Savage goal lifts Bangor past Nokomis

NEWPORT – Set plays have been the way to go for the Bangor girls soccer team this season.

The Rams have already converted several times off direct and indirect kicks, corner kicks and throw-ins. They added another score off a set play during Tuesday’s game against Nokomis, which turned out to be the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over the Warriors at the high school field.

Bangor’s record now stands at 2-1-1 and Nokomis is 2-2.

Jana Savage scored 4:51 in the second half and just about two minutes after Nokomis tied the game when she fielded an indirect kick from Molly Wiebe and kicked it in from about 20 yards away.

“We’ve done really well with the indirect kicks,” Savage said. “We try to get the ball to the far post. We’ve done it two or three times this season and it’s worked well for us. It’s one of the plays we practice.”

Savage recorded an assist on the Rams’ first goal, when she passed the ball to Melissa Achorn, who beat two defenders and sent a shot past goalie Tonya Cray. Achorn’s goal with 27:57 left in the first half gave Bangor a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Sara Frey tied it up for Nokomis when she positioned herself almost parallel with the goal mouth and lofted in a shot from the left 3:07 into the second half. Frey’s shot was one of seven in the second half – a improvement over the Warriors’ two shots in the first half.

Some of the Warriors’ offensive intensity in that half was the result of Nokomis coach Aaron Germana moving speedy Katie Page up to a striker position. But Bangor defenders Kerri Tuck and Elissa Bosley clamped down on the Nokomis track star and midfielders Jlynn Frazier and Kristan Strout double-teamed Page when necessary.

“We stepped it up in the second half,” said Germana, who is in his first season with the varsity. “We typically play a stronger second half.

“We talked about changing the defense for the second half but the girls said they wanted to keep it the way it was. I tend to listen to them because they’re the ones on the field.”

Bangor coach Jeff Ingalls did make a change in the second half, moving one of the three forward positions to the middle for a more defensive stance.

The switch paid off – the Rams got off two fewer shots in the second half than the first but had numbers on defense as the Warriors got stronger offensively.

Bangor goalie Katherine Miller made three saves on nine shots. Cray stopped five of the 14 shots she faced for the Warriors.

JV: Bangor 1, Nokomis 1