BANGOR – The Presque Isle High School girls soccer team hasn’t been challenged much this season while compiling a 10-0 record entering Monday’s game against 7-1 John Bapst.

In fact, the Wildcats had allowed only one goal.

They collected their 10th shutout but it certainly wasn’t easy as they needed second-half goals from Rachel Blackstone and Sarah Consioroski to subdue the inspired Crusaders 2-0.

Each team had 24 shots at goal and both goalies came up with some superb saves. Molly Hamel made six for Presque Isle and Caroline Cassling stopped seven for John Bapst.

“I don’t think the score represented how [well] we played,” said John Bapst senior center midfielder and co-captain Ashley Sanford. “After a loss, we’re usually down. But I take this game as a win. We learned a lot. We played a hell of a lot better than we did the first time. We had lots more chances.”

“This was good for us,” said Presque Isle coach Ralph Michaud. “It was certainly challenging. We’re still in harvest break and the girls are a little bit out of condition. Molly usually sees only eight or nine shots in a game. They have good athletes.”

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. They’re our biggest competition,” said Hamel who made two critical saves off Crusader midfielder Molly Jones in the first half.

She extended herself to swat a Jones shot around the far post early in the game and made a more difficult save with five minutes left in the half as she dove to get her hands on Jones’ menacing 22-yarder labeled for the upper far corner.

“She made a really great save. I should have hit it harder,” said Jones.

Senior left wing Blackstone’s eighth goal of the season came off a direct free kick with 29:54 left. It occurred just two minutes after John Bapst sophomore Whitney Sinclair hit the far post behind the helpless Hamel with a well-placed left-footed flick after she had spun around in the penalty area.

Blackstone’s free kick was a curling left footer from beyond the right side of the penalty area. She snuck it in the short side as John Bapst’s Megan Pritham tried in vain to head it off the line.

“I was trying to hook it in or hook it so someone could head it in,” said Blackstone.

Junior Consiorski’s 11th goal of the season came with 15:19 left off a right wing cross from Angela Norsworthy and an ensuing scramble.

The cross deflected to Blackstone at the far post.

“I took my time and put it far post but it hit the post and [Consiorski] kicked it in,” said Blackstone.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” said Consiorski.

The Crusaders never stopped working and created three glorious chances over the final 15 minutes only to come up empty.

The skillful Wildcats, led by All-Staters Kylan Smith and Katie DeLong, came out impressively and earned five corner kicks in the game’s first 10 minutes.

But the Crusaders, paced by wing Whitney Sinclair and sweeper Kylie Hopkins, began playing better as the game progressed and went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats the rest of the way.