Dubois, Hackett lift Rams Bangor moves to semis

BANGOR – It didn’t take long for the No. 3 Bangor girls soccer team to score in the Rams’ Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal Friday.

And although No. 11 Oxford Hills put up a fight in the second half, Serena Dubois’ goal less than two minutes into the game stood up as the eventual winner in a 4-0 victory over the Vikings of South Paris at the high school field.

Dubois also scored on a penalty kick late in the second half, and Amy Hackett also scored twice to boost the Rams into a semifinal matchup against No. 2 Messalonskee, which beat No. 7 Hampden 1-0 Friday.

Bangor, now 13-2, will face the 12-0-3 Eagles Tuesday in Oakland. Messalonskee beat Bangor in the Rams’ third game of the season, a 3-2 double-overtime Messalonskee win.

Not only did Bangor’s first goal come quickly, but its second goal did, too. Only 41/2 minutes after Dubois beat Oxford Hills goalie Samantha Rivers, Hackett took a pass from Jessie Roberts and blasted in a high, hard kick from just outside the 18-yard line.

“I think they didn’t know what to expect in the beginning,” Dubois said. “Usually teams try to mark Amy and I and I, but they don’t know how to. So we got a couple of fast ones, and then we got better marked throughout the game.”

Oxford Hills coach Kyle Morey said the Rams took advantage of his team’s defensive lapses.

“You’ve got to be ready at the beginning of the game,” he said. “We needed to come out on fire, and we allowed them to turn and to win the ball, and they’re quality players. … We gave them time and space and they finished.”

Bangor played with a 2-0 lead until Hackett scored again, this time with 2:21 left in the half.

“I knew one more goal would put them away or knock them down,” Hackett said. “Three will usually knock them down.”

Erin MacDermott assisted on Dubois’ goal. Dubois put in her second goal after a foul in the penalty box with 5:39 left in the game.

As tough as it was for the Vikings to contain Bangor’s front line in the first half, it was just as hard for the Rams to keep Oxford Hills from taking some hard shots on goalie Ilyse Angst.

“Our midfielders have been able to dominate most teams, and [Oxford Hills] did a nice job marking them and took them a little bit out of their game,” Bangor coach Larry Smith said.

But Angst held up, stopping tough chances from Oxford Hills players Terry Bunce, Jenny Pietroski and Kari Pelletier. Angst also came out to stop some dangerous crossing passes in front of the goal.

“That’s the playoffs,” Angst said. “Whether it’s 3-0 or 0-0, they’re going to come out and play hard. [The Bangor forwards] came through in the first half, and I’m there to save them [in the second half].”

Oxford Hills had an 11-7 advantage in shots on goal in the second half and Angst had to make nine saves. Overall, Angst saved 11 of 15 and Rivers made six saves on 15 shots.