Richards, Graves, Law, Walker help Trojans gain championship

MOUNT DESERT – Emily Henry, a left wing on the Mount Desert Island girls soccer team, wasn’t sure what to wear to the high school’s Halloween dance Saturday night until after the Trojans’ game against Bucksport earlier that afternoon.

“Now I know what I’m going as,” Henry told a group of MDI players. “I’m going as an Eastern Maine champion!”

To complete the costume, Henry could use the medals that the No. 2 Trojans won in a 2-0 victory over the fourth-seeded Golden Bucks that made MDI the Eastern Maine Class B champ and lifted the Trojans into the state final game.

Henry and MDI forwards Katy Lawson and Maija Kaldro were stellar in the second half, but their substitutes did even better.

Bucksport had the edge during the scoreless first half, outshooting MDI 6-4, but the 14-2-1 Trojans took control after halftime.

“We didn’t get that many shots off and I thought they totally outplayed us,” said center halfback Crystal Graves.

MDI was strong on offense for the first 20 minutes of the half, but still couldn’t find the net. With 15:30 left in the game, MDI head coach Greg Linscott pulled out Lawson and Kaldro to rest them for a final push. Junior wings Lara Law and Hollie Walker took over.

The second string had its chance at 14:15, when Walker got the ball to Law, who tapped it in for the 1-0 lead.

Law has tallied four goals and four assists in the playoffs. Linscott said he wasn’t expecting the subs to score, but he wasn’t surprised that they did.

“That front line, they’re all juniors and they’ve experienced a lot this year,” he said. “You’ve got to have kids who can step in and do a lot. You can have kids hold the fort but that’s not going to do a whole lot.”

The Trojans settled back on defense to hold their lead, but with 57 seconds left in the game, Graves saw an opening when halfback Mindy Kane’s shot rebounded out of the goalmouth. Graves tapped in the ball for a 2-0 lead and the win.

Bucksport ‘keeper Kelly Downes did her job in the goal with six saves on 11 shots, but MDI’s second-half defense was a major factor in the win. Bucksport got off no shots in the half and the offense got close to Trojans goalie Lacey Richards just twice. Richards finished the shutout with four saves on six shots.

Sweeper Kelly Reed and defenders Rachel Cox, Erin Fernald and Kate Cox held off the speedy Bucksport front line of Kara Henderson, Katie Pelletier and Jessica Gordon.

“We knew they had some quick people on offense, so we knew we had to contain them and keep their shots down,” said MDI sweeper Kelly Reed.

“They played great defense,” Bucksport coach Steve LaChance said. “Plus they’re fast up front.”

Bucksport finishes its season at 11-3-3.

Linscott’s Trojans have one week to practice for the state title game. The Western Maine Class B final between Fryeburg and Mountain Valley was postponed until Monday, so the Trojans don’t know who they’ll play. But Linscott has an idea of how to prepare.

“We’ll just continue to work on our strengths,” he said.