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BANGOR – For the second time this season, the Hampden Academy girls soccer team had to rally from a one-goal deficit against Bangor.
When the teams met for the second time Thursday evening, however, the Broncos needed not one but two lead-changing goals.
Brandy Eldridge provided not only the game-winning goal in a 3-2 Hampden win, but also may have boosted Hampden into an Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal matchup against the rival Rams when she scored almost five minutes into the second half at the high school field.
For 10-3-1 Hampden, Thursday’s game wasn’t just a big win over a rival or a nice way to close out the regular season.
Broncos coach Dewey Martin said Hampden will likely move ahead of 10-4 Bangor in the Eastern Maine Class A Heal point standings, which would mean the Broncos could host Bangor on Oct. 20.
“This was a big game for us,” Hampden senior Mikki Libbey said. “We had to come out with a lot of intensity. I think we really came out and showed what we had as a team.”
Bangor was fourth and Hampden fifth, separated by 5.6 points, in the most recent Eastern Maine Class A Heal point standings. It was the second time the Broncos beat the Rams this season. Hampden earned a 2-1 win on Sept. 6.
Like the game last month, Bangor scored first but Hampden came back to tie it and take the lead. This time, however, the Rams knotted it up again, setting up Eldridge’s winner.
She scored 4:41 into the second half when she put in a loose ball that ricocheted off a Bangor defender.
“Mikki kicked it in and I saw the ball coming,” Eldridge said. “I kept thinking, just run, just get there. It ended up coming off the other girls’ shin.”
Bangor took a 1-0 lead on a Jenny Leach goal. Hampden came back to tie it and take the lead on goals by Michaela Stephenson and Lindsay Martin, respectively.
The Rams pulled even when Amy Hackett scored with 40 seconds left in the first half. Bangor couldn’t rally after Eldridge’s goal, her second of the season against the Rams.
The Rams had an excellent chance when Hackett took a direct kick from about 20 yards out with 1:53 remaining. The ball curved to the left side of the net but Hampden goalie Michelle Wells stopped the hard-hit ball, cradling it in her stomach.
Wells knew just what to expect from Hackett.
“At the end of the game I knew she was going to try to take a shot,” Wells said. “I was just trying to hold my ground and figure out where she was going to go.”
Bangor had a 12-7 edge in shots in the second half and had eight corner kicks in the game to two for Hampden.
“I think we were forcing shots and some of the shots didn’t have the authority they needed to finish,” Rams coach Larry Smith said.
Three goals was a nice offensive output for the Broncos, but they were most proud of their defense. Hampden was without sweeper Tara Utecht, who is out with a concussion, and moved Rylee Rawcliffe into that spot for the first time.
Dewey Martin was also pleased with the defense on Hackett, provided by Libbey.
“That’s why we won both these games,” he said. “She’s the key player defending Amy Hackett. She still scored a goal, although that was my fault because Mikki wasn’t marking her at the time. … Hackett’s an excellent player and we have a lot of respect for her game.”
Bangor goalie Kortnie Hudgens stopped eight of 14 shots. Wells finished with 10 saves on 19 shots.
“It was definitely a team effort today,” Wells said. “Everybody pitched in. We’ve really done a lot of team bonding stuff and that’s helped us a lot this year.”
JV: Bangor 2-1
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