EAST MILLINOCKET – After a frustrating 80 minutes of near-misses and almost-had-its, Mike Sirois got one final chance Saturday to put his previously high-scoring Van Buren Crusaders on the scoreboard.

With 10 seconds left in the state Class D soccer championship, teammate Eric Ayotte launched a corner kick.

Thirty yards away, in the penalty area, Sirois found himself looking down the barrel of redemption.

He leaped. Flicked a delicate header over leaping Monmouth Academy goalkeeper Matt Quirion.

And then he collapsed in a heap. His last-gasp shot had brushed the crossbar and fluttered high.

All around him, the Mustangs celebrated their 1-0 win on Ron Marks Field.

“When he headed that thing, it looked like it was dead for back corner,” said senior ‘keeper Quirion.

Not quite, Sirois said with a wry grin. “Four or five inches,” he estimated.

Quirion and the Mustangs got the game’s only goal from Cody Webber and finally cashed in on their third state title attempt in four years.

Monmouth finished 12-2-3 while Van Buren ended up 16-1-1.

Monmouth coach Gary Trafton was pleased with the Mustangs’ overall play, but ecstatic with the performance of Quirion.

“Mattie Q was unbelievable,” Monmouth coach Gary Trafton said of his goalie. “That’s the best I’ve ever seen him play.”

Quirion thwarted the Crusaders all day. Van Buren outshot Monmouth 19-16 and had more high-quality chances. But Quirion made 10 saves and stymied an attack that entered the game with three 20-goal scorers.

Quirion, for one, expected a bit more scoring.

“Van Buren’s a real strong team,” he said. “I’m surprised they didn’t score with all their opportunities.”

He’s not the only one who left feeling surprised.

“There were just a few opportunities we had there and didn’t finish,” said Ayotte, a junior who scored 31 goals during the year.

Monmouth had fewer chances. But thanks to Webber, who scored with 8:33 to go in the first half, they didn’t need many.

Webber’s shot didn’t so much beat goalie Sean Violette as it Webber’s shot didn’t so much beat goalie Sean Violette as it kept the Crusaders from beating up on themselves after the loss: The shot, a right-footed laser that Webber volleyed from 22 yards out, pinballed off the inside of the left post and ended up in the right side of the net. It left nobody blaming the freshman ‘keeper, who finished with seven saves.

Ask around.

“Nobody’s gonna stop that one,” Trafton said. “That was a rocket.”

Van Buren coach Steve LaPierre agreed.

“Nobody could stop that,” he said.

Which led to Van Buren’s nearly buoyant postgame attitude.

“You know, I feel good,” LaPierre said. “The kids played real well. We dominated the whole second half. And I don’t think they had a real good scoring opportunity at all, apart from the goal they made.”