ADDISON COUNTY — The host Mount Abraham boys outlasted Middlebury in an evenly contested match to highlight recent local high school soccer play.
In other action, the Otter Valley girls won in overtime, the Vergennes boys and girls each lost close games, the Mount Abe girls lost to a Division I team in overtime on the road, and the OV boys scored, but could not come up with their second victory.
At Mount Abe on Tuesday, the Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute of the first half. Phil McCormick won a ball in the heart of Tiger territory and found Grayson Webb cutting in from the left flank. Webb controlled and fed McCormick racing into the box on a give-and-go play, and McCormick finished into the lower left corner.
But the Tigers, who put six shots on the Eagle net, just one fewer than the Eagles did on the Tiger goal, equalized in the 15th minute of the second half. Holden Amory did the damage, with a setup from Connor Collins.
The Eagles responded with two quick goals in the 20th and 21st minutes of the half, on both of which Eagles ended up going in alone on Tiger goalie David Burt (four saves) after outmaneuvering the MUHS defense. Nick Earle converted a through pass from McCormick for what proved to be the game-winner, and soon afterward Webb controlled a high, bouncing ball from Cam Perta for the insurance strike.
MUHS pressured in the final 15 minutes, with Ethan Roy, Amory, Seddrick Weekes and Zuki Mahmuljin creating chances, but the Eagle defense and goalie Sam Low (five saves) held up. The Eagles are 7-2, while the Tigers are 4-5.
OV GIRLS IN OT
Also on Tuesday, the OV girls worked overtime to defeated Fair Haven, 2-1. Jess Greeno knocked in a cross from Brittany Young with 4:31 to go in the second extra session to give OV the win. Young also set up Lauren Nesshoever’s tying goal in the second half. Chelsea Murray, from Kendra Severance, gave Fair Haven the lead in the first half. Erin Trombley made 11 saves for the 2-5-1 Otters, while Meg Wooster stopped 10 shots for FHUHS.
VUHS BOYS EDGED
On Tuesday, visiting Rice improved to 6-4 with a 1-0 win over a shorthanded VUHS squad. Goalie Charlie Stapleford, filling in for injured Kameron Brooks, stopped six shots for the 2-8 Commodores. Coach Kevin Hayes hopes Brooks can return this week.
EAGLE GIRLS FALL
On Monday, the D-II Eagle girls gave host D-I foe BFA-St. Albans a battle, but fell, 2-1, in overtime. Freshman Evy Jacobs set up sophomore Jena Whitaker’s goal for Mount Abe. Eagle goalie Gwen Merrill, filling in for injured Shanna Gebo, stopped 10 shots, one fewer than the Comet keeper in an even game. BFA is 8-2, while the Eagles dropped to 3-7 with the tough loss.
SLATERS TOP OV BOYS
On Monday, the OV boys’ soccer team took its second lead of the season with the Otters’ second goal of the fall, but host Fair Haven rallied for a 3-1 win, the Slaters’ first of the season. Mac Lacy gave OV (1-8) the lead, beating three defenders and scoring early on, but Ben Jakubowski, Joel Link and Kyle Gearwar answered for the 1-8 Slaters.