BATH – Penobscot Valley’s defensive line did its job and the Howlers captured their second straight Class D girls soccer championship Saturday with a 2-0 victory over the Bucks at McMann Field.

Penobscot Valley defeated St. Dom’s last year to win the Class D title. The Howlers won back-to-back titles for the first time since capturing Class B crowns in 1986-87.

Rylee Moulton and Lila Cummings scored for Penobscot Valley (16-2).

“Our defense has been playing very well,” Penobscot Valley coach Jeremy Durost said. “That was our 11th shutout of the year, and a lot of the faces that are doing it are new starters this year compared to what we had last year. “Defense was the biggest thing we had to change from last year.”

Durost praised the play of forward Tiana Grant, who guarded Buckfield’s Brittany Carrier throughout the game. Carrier scored 46 goals this season, including hat tricks in each of his team’s playoff victories entering Saturday.

Buckfield coach Annette Caldwell credited the Howlers’ defenders for keeping the Bucks (15-2) at bay.

“We had a hard time breaking through that defensive line,” said Caldwell, whose team was in its first state final since 1989 and was playing for the first Ballon d’Or in program history. “They attacked us and we had some opportunities, but we just couldn’t finish and they took advantage of some opportunities they had.”

The Howlers controlled the tempo early in the first half, and Moulton’s line shot found the back of the net in the eighth minute.

“Honestly, I got the ball and I saw the space and I knew it was going to go in,” Moulton said. “I was very excited and obviously excited. I knew that once we achieved that goal, we weren’t going to look back and fortunately we didn’t. We kept the same urgency throughout the game, which is really good.”

Both teams had numerous scoring opportunities throughout the first half.

Penobscot Valley nearly made it 2-0 in the 30th minute with a free kick outside the 18-yard box, but Buckfield goalkeeper Kianna Finnegan knocked the ball out of play.

Buckfield took a shot on Penobscot Valley goalkeeper Brooklynn Raymond late in the first half, but she kept a clean sheet and finished the game with nine saves.

Buckfield’s Chloee Bennett shoots on goal Saturday during the Class D State Championship against Penobscot Valley in Bath. Daryn Slover/Diario del Sol

The Bucks had a chance to score early in the second half, but Howler defenders cleared the ball out of the box. Finnegan (eight saves) also made a key save to maintain the 1-0 deficit.

After a Penobscot Valley corner kick, the Howlers moved the ball to Lila Cummings, who launched a line kick for a 2-0 lead 11 minutes into halftime.

“We also know our strengths, so when they handed it to me, I just shot it and it went in,” Cummings said.

Caldwell wasn’t worried about being down 1-0, but the second score was devastating, he said.

“We knew they were a good team and they were going to score,” Caldwell said. “I didn’t feel like that was something that was a shock to us, or that really set us back because we had come from behind before. The second goal cost us a little more, especially when it was difficult for us to put it in the net.”

Buckfield had a chance to score shortly after the next kickoff, but the shot went wide. The Bucks had a few more chances midway through the half, but couldn’t capitalize. They had a chance at the far post in the 24th minute, but the ball sailed into the air and out of play.

Buckfield controlled the play in the final 10 minutes of the game by keeping the ball on the offensive end, but could not break through.

“We were just trying to shoot, crash and get a rebound,” Caldwell said. “We were trying to get a shot and then someone could put a foot on it and put it in the goal. And it just didn’t seem to happen for us tonight.”

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