2nd-half surge lifts Houlton past Dexter in girls C quarterfinal
By Joseph Cyr, Houlton Pioneer Times Staff
HOULTON – A second-half scoring explosion lifted the No. 3 Houlton girls to an impressive 6-1 victory over No. 6 Dexter Tuesday evening in a Class C North quarterfinal.
The Shires erupted for five goals in the second half of Tuesday’s contest, breaking open what had otherwise been a close affair through the first 40 minutes of play.
GIRLS QUARTERFINAL — Houlton’s Mylee Sylvia boots one of her two second-half goals to help lift the Shires to a 6-1 Class C North quarterfinal victory over Dexter. Defending on the play is Dexter’s Annika King.
The Shires (15-0 overall) will now travel to Pittsfield to take on No. 2 Maine Central Institute in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Huskies of MCI are also undefeated on the season with an identical 15-0 record.
In Tuesday night’s quarterfinal, it was Dexter who took the quick 1-0 lead as Cally Gudroe beat Houlton goalie Emma McCarthy.
“We had multiple opportunities in the first half, but things just were not clicking,” Houlton coach Marina Cameron said. “We had some defensive mishaps too, but we played much better in the second half.”
AROOSTOOK COUNTY GAME — Dexter goalie Hannah Dean is unable to come up with the ball initially on this shot by Houlton’s Lydia Byron. The No. 3 Shires beat sixth seed Dexter 6-1 in the Class C North quarterfinal.
For Shire Mylee Sylvia, Tuesday’s postseason game was a record-breaker as she set a new school record for most goals by a freshman with her 22nd goal of the season. The previous record of 21 goals belonged to Kolleen Bouchard. Bouchard however still holds the overall single season school record with 37 goals set in 2017.
Sylvia finished with two goals on the night. Maddie Marino also added two goals and an assist, while Amelia Callnan chipped in with two goals. Gabby Gentle had two assists and Lydia Byron had one assist.
NOWHERE TO GO — Houlton’s Lydia Byron tries to advance the ball around Dexter’s Cally Gudroe on Tuesday evening.
Sylvia said she knew coming into the game that she needed two goals to set the school record for a freshman, but was not overly concerned about the personal accomplishment.
“I was just more focused on having fun out there tonight,” she said. “I think that helped all of us in the second half.”