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1A girls' soccer: Orono 5, Blake 0
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Orono girls' soccer coach Erin Murray knew seventh-grader Sophie Babo had varsity talent. What she wanted to know from her trusted veterans, though, was whether Babo was mature enough.
"We told her there was no question," senior midfielder Kerrie Dingmann said. "We wanted her on our team."
The decision paid off all season, but it paid the greatest dividends at the most important time. Babo scored three goals Thursday to lead the No. 1-seeded Spartans (20-2-2) to a decisive 5-0 victory over Blake for their first state championship. Blake finished as the runner-up for the second time in three years. The teams tied 1-1 earlier in the season.
"It was our best game of the year," Murray said, "and it's a good time to have your best game."
Orono controlled play early and cashed in with a little more than 12 minutes elapsed when Dingmann headed in a perfect cross from fellow senior Amy Larson. That calmed any lingering nerves for Babo, who struck a cannon of a left-footed volley from 25 yards out four minutes later for a 2-0 lead. She struck again later in the half and then early in the second half.
"It feels amazing," said Babo, who finished the season with 25 goals and also scored the winner in the quarterfinals. "I definitely couldn't have done it without my teammates."
The victory was particularly gratifying for not only Orono's seniors but also for Murray, who played for the first Spartans team to qualify for the state tournament in 1997. That was the first of five trips that ended without titles. The sixth, though, netted hardware -- with the help of a player who isn't old enough to remember the first state trip that came just 12 years ago.
"It's much more surreal now," Murray said.
MICHAEL RAND
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