WILMINGTON- It was the tale of two halves. Green Mountain (9-3) dominated the first while the Twin Valley girls’ soccer team (9-3) dominated the second. With the playdowns just around the corner, this game meant a lot to both teams. Green Mountain and Twin Valley were tied for fifth place in the division III standings and whoever won the match would clinch the fifth seed and secure at least two home games for the tournament. The game was also important for the Wildcats because it was Senior Night, their final home game of the season. The seniors wanted to end the regular season in style. Luckily, the Wildcats dug down deep and put in the extra effort when it counted most.

The Chieftains came out aggressively from the get-go. They kept play within the center of the field and deep within the Wildcats’ territory. Twin Valley’s defense was kept on its toes for much of the first half. Wildcats’ stopper Brittney Roemmelt and sweeper Devin Logan held down the fort. They were assisted by Breyer-lyn Crawford and Sam Bernard on the wings. All four worked furiously to slow down the Chieftains’ offensive assault, but eventually Green Mountain broke through.

At the 35-minute mark, a Green Mountain player rifled a shot at Wildcats’ goalie Bit Aekus. The ball hit the top goalpost and bounced back on the field. Rainie Hill raced to the ball first and knocked it in past Aekus. The horn sounded and the Chieftains had a 1-0 lead at halftime. “They definitely beat us at halftime,” said Twin Valley coach Chris Walling. “We had zero attack. I told the girls, ‘If you don’t go to the ball, we won’t have any chances and they’ll scoop them all up.’ It all boiled down to that.”

The Wildcats took Walling’s advice to heart and turned things around in the second half. They ran to the ball, attacked the Chieftains’ defense, and took several shots at Green Mountain goalkeeper, Georgia Ladd. Seven minutes into the second half, co-captain Devon Spirka took a corner kick from the right-hand side. Ladd grabbed the ball, but it fell out of her hands. The Wildcats swarmed Ladd for the loose ball but she quickly recovered it. Minutes later, the Wildcats got a second opportunity.

Devin Logan played a through ball to Spirka. Spirka hit a rocketing shot on net but Ladd punched the ball out of bounds. That set up another corner kick for the Wildcats. Spirka airmailed it in front of the Chieftains’ goal. Svenja Schuirrman got a head on the ball, but it fell short. Abbi Molner saw the loose ball, got a foot on it, and put it between the pipes to tie the score.

In the 68th minute, the Wildcats capitalized on a Green Mountain turnover. Crawford took the Wildcats’ throw-in and aimed it toward Spirka. Spirka sent another rocketing shot. However, the ball came out of Ladd’s hands and a scramble for the loose ball ensued. The ball pinballed in front of the net and rolled in front of Twin Valley’s Desiree Mack. Mack one-timed it low to the post and it rolled to the back of the net. The Wildcats turned the tables on the Chieftains with a 2-1 lead.

Green Mountain tried to muster one more attack in the closing minutes. Aekus came up big with three saves, one right after the other. Logan cleared the ball on the last play of the game and the final horn sounded. The Wildcats celebrated at midfield and the seniors got what they wanted, going out in style. “This year’s seniors are a great group. They’ve been in the program for many years and I’m certainly going to miss them. This was a great way for them to go out,” said Walling.

Visit www.deerfieldvalleysports.blogspot.com for additional coverage. Coverage includes the girls’ final game vs. Bellows Falls and the Division III girls’ soccer tournament pairings. The pairings will be announced on Monday, October 26.