Portland - Old Lyme coach Paul Gleason started to tear up when talking about his seniors.

He had more trouble containing his emotions than second-seeded Old Lyme did controlling Coginchaug in Friday's Shoreline Conference girls' soccer championship game.

The Wildcats celebrated a 1-0 victory.

"It's fulfilling for my seniors and I'm happy for them," Gleason said. "They've worked hard for four years for me and I've been coaching them since sixth grade."

Then Gleason paused and started to cry.

"So it's kind of rewarding for me and emotional," Gleason added.

It was Old Lyme's second straight Shoreline championship, but this title was sweeter for the seniors, according to Alston Rountree who anchored a stingy defense that limited fourth-seeded Coginchaug to just two shots, both in the first half.

"We won last year and it was a great feeling, but it didn't really feel like our win," Rountree said. "Coming off the field this year, it was ours, finally. After four years of working hard in practice and giving it our all, it finally showed."

"… This was a perfect way to go into the (state tournament)."

The senior class also includes Hannah O'Brien, Catie Quartella, Meredith Aird, Julia Strycharz and Hannah Paynter.

It was a pair of talented underclassmen, however, that combined for the game-winning goal. And it was a beauty.

With time running down in the first half, sophomore Jenna Peduzzi carried the ball down the right side and sent a perfectly placed cross into the goal mouth. Opportunistic freshman Keelin Hurtt headed it home for the game's only goal.

Only nine seconds remained in the half.

"I saw my good friend Jenna Peduzzi with the ball headed down to the corner," Hurtt said. "I had to sprint to the goal. It was coming in and I had to get anything that I could on it. It had to be my head."

The Wildcats (15-3) dominated play from the start. Midfielders Silja Forstein and Aird controlled the middle and served as playmakers. O'Brien's booming corner kicks created issues for Coginchaug.

"We came out strong and we really showed what we were made out of," Hurtt said. "It was a bit of a challenge but we had it all under control."

Peduzzi almost opened the scoring but slipped on the wet grass while attempting a shot with the goalie out of position.

The scrambling Coginchaug defense limited the damage, though, despite Old Lyme holding a 17-2 edge in shots overall.

There were a few nervous moments for the Wildcats late in the game.

In the final 10 minutes, Coginchaug made one last hard push, but Old Lyme refused to buckle. Junior goalie Tori Sims raced out to grab a potentially troubling cross and the clock ran out shortly after that.

"They kicked our butt in the last 15 minutes," Gleason said. "They wanted it bad. … We were able to stop them from shooting. It was pretty fortunate.

"I have an unbelievable senior leader (Alston Rountree) out there with a couple of sophomores and a freshman playing defense."

Prior to the game, Gleason was given the Shoreline Conference girls' soccer coach of the year award.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe