The PVHS girls soccer team is going back to the Class D state championship for the second time in the past three years that there have been MPA tournaments held, and played in their fourth straight title game on Tuesday night (including the 2020 Penquis Valley Conference Covid Cup).
PVHS went through quite a big change in the offseason, with losing 5 players from last years Northern Maine runner-up team, as well as another starter (captain Mia Neal) due to a season-ending injury suffered in the summer. This Howler team starts two seniors (Kaya and Holly Loring), two juniors (Emma Potter and Ashlyn St. Cyr), and the remaining seven are underclassmen with four of them being freshmen. Their poise, confidence, skill, and belief in themselves however has made up for their limited experience.
The Howlers defeated the Ashland Hornets under the lights in Presque Isle on Tuesday evening 1-0 in the regional final. PVHS earned the top seed in Northern Class D as they compiled a 13-0-1 regular season record, before knocking off Fort Fairfield and Central Aroostook in the quarter and semifinals respectively. Ashland came in as the #3 seed, and had an impressive road win at undefeated Wisdom last Friday to get there.
The game was physical and intense right from the start, with both teams having some solid attacks but the match went to halftime scoreless. Finally, with about 26 minutes left to play freshman Lila Cummings attacked and controlled an Ashland goal kick at the corner of the 18 yard line. She darted toward the middle, sidestepped a few defenders, and blasted a 25 yard shot that deflected off the goalkeepers hands and went into the net. That would prove to be the game winner. Penobscot Valley had a few other opportunities for goals that just missed, including a shot by Rylee Moulton from a Holly Loring cross that went off the left post, and a header by Ellie Austin from an Emma Potter corner kick that went off the crossbar. In the end, the Howler defense and goalkeeper Lauryn Smart kept the high-scoring Hornets off the board for the shutout. Smart saved six of seven shots she saw, and had some key saves throughout the game. Michaela Carney stopped eight of 15 shots on the other end, as Ashland ended their season at 13-4.
PVHS improves to 16-0-1, and will play North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) down at Deering Memorial Stadium in Portland on Saturday at 12:30 pm. When the Lady Howlers last made it to the state championship in 2019, they lost to that same team 1-0 in the final minutes.
Photos are courtesy of Feldmus Photography
