” she said.
Boothbay competes in Class C North. The Seahawks’ next game is against the school that won Class C South last season: Oak Hill. The Seahawks and Raiders play at 4 p.m. on Friday in Wales.
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