Boothbay Region High School girls soccer forward Sinead Miller was hoping for a win to celebrate her birthday on Sept. 10, but she settled for scoring her team’s only goal.

Miller scored in the 73rd minute of the Boothbay Region soccer team’s 4-1 loss against Dirigo. The Seahawks opened the season with its second straight home loss.

Despite the loss, the team is excited about the front line starting to put pressure on defenses. In the 31st minute, forward Courtney Brewer found herself with a opportunity to put the Seahawks ahead. She received a midfield pass just inside the penalty area. She dribbled a few yards in and boomed a shot over the goal.

A minute later, Miller had the Seahawks’ second prime scoring chance. She was about 12 yards from goal, but shot wide right. 

Dirigo rebounded from the two near  Seahawk misses and proceeded to attack the Boothbay Region goal. At the 33 minute mark, Cougar forward Summer Keim broke the scoreless tie. Dirigo’s second goal came two minutes later. Seahawk goalkeeper Jamie Wheeler batted away the initial shot, a Dirigo player kicked the rebound, which was blocked by defender Colette Bertin. A third shot was initially stopped by Wheeler who later lost possession. Dirigo forward Summer Bradbury kicked the loose ball into the goal.

Dirigo scored twice in the second half to earn the 4-1 win. While the Cougars dominated the scoreboard, it didn’t mean they controlled the action. The official scorer showed Boothbay Region out shot Dirigo 14-10. Wheeler recorded 10 saves, and Cougar goal keeper Mariah LaFleur had eight.

Miller’s goal boosted her team’s spirits who believed they battled a tough Dirigo team which already has two wins already this season. Miller notched her first goal of the season after receiving a midfield pass inside the penalty box. She dribbled in and booted he ball from eight yards into the goal’s upper left corner.

“It was great everybody got so excited after the goal,” Miller said. “It shows my teammates support me, and we all support each other. I think the team is starting to play together and  we should improve throughout the season.”

Despite the loss, the Seahawks are encouraged what they described as a strong performance that was punctuated with a aggressive offensive attack.

“This game was a real boost for us,” Brewer said. “We did a lot things well, and played more aggressive throughout the game. Dirigo is one of the better teams in our league. And overall, we played them pretty tough.”

Boothbay Region’s next game is on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Lisbon. The Seahawks’ next home game is at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the Clifford Ball Field in Boothbay.