ADDISON COUNTY — Middlebury overcame a strong effort by host Otter Valley to highlight area high school girls’ soccer play in the latter half of last week.
In other games, Mount Abraham used a late goal to post a road win, and Vergennes dropped a tight game to a top Division II team.
TIGERS OVER OTTERS
On Saturday, the Otters came out strong in their homecoming game vs. MUHS, pressuring the Tigers and taking a 1-0 lead when Taylor Aines lofted a shot home in the seventh minute.
MUHS equalized soon afterward when Rachel Sheldrick converted on a breakaway down the left side, tucking a shot home into the far corner.
The Tigers took the lead about 10 minutes into the second half, when Sara Boe sent a through ball to Kat Townsend, who got past the final defender and went in alone on goal and scored on a six-yard shot.
That score stood up as the game-winner in a 2-1 final, thanks in part to strong work by both goalies. OV coach Dave Brown said his goalie, Courtney Poljacik, counted a number of great stops among her 17 saves.
Tiger coach Wendy Leeds said MUHS goalie Sydney Reigle (10 saves) tipped one shot over the bar and snuffed two breakaways, with OV’s Aines, Jess Frazier andLauren Nesshoever applying most of the pressure. Leeds said Lydia Allen andAli Sheldrick created the best chances for MUHS.
The Tigers moved to 3-0, while OV dropped to 0-3.
On Wednesday host Hartford eased past the 0-2 Otters, 6-1. Nesshoever scored for OV, and Poljacik stopped eight shots.
EAGLES
On Friday, the Eagles got a late goal from Evy Jacobs that snapped a 2-2 tie and propelled the Eagles to their first win, 3-2, over previously unbeaten host Fairfax. Meghan Livingston set up the game-winner and also scored for Mount Abe, and Amy Nault added the other Eagle goal. Goalie Ashlie Fay made four saves as the Eagles moved to 1-1-1.
COMMODORES
On Thursday, visiting D-II title contender Montpelier got second-half goals from Annie Jones and Fiona Steele to knock off VUHS, 2-0. The Solons improved to 3-1 as goalie Tess Lawson made four saves, while the Commodores dropped to 1-3 despite nine saves from Caitlin Chaput.