Oxley, Bocchino pace Eagles’ upset of Ponies

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Erskine’s Brittany Oxley did what no one else could do in a thrilling Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal game Wednesday against top-seeded Foxcroft.

She actually put the ball into the goal cage.

Sure, it took two 30-minute regulation periods, two eight-minute overtimes, and two sets of penalty corners, but Oxley’s goal in that second group of corners proved to be the winner as the No. 9 Eagles shocked the previously undefeated and top-seeded Ponies 1-0.

Erskine of South China, now 9-6-1, will play the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between No. 4 Mount View of Thorndike and No. 5 Rockland in a Saturday semifinal.

The Eagles were the underdogs in Wednesday’s matchup, but they’ve been on fire lately. After starting the season 1-5, Erskine is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games.

“I think we’re just working together really well,” goalie Kelly Bocchino said. “We hustle and we play with heart. We don’t want to lose anymore.”

After the two overtime periods, in which each team can use just seven players, the game went to sudden-death penalty corners. Neither team scored during the first set. Oxley scored in the second set and the Eagles shut down Foxcroft in the Ponies’ final turn.

Amanda Fortin earned the assist on a pass to Oxley.

“It was a teamwork thing,” said Oxley, who has scored seven goals this year. “Amanda had a perfect pass.”

Erskine forward Kelsy Cloutier watched the ball roll into the back of the goal cage.

“I was making sure it went in,” she said. “It was too far in the corner [for the goalie to save]. It was just good placement on Brittany’s part.”

Although the game was back and forth at times, Foxcroft dominated on offense with 22 penalty corners to seven for Erskine. And the Ponies had plenty of good chances as Harita Reddy and Rolinda Mitchell made runs up the wings and got the ball inside to forwards in front of the goal.

The Ponies just couldn’t put the ball in the cage. Bocchino had 13 saves on 13 shots in the regulation and overtime.

“I think it was the goalie that won the game for them,” Foxcroft coach Gene Philpot said. “She was just outstanding. Any other game and we would have had it in the goal cage.”

Foxcroft goalie Megan Ryder was also solid in goal, stopping all six shots she faced during play.

The Ponies wrap up their stellar season at 14-1.

“It’s a great group of kids,” Philpot said. “It’s not just with our program. I couldn’t ask for a better group to coach.”