The quick and determined Mt. Blue junior forward blasted in both goals and the Cougars got their first win of the season, beating winless Oxford Hills 2-0 in a Class A girls’ soccer game.
The Vikings were stubborn in this evenly matched game, but when Daggett cut loose from the crowd, she found a way to deposit her two goals.
“We struggled with our first three games. We had a really good game against Cony,” Mt. Blue coach Fred Conlogue said. “Had a difficult time putting the ball in the net and today Jocelyn got a couple of goals. Nice goals.
“We’ve been behind pretty much in every game all preseason. We’ve come back and gotten goals but we can’t either win the game or they score more than us.
“It was really evenly matched game. It just came down to the two shots she took. They certainly had some opportunities down the stretch.”
The Cougars (1-21) turned up the heat in the first half, keeping the ball in front of the Vikings’ net.
But a worn-out Daggett broke away from midfield traffic with the ball, swiftly approached Vikings goalie Emily Blackshaw and sent the ball sailing into the right side of the net with 22:30 left in the first half. Lexi Mittelstadt was credited with the assist and Mt. Blue led, 1-0.
“Very tired, but I pushed it really hard,” Daggett said of the breakaway shot. “I think we really did well. We were spaced really well. We played well together as a team. I think we really did a good job. I am very proud of them.”
The second half was more about Oxford Hills, which outshot the Cougars 8-4. The Vikings came close on several shots, including one by Kenzie Kahkonen, whose shot ricocheted off the cross bar.
The Vikings kept pressing through the second quarter, but Daggett got hold of the ball on the left side of the Oxford Hills net and drilled the ball from about 20 yards away and over the head of Blackshaw with 14:32 left in the game.
Oxford Hills (0-4) just didn’t have the finishing touch and it was frustrating for Viking coach Chad Truman.
“We passed far better than we passed any game this season, possessed the ball, did the things we wanted to do, but failed to finish, and that is the grand weakness right there,” Truman said
But Truman believed his team was due for a victory against the Cougars.
“Not to demean them (Cougars) at all, because they fought with all their hearts, and they finished two goals — two goals that were lofted up over the keeper and well placed — and Fred coaches a good team, but I thought that’s a team we can beat when we finish. You don’t finish, you don’t win soccer games, and they did.”
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