Tough game fosters "family" atmosphere for OHCHS girls soccer team by Jordan Schorr

  South Paris - On Friday, September 20th, the Oxford Hills Lady Vikings Varsity Soccer Team took to the field at the Gouin Complex with an enthusiasm equal to that of their family and friends who were on the sidelines. With both wins over the Mt. Blue Cougars 2-1 and the Lewiston Blue Devils 4-2, on the team’s shoulders, they were ready to defeat Hampden Academy.

The start of the game involved equal playing ability and aggression. Although Hampden Academy is ranked high in the state, they were no match for Lauren Emery, OHCHS junior center defender. Making many great plays with light touches, Emery booted the ball halfway across the field for an attempted shot on goal on opposing team member No. 8 Sami Bowler. As the game continued, Mikayla Morin dribbled circles around the Hampton players with great speed and determination, but there were no goals. At one point, Morin got so aggravated, she took her anger out on No. 15, Sarah Richards, causing Hampden Academy to get an free indirect kick.

Oxford Hills held Hampden Academy at the half field mark for a good part of the game.There was only one break away by Hampden’s Kerry Quigley, No. 25. Her shot on goal was saved by OHCHS sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Bickford.

Offensively, the Oxford Lady Vikings managed to cross the ball over the field twelve different times, and made many attempts on Hampden goalie Bowler. Morin also made a handful of great corner kicks, but they were just short of the desired destination in front of the goal.

At the end of both 40 minute halves, the score between Hampden Academy and Oxford Hills was still 0-0. They went into what both teams hoped would be a single five minutes of overtime. Both teams were amped up to be the first to score. OHCHS player Nicole Zufelt encouraged her fellow teammates to “keep going, ladies!”

At the end of this overtime, the score was still 0-0, with both teams going strong. Unfortunately after a second five minutes of play, the buzzer went off and the final score at was 0-0. Even so, Samantha Bickford jumped with a feeling of victory.

The tie against Hampden Academy pushed Oxford Hills up to 4th place in the Division I ranking of girls’ high school soccer. Coach Truman was very proud.

Truman said, “The team played with the heart and effort that I had hoped for, and we showed that we can compete with a top level team.” Truman is new to coaching the girls’ varsity team  this year, replacing three year coach Courtney Sirois

“It is a big change, especially for the seniors who have had [Sirois] all the way through. But I think change can be good sometimes,” explains Zufelt.“Our team has overcome a lot these past few weeks, and we feel like family.”

Photo by: Brewster Burns
 Mikayla Morin, OHCHS junior mid-fielder, goes head to head with number 23 from Hampden Academy, during a hotly contested game this past weekend