Bangor girls soccer edges Camden Hills 3-2 to defend A North title
The Bangor High School girls soccer team has repeated as the Class A North champion, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to edge Camden Hills of Rockport 3-2 at Messaslonskee High School in Oakland on Tuesday night.
The 16-1 Rams will take on A South champ Scarborough, 14-1-2, in a rematch of last year's state title game. Scarborough won the game 2-0.
They will square off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at McMann Field in Bath.
Second seed Scarborough beat top seed Windham 3-1 in the South final.
Camden Hills finished at 16-1, including a 3-0 regular season victory over Bangor.
Tuesday's loss was the most goals allowed by the Windjammers this season and just the second time they had given up more than one goal in a game.
It is the sixth time in nine seasons that Bangor and Camden Hills have met in the A North final and they have each won three games, including Bangor's 2-1 win last season.
Senior midfielder Teagan Atherley, junior midfielder Clara Oldenburg and junior forward Gabby Roy scored for Bangor while senior midfielder Britta Denny scored both Windjammer goals.
Denny opened the scoring in the first half when a corner kick bounced around the Bangor penalty area and she poked it past Bangor goalie Eva Coombs.
Atherley tied it later in the half when she ran onto an Oldenburg through ball and converted by firing the ball past Madeline Tohanczyn.
Oldenburg gave the Rams the lead for good early in the second half with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area.
Roy converted an Oldenburg corner kick midway through the second half when she was positioned at the far post and directed the bouncing ball into the net off her knee and shin.
Denny made things interesting by scoring with two minutes left with a well-placed shot from just outside the penalty area.
But the Rams hung on for the win.
"What was really important was how we responded after giving up that first goal. We stayed aggressive," Bangor coach Jay Kemble said.
"This was the best we have moved the ball against a quality team this season. We possessed the ball, moved it left to right and right to left. We saw the field and played the ball ahead," Kemble added.
He said goalkeeper Coombs and his back line of Jo Jo Clukey, Sophia Chase, Avery Clark and JaLynn Williams were "tremendous."
"It was a great match," said Camden Hills coach Meredith Messer. "We created several good opportunities to score in the first half that we didn't capitalize on and they had a few as well."
Messer called her senior leadership "amazing," referring to midfielders Denny and Leah Snyder and back Harper Coburn, and said junior captain Maya Stone played "a great match."
