Ledyard - Ledyard High School's seniors were used to the following each November: qualify for the CIAC girls' soccer tournament and get hurled out in the first round.

The Colonels happily ended that pattern on Tuesday. Junior Emily Kowalski scored twice as Ledyard rallied from an early deficit to beat Bristol Eastern 2-1 in double overtime in a Class L first-round game at Colonel Ledyard Park.

"This is really big for us," Ledyard senior Carly Loy said. "I'm psyched. We've all worked really hard for this and this is just great. It's always been that light that we've been trying to reach."

The 12th-seeded Colonels (10-6-1) advanced to play at one of the state's most soccer-mad towns, Guilford, the fifth seed and defending class champion. The second-round game will be played on Thursday at Guilford High School (2 p.m.)

Ledyard lost its previous two tournament games by a combined score of 9-2. It won a mere three games in 2011 and didn't qualify for the tournament.

Ellie Phetteplace, Brooke Scahill, Stefanie Wegiel and Loy are the only seniors on the Colonels' postseason roster.

"They're a great group of kids," said Ledyard coach Jennifer Sullivan, in her second season. "They're a great core and a great group of leaders and have helped us get to where we are."

The youngsters outnumber the veterans as Ledyard has nine freshmen, including the likes of goaltender Delaney Gagnon, who have taken over major roles.

"While we are young, I have very good soccer players and I have told them that from day one," Sullivan said. "The youth would always impact us to some degree, but overall we have a very good soccer team. I knew regardless of who I put on the field that the girls have worked hard every day in training and execute the things that I've asked them to do. They've improved immensely.

"The freshmen have stepped up big time and the players who didn't start last year have stepped up, especially Emily in the past two games. She's scored some great goals, some very hard goals as well."

Kowalski has four goals in the previous two games.

"I don't know, something has happened (with her)," Loy said about Kowalski. "She has this fire inside of her and she's been playing really well."

Emily is a Kowalski, though - older brother Jordan was The Day's All-Area Football Player of the Year last year - so no one should be too surprised by her performances.

"It's in her blood," Loy said.

Emily Kowalski said: "I'm very proud of my brother. I want to follow in his footsteps and am working as hard as he did."

The Colonels had an unlucky break early as Eastern's Ciera Carrillo got to a loose ball and scored nine minutes into the game. It was the Lancers' first shot.

Time was running out in the first half when the ball ricocheted off Eastern's keeper and right to Kowalski. She scored to tie the game with 36.1 seconds left before halftime.

"It fell out of the goalie's hands, and I just poked it with the top of my foot," Kowalski said. "I had no idea it was going to go in."

Kowalski scored on a breakaway just 17 seconds in to the second overtime.

"I actually don't even remember," Kowalski said of the play. "It was just all a huge blur."

n.griffen@theday.com

Twitter: @MetalNED