AUBURN — Nineteen seconds.

Roughly the amount of time it takes for the weather to change at a soccer game on the final day of September. Also how long the St. Dominic Academy girls needed to seize control of Thursday’s muggy, buggy game with Mt. Abram.

Sophie Goulet was the third person to get a foot on the ball for the Saints. The senior captain promptly launched a 20-yard boot off the fingertips of leaping goalkeeper Allison Lopez and into the cage.

Not the least bit satisfied, St. Dom’s scored two additional goals and rattled the crossbar at least four more times, remaining undefeated in the Mountain Valley Conference with a 3-0 triumph.

“We got possession really, really fast,” Goulet said. “I think there were two passes and it was in. Steph (Costello) played it to Kayla (McLellan), and she played it to me. From outside the 18, it was a tough shot. It’s a lot better than starting a goal down.”

As the second-ranked team in Western Class C, St. Dom’s (8-0) is used to playing with leads.

Mt. Abram (1-5-3) is accustomed to giving highly regarded foes fits, as was the case in ties of No. 3 Dirigo and No. 1 Georges Valley in its two previous contests.

“We just didn’t hit the gates running, I guess. It took us a second to get fired up, and against a team of that quality you can’t do that,” said Mt. Abram coach Marc Keller. “That’s the best team we’ve played all year. We played three really great games in a row, and we didn’t play well today. They make that happen because they’re so fast and they’re skilled. We had kind of a down day, which makes that problem a lot bigger.”

Goulet scored again midway through the half, this time courtesy of Costello. Emily Conner started the sequence by winning a loose ball near midfield.

McLellan, a sophomore, notched her second assist of the day by setting up Meagan Lawrence with 11:34 remaining in the game.

“We have a balanced attack. Different assists, different goals coming from different players. It makes your team more versatile,” said St. Dom’s coach Kathy Little. “We knew Mt. Abram was coming off their tie against Georges Valley (Tuesday), so we knew their spirits were high. We opened it up right away and we didn’t sit on it. We kept playing.”

Mt. Abram also fought St. Dom’s to an early-season 2-0 loss under the lights in Salem.

The rematch could have been more one-sided if not for the feverish efforts of goalies Lopez and Raven Riendeau (17 combined saves) and the good graces of the 10-foot high frame.

Clara Bosco, Taylor Paquet, Goulet and McLellan each hit the crossbar. Paquet and Goulet’s bids came back-to-back in the final 30 seconds of the first half.

“I told (my goalies) to kiss the crossbar after the game,” Keller said, “because I think it saved seven of them.”

Dayle Jordan, Emily Rioux, Becky Trytek and Conner were defensive standouts for the Saints, who logged their third shutout of the season.

Goulet, Paquet, Lawrence and Hailey Girardin are the lone returning seniors from last year’s MVC championship club.

“It’s amazing after losing nine seniors,” Goulet said. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, we’re going to be bad this year,’ but I was a little bit nervous. I’m impressed.”

Emma Houston and Mikayla Luce enjoyed Mt. Abram’s best scoring chances, each in the first half. St. Dom’s keeper Mary Caron made a nice juggling stop of Houston’s attempt from long range.

Mt. Abram’s high-quality ties have been valuable as wins over most teams.

The Roadrunners rank No. 5 in Western C Heal Points, even with only one victory and despite nine different starting lineups in nine games.

“We’ve had concussions and sprained knees and stitches. Illness has gone through this team like crazy. It’s one of the weirdest seasons I’ve ever seen,” Keller said. “We’re getting back to form, and maybe a couple of those ties will turn into wins and we can get into the playoffs. We’re certainly in the mix.”

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