Mt. Abram senior Rebecca Fullerton moves the ball past a St. Dom defender in a quarterfinal match-up last Tuesday. .(David Hart photo)
Quarterfinals:
Mt. Abram, 2 - St. Dom's. 1
Semifinals:
North Yarmouth Academy, 1
Mt. Abram, 0

SALEM -- Last week, the Lady Roadrunners of Mt. Abram proved that they are one of the best soccer teams in the state class C and possibly one of the best in the history of the school. They proved that by competing in a very tough playoff schedule against highly skilled private academies in the post season.

"These kids are the greatest overall group of kids that I've ever had the privilege of coaching," said MTA head coach Marc Keller. "They have heart, they've got grit, and they've got intensity. We talk about when you walk off the field to leave it all there. Don't walk off the field saying what if, or maybe if… and every single time that's what they give me. That proverbial 'they'll run through a brick wall for you,' well, these girls will do just that. I am going to miss this soccer team," Keller said after the final NYA game.

The quarterfinal game against St. Dom's was an absolute thriller that went into overtime dramatics on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Just 10 minutes into the game a St. Dom corner kick resulted in the first blow of the game for the Saints as a shot got past MTA keeper Kenni Norton.

The girls who rarely ever trailed in a game did not give in. Four minutes later MTA had a direct kick just outside the 18. The shot was over the head of the defending wall, but the St. Dom keeper Elise Applegate was able to reel it in. MTA sophomore Jaci Crosssman had a taste of a near goal as she charged net on a crossed ball, but could not convert. MTA was fighting a tough team as well as the driving rain and wind in the first half.

Late in the first, Emma James who was playing one of her best games of the year, eluded the defender at the wing, turned around and blistered a shot into the keeper's hands.

Senior forward Maria Parrett broke loose to feed Katie Bushman who sent Applegate diving for the ball, but the shot was just inches wide.

With nine minutes remaining, James put a blistering shot from half way between the 18 yard line marker and mid-field, which was handled by the goalie.

The first half ended in a 1-0 NYA advantage. The MTA girls came out in the second and continued to press, but struggled to find the back of the net.

"We were down so long in that game, so long. I don't believe we're ever going to lose until the final buzzer goes off," James said

"It's a really frustrating feeling," senior forward Rebecca London explained, "because I think to myself that I'm doing everything I can except putting it in the back of the net and I just want to go that extra distance for my team. I know that if we keep pushing and pushing we'll eventually get it."

"This was the first time that we've ever been behind this year," Keller said after the NYA game. "It shows the type of grit that we have. I knew these girls have it, but never had to display it until today."

Then with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, the girls got the break they needed as a penalty was called inside the 18.

"When they had that hand ball I knew I was taking it," James explained. "All week long I've been putting them in the same place, practice after practice, kick after kick; I've been going down there by myself and working on it."

Her perseverance paid off as she went into her routine and placed the ball perfectly past the left of the keeper to tie the game.

"I knew at that moment that that was our chance, because Emma has been so clutch for us this year with her PK's," London said. "It's not a question of if; it's a question of when."

Two minutes into overtime the MTA girls showed their momentum when London crossed the ball from the corner and Parrett and James were both within inches from ending the game with the keeper on her knees and a loose ball rattling around.

Three minutes later turned out to be the play of the season. London in-bounded the ball from the left side to Bushman who was in the corner. Bushman tapped it back to London in the corner who tried to elude the defense. London crossed it back to Bushman in the middle who one-timed it back toward the left post where the ball was rolling between senior mid-fielder Rebecca Fullerton and the keeper.

"I definitely knew it was going to be a close call. I saw her coming and knew it was going to be a 50/50 so I got down and tried to poke it through," Fullerton explained immediately after the game. Both Fullerton and Applegate dropped down into a slide tackle on the ball. "As soon as I poked it, the keeper jutted me right in the middle of my stomach with her cleats because she slid tackled too to try to save the goal," Fullerton said. Fullerton won the battle on contact as the winning goal bounced into the net just before the crowd was silenced when Fullerton didn't get up.

"I saw it go in when I was falling backward. I could see that it was rolling by. It was so exciting I wanted to get up and celebrate, but my chest just hurt, so I just laid there for a second —when I was able to get up, all the girls were standing around me screaming; it was so amazing," Fullerton said.

There was a short-lived period where some thought when Fullerton was on the ground that the game was not yet over or that she didn't know that she just won the game. Then the ref came over and said to those who were kneeling at her side, that they might want to make her feel better and tell her that she just scored the game winning sudden death goal.

"It was such an intense heartfelt game," London explained outside the locker room on Tuesday. "We put everything on the line and we were rewarded for it."

Saturday's quarterfinal match-up against North Yarmouth Academy was a well fought, well balanced match up against some of the best Western Class C players in the state.

NYA's Courtney Dumont's second half goal was the difference in this one as they will go on to play Waynflete in the Western C finals.

"We played an outstanding game," Keller explained. "We had our opportunities and played the game we wanted to play, but they were just a little bit better."

Keller said that NYA southern Maine style of play was tough to overcome. "They're a very good team, they're skilled, their athletic, they're well coached. They popped in the back of the net when they had their chance and we didn't capitalize on ours," Keller explained. The coach said he made some adjustments marking some of NYA's top players with some of his top players. "It paid off we had some good shots on net and some good crosses, but simply just didn't find the back of the net."

MTA keeper Kenni Norton played the game of her life making over 10 saves in the game and looked at 14 shots. The biggest save was a penalty kick where the NYA PK kicker went to her left. Norton dove in that direction and pushed the ball outside of the post to keep the game scoreless in the first half.

Some of the girls said after the game that they'll miss the opportunities to play in the final games, but more they'll miss being part of this (15-1-0) Mt. Abram team.

Kudos to the Lady Roadrunners for a marvelous season and giving the fans one heck of a show.