With No. 2 scorer Lexi Heidorn sidelined with a concussion, Camden Hills sophomore forward Alexandra Tassoni knew she needed to elevate her game in Saturday night’s State Class A championship game against Scarborough at Hampden Academy.
And she did.
Tassoni scored what proved to be the game-winner early in the first half as the Windjammers went on to claim their fourth straight state title with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Red Storm.
Kris Kelly had staked the Windjammers to a 1-0 lead with her 159th career goal 9 1/2 minutes before Tassoni’s tally.
It was their third consecutive one-goal victory over Scarborough in the state Class A championship game.
Camden Hills’ six seniors lost just one game and tied one during their careers, both against Bangor, and went 64-0-1 over their final 65 games.
Camden Hills wound up 18-0, while Scarborough finished at 15-3.
Ashley Sabatino scored for Scarborough with 13:26 remaining in the first half.
The Red Storm’s Ali Mokriski had a potential game-tying goal waved off for offsides late in the first half.
“When Lexi got injured in our last game, I understood how much I had to step it up and take her spot,” Tassoni said.
On her game-winner, Tassoni took a pass at the top of the penalty area from Ella Pierce and launched a powerful left-footed shot that glanced off goalkeeper Nicole Young and nestled into the far corner.
“I leftied it and it hopped right in. It was very exciting,” Tassoni said.
“She made me so proud [of her],” standout senior midfielder Kaylyn Krul said. “From the beginning of the year until now, she really stepped up. It is so incredible to see her improvement.”
Pearce also set up Kelly’s goal only 3:36 into the game with a long diagonal pass that the lightning-quick Kelly gathered in while racing down the left flank. She broke in alone on Young and tucked a right-footed shot into the far corner.
“There was nobody around so I made an easy [shot] into the corner,” the dynamic Kelly said.
The Red Storm carried the play in the first half as its backs lofted a lot of long, dangerous balls to their forwards that kept the Camden Hills backs busy.
Scarborough was justly rewarded for its play when the talented Sabatino, who was a threat every time she touched the ball, found herself alone on the right side of the penalty area. She ripped a powerful shot into the far corner off a cross-field pass.
Mokriski was ruledoffsides after she scored off a Grace Pettingill feed in the waning moments of the first half.
The second half was a different story.
After allowing 11 shot attempts and five shots on goal in the first half while mustering seven attempts themselves with just one shot on goal, the Windjammers held the Red Storm to only three second-half attempts. None went on goal.
Camden Hills had 11 attempts, four on goal, in the second half.
Camden Hills coach Meredith Messer said after her team built the 2-0 lead, they were sitting back too much, playing not to lose, and allowing Scarborough to win balls and then reacting to its long passes.
“I told them at halftime we have to win the ball. If we have the ball, they can’t score. Part of our game plan was to keep the ball on the ground because their defense serves the ball from back to front,” Messer said.
“We were definitely closing quicker and tracking quicker to the passes in the second half,” senior forward Pierce said. “When we play like that, it ups our intensity so much.”
“Their midfield won the game in the second half,” Scarborough coach Mike Farley said. “We couldn’t get the ball under control and their backs would come flying in front of us to win the ball. Credit their midfielders and backs. Any ball going forward, they smashed right back at us so we couldn’t get consistent pressure.”
With 10 minutes left, Messer moved Kelly from forward to center back and Kelly was superb, using her speed and tenacity to clear balls out of danger.
“She shut it down,” Farley said.
Alex Southworth finished with four saves on 14 shots for Camden Hills while Young wound up with five stops on 18 shots.