Red Devils leave Calais Devils blue Brownell keeps kicking until she powers Central to 3-0 victory

CORINTH – Erica Brownell admitted to a bit of frustration as she kicked shot after shot over the crossbar as the No. 8 Central girls soccer team faced No. 9 Calais in an Eastern Maine Class C preliminary game Tuesday.

But eventually, Brownell kicked one in. Thirty minutes later, the Red Devils had a 3-0 win and a berth in the quarterfinals.

Central, now 6-8-1, will travel to face No. 1 Madawaska in the quarterfinals. The game is scheduled for Friday.

Calais wrapped up at 5-9-1.

In the scoreless first half, Brownell, Central’s center midfielder, placed at least five hard-hit shots over the goal and some right to Calais goalie Steph Perry. But 81/2 minutes into the second half, Brownell booted one that Perry couldn’t get to.

“That was awful,” Brownell said of the shots she missed in the first half. “… I just kicked [the winning shot]. I don’t really aim.”

Central coach Tina Dumond, however, was pleased that her players kept firing away.

“It was frustrating but it was good at the same time because we were getting a lot of shots on goal, and that’s what we wanted to concentrate on for this game,” she said. “We knew eventually one of them had to go in.”

Amanda Gray had the assist on what was a give-and-go play, toeing a short pass ahead to Brownell for a blast into the upper left corner of the net.

Brownell earned an assist on the second goal with her corner kick to Britni Bolinger, who kneed the ball past Perry with 12:24 left.

About four minutes later, Gray scored one of her own when she lofted a ball by Perry.

The Red Devils controlled the ball for most of the game and especially in the second half, finishing with a 22-8 edge in shots on goal. Central’s midfielders and fullbacks were able to stop Calais from making runs and kept the ball out of the Red Devils defensive half by winning Blue Devil goal kicks and free kicks.

“We’ve been working very hard on that, getting in front of the ball and winning the ball,” Gray said. “That was a big focus.”

Perry finished with nine saves and Central’s Kimberly LeBlanc stopped seven shots.

The Blue Devils were able to somewhat contain speedy right wing Molly Chretien, who, along with Brownell, is one of the Red Devils’ top scorers.

Calais senior defender Courtney Taylor picked up Chretien during the first half after it was clear the Blue Devils would need a quick player to mark her.

Calais coach Greg Smith praised his four seniors on defense: Taylor, Darcey Gillespie, Heidi Graceffa, and Cassie Thomas.

They started the season in other positions, but as the Blue Devils opened with a 1-7 record, Smith moved the group into the backfield and that sparked the Blue Devils’ 4-2-1 finish.

“It’s kind of taken away from our offense, but it’s kept us in games,” he said. “Those girls have made us solid defensively and that got us into the playoffs.”