Thursday, August 28
ARLINGTON -- It seemed as though Wednesday's first-round contest between the Bellows Falls and Fair Haven girls soccer teams at the John Werner Tournament in Arlington was destined for overtime.

Tough, back-and-forth play kept it close and, for most of the second half, tied at 1-all. But a penalty kick in the final 10 minutes of the game led to the go-ahead and decisive goal for the Slaters, handing the Terriers their first loss of the season.

"It was a close one and looked like overtime, if it wasn't for that penalty kick," Bellows Falls coach John Broadley said.

Fair Haven (1-0) took the initial lead three minutes into the game, when Ali Mancuso put one into the Terriers' net before most of the players had gotten into the groove of the contest yet.

While Bellows Falls bore down and began to apply more pressure, the Terriers weren't able to come back until midway through the second half. Ella Vosburgh started the play and fed a pass to Sydney Dorr, who outran the ball and put her shot into the corner and past goalie Meghan Wooster (12 saves).

The deciding penalty kick was taken by Jenna Cherron. Bellows Falls goalie Tia Billado had a solid effort, making nine saves, while midfielder Joyce Kearney also shined for the Terriers.

With the loss, Bellows Falls will take on Twin Valley in the third-place game in Arlington Friday at 5 p.m.

Arlington 2, Twin Valley 1

ARLINGTON --

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For the Twin Valley girls soccer team, Wednesday's game against Arlington in the first round of the John Werner Tournament was a testament to the fact that, sometimes, one great shot can overcome a stellar, game-long domination.

The Wildcats had control of its game against Arlington for much of the contest, but two solid shots by the Eagles' Maggie Belnap were the difference, as Arlington won, 2-1.

"We had great opportunities, but every shot we took was right at the keeper," Twin Valley coach Chris Walling said.

Belnap gave Arlington the initial lead on a free kick midway through the first half. She tacked on her second of the game with 19:22 left in the contest.

Devon Spirka gave Twin Valley hope for a positive outcome when she brought the Wildcats to within one with 15:55 left, but Arlington held on thanks to some strong goaltending by Haley Van Orman (11 saves).

Twin Valley goalie Molly Corse had six saves.

"It was encouraging that we played as well as we did against a team like Arlington," Walling said.

Twin Valley (0-1) will take on Bellows Falls in the third-place game of the tournament Friday at 5 p.m.