Bear boys turn things around
with five straight wins
Wildcat girls suffer first loss of season in rematch of 2011 EM ‘B’ championship
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
After a 1-5 start, the Easton boys soccer team has started to put things together.
PHEW! 
— Fort Fairfield goalkeeper Dalton Cassidy watches a shot by an Easton player go wide of the post during last Tuesday’s matchup played in Fort Fairfield. Easton came out on top, 1-0.
In fact, the Bears have now won five consecutive matches and will carry that winning streak into the harvest recess. The team’s next game isn’t until Oct. 9 when East Grand pays a visit.
Coach Ryan Shaw said the turning point to the season came during practice the day after Easton’s 7-1 loss to Ashland Aug. 29.
“We had a conversation and really started to take our practices to another level,” Shaw said. “We were getting outworked at times during our first four or five games.
“Our work ethic has improved, we are moving the ball better and as a result getting better scoring opportunities.”
Contributed photo/Dave Allen Graphics
Mike McLellan of the Fort Fairfield Tigers connects on a shot against Easton last Tuesday. 
Easton did lose to Wisdom on Aug. 31, but had a perfect month of September which included wins over Limestone-MSSM, Fort Fairfield, Washburn, East Grand and Central Aroostook. The Bears outscored their opponents by an 11-3 margin during the stretch and turned in a pair of shutouts.
“A lot of our key players are freshmen and sophomores and they are starting to realize what it takes to be competitive at this level. Plus the offense is becoming more balanced. This is critical as you prepare for the playoffs as we don’t want to have to rely on one or two players to carry the offensive load,” said the third-year coach. “Our defense has made some adjustments. They are communicating more effectively and judging the ball out of the air better.”
The Bears’ latest victory came Monday at home against Central Aroostook. Drew Sotomayor, one of the freshmen, scored off a free kick taken by Connor Burtt with 1:53 to play in the first overtime period to break a scoreless tie and give Easton the win. Jared Hafford saved nine of 16 shots in goal for the winners, while CA’s Hunter Crouse turned away 11 of 15 attempts.
Easton began last week with a 1-0 win at Fort Fairfield. Logan Sutherland’s unassisted goal early in the second half was the difference in last Tuesday’s match. Hafford recorded the shutout by saving seven of 11 shots, while Fort Fairfield’s Dalton Cassidy had eight saves on 13 shots.
A 3-1 win over Washburn followed two days later. The game was tied at 1-1 before Nick Clark scored with 8:25 to play in the match and Logan Halvorson provided an insurance goal with 1:48 left. Sutherland scored the game’s only goal of the first half before the Beavers’ Mitchell Worcester knotted things with 17:02 to go in the second half. Hafford saved eight of 12 in net for Easton, while Worcester combined with Jarrett Olson for 10 saves on 16 shots.
In Saturday’s 3-1 triumph over East Grand, Logan Halvorson, Cody Halvorson and Sotomayor were the goal scorers. Hafford saved eight of 12 in goal for the Bears and Alex Brittain saved 14 of 19 for the Vikings.
Despite the impressive roll the team is on, Shaw acknowledged that his squad cannot relax, especially considering the lengthy layoff the team faces.
“We need to take it one practice or game at a time and make sure we are improving every single day,” Shaw added. “We have improved, but we still have a long way to go. We can get there, but it won’t come easy.”
FIGHT FOR THE BALL 
— Easton’s Taylor Brown battles for the ball with Fort Fairfield’s Nicole Giberson during a match held last Tuesday in Fort Fairfield. The teams battled to a 1-1 deadlock.
The girls from Easton continue to play well. Coach Rachel Tomlinson’s squad won twice and played to a tie among its four contests played since last Tuesday. Easton is 8-2-1 and like the boys team will not resume its game schedule until Oct. 9.
The busy stretch began with a 1-1 tie against Fort Fairfield last Tuesday and was followed by a 2-0 loss to Washburn Thursday. The latest two matches resulted in wins – 10-1 over East Grand Saturday and 3-0 over Central Aroostook Monday.
Taylor Brown’s hat trick led the way in the win over the Vikings, with Carla Halvorson and Kylee Carter also notching two goals each.
Halvorson scored a first-half goal against the Panthers, while Mariah Cyr and Kelsey Frank tallied second-half goals in the shutout win. Hannah Ferris made 16 saves on as many shots to record the shutout.
The Presque Isle girls had their 18-game regular season winning streak snapped Saturday as they fell at Hermon, the team they defeated in last year’s Eastern Maine Class B championship match. Kristin Saulter had the hat trick in Hermon’s dominating 3-0 win.
Last Wednesday, the Wildcats had moved to 3-0 following a 4-0 home win over Fort Kent. Megan Ireland, Jordi Legassie, Taylor Williams and Emma Bartlett scored a goal apiece as PI swept the season series against the Warriors.
Easton’s Carla Halvorson gets ready to put a shot on goal during a game against Fort Fairfield last Tuesday. The Bears and the Tigers battled to a 1-1 tie. 
The Presque Isle boys blanked Hermon Saturday, 1-0, behind an early goal by sophomore Ben Nickerson that stood up. Cody Lyford picked up the save in goal, the first of his career, with six saves on eight shots.
Both Wildcat teams next play at home Saturday against Foxcroft Academy. Game times are 2:30 p.m. for the girls and 4:30 p.m. for the boys.
The Ashland boys remain undefeated, but after opening with five consecutive victories finished with a 3-3 tie against Washburn at home Monday. Cody Blair provided the heroics, however, for the Hornets as he scored twice to help his team battled back from a three-goal deficit. Nick Belanger had Ashland’s other goals, while Nick Bragg, Worcester and Alex Pelletier all scored for the Beavers.
Last Tuesday marked the first games on Ashland’s new field. The girls team bested Van Buren, 7-1, with Savannah Flint tallying twice and five teammates netting one goal apiece. Macie Bellanceau saved two of three shots for the win in goal. The Ashland boys won that same night, 5-2, behind Mark Chasse’s two goals and a goal and two assists by Blair. J.J. Dozier and Tim Tarr combined for 10 saves for the winners.
The Hornet girls lost to Washburn, 2-1, on Monday.
In other recent matches, Fort Kent blanked Fort Fairfield Friday, 2-0, while the Tiger girls blanked the Warriors that same night, 3-0.
The Central Aroostook boys picked up their lone win of the season Thursday by blanking Wisdom, 2-0. Connor Boulier and Dustin Pryor had the goals and Crouse the shutout in goal. GHCA/Hodgdon scored a 3-2 win over the Panthers last Tuesday. Pryor scored both CA goals.
The CA girls beat Wisdom, 5-1, as Marissa Anthony scored twice and Sarah Grass, Karlie Levesque and Lizzy Gillen had a goal apiece.
