The Penobscot Valley Howlers continued their dominant run in Class D soccer on Saturday, beating Ashland 2-0 to claim a third straight state championship.
The Howlers got on the board almost immediately at Hermon High School’s Pottle Field when senior co-captains Rylee Moulton and Lila Cummings connected for a set piece goal off a corner kick. Moulton sent the ball into the box and Cummings hammered it home for a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game.
While it looked early like Penobscot Valley might easily run away with the contest, Ashland righted the ship and looked dangerous on the counterattack throughout most of the first half to keep things interesting. But junior captain Brooklynn Raymond was solid in goal all game for the Howlers, preserving the lead for an eventual shutout.
Moulton and Cummings switched roles on a second-half corner kick to provide the second goal of the game, with Moulton heading home a cross from Cummings to make the game much more comfortable for the defending champs.
Ashland goalkeeper Angel Hafford made several nice saves to keep the game close, including a stop on Moulton when the 100-goal career scorer was barreling down on net by herself in the second half.
