Jimmo’s goal seals victory

ASHLAND – Even though the Ashland girls soccer team had the lead at halftime of Friday’s Eastern Maine Class D championship game, coach Peter Belskis made sure during his halftime talk that his team knew it would be crucial to get another goal.

The top-ranked Hornets didn’t wait long for that second score.

Jessica Jimmo knocked in a ball at the left post a little more than a minute into the second half to seal the program’s first Eastern Maine Class D title since 1996 with a 2-0 win over No. 2 Bangor Christian at the high school’s girls field.

The undefeated Hornets, who move to 15-0-2, will face second-ranked Western Maine champion Richmond, a 3-0 winner over No. 1 Greenville, for the state crown at a site yet to be determined.

They’ll be joined by the No. 1 Ashland boys, who won Friday afternoon’s EM Class D boys game 5-2 over No. 2 Machias. It was the first time Ashland has hosted Eastern Maine championship games for both top-seeded boys and girls teams.

Bangor Christian, which wraps up its season at 12-5, was making its first appearance in an Eastern Maine final in 25 years.

Jimmo’s goal, which came just 1 minute, 2 seconds into the second half, provided some insurance after Suzie Poulin put in the eventual game-winning goal in the first half.

Both goals came on set plays. Poulin scored on a scramble after a Whitney Flint throw-in, and Jimmo got hers after a Macie Pelkey corner kick.

“That was very, very big,” said senior Jacky Raymond, who assisted on Jimmo’s goal. “If they had gotten one back it would have been a whole different game…. Macie’s got a heck of a kick for a little girl. My job’s just to get the ball from the kick to the middle. The ball ricocheted off someone and I turned it. There was Jessica, doing exactly what she was there for.”

Jimmo was open at the left post to make the most of her opportunity as the Patriots were trying to guard players like Flint and Raymond.

“I was just there for it,” said Jimmo, who is a sophomore. “Jacky had a nice cross to me. … They marked up some of the better [Ashland players], and the [players] behind them get to go ahead and get some goals.”

The Hornets were particularly worried about their defensive matchups, especially when they actually got a look at the Patriots’ forwards and midfielders. Mindy Chasse was originally set to mark BC standout Christin Pelletier, but once Ashland saw Bangor Christian’s willowy forward Kelly Robinson, the taller Chasse switched to her.

That left a host of players to guard Pelletier, including Flint, Crystal Cook and Pelkey.

“We found out [Robinson] was pretty tall, so I had to match up with her,” said senior Chasse, who starts on the Ashland basketball team. “Everyone else had to help on [Pelletier]. We had to shut her down.”

Bangor Christian outshot Ashland 13-10, including a number of tough shots late in the game. Pelletier slammed a free kick at Ashland goalie Taylor Baker, who made the stop with five minutes left, and later Baker saved a shot that came off a rebound. She made seven saves.

“[Jimmo’s goal] put us back on our heels a little bit,” Patriots coach Clark Cole said. “Our goal was to keep Flint and [Raymond] from scoring, and we did. That was our game plan and it worked, but on both of their goals we didn’t mark up. And we just couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

Bangor Christian’s Moriah Bach stopped five shots.

The Hornets have dedicated their season to Mindy Long, an Ashland High student who died in a car crash in spring 2006. Long was the starting sweeper and would have been a senior this year with Chasse, Flint, Raymond and Sara Morton.

“It meant a lot to this team to go this far,” Raymond said.