Ashland hoping to get back
to EM Class D soccer finals
ASHLAND — The Hornet boys’ soccer team got a taste of championship soccer during the 2012 season. A strong regular season and quality run in the playoffs put the Hornets into the Eastern Maine final. Unfortunately, they ran into a buzzsaw in Bangor Christian, who dispatched the Hornets 6-0 for the Patriots’ fourth consecutive title.
This year’s Ashland squad hopes to play that experience into another trip to the championship with a better result. Third-year coach Mark Stanley, with the help of assistant coach Lendell Tarr, is excited about the upcoming season. Despite losing five seniors from last year – including goalie J.J. Dozier, and standouts Tyler Levesque and Alex Chasse, the Hornets return a very good core of players to the field.
Seniors Tyler Chasse and Nick Belanger, a midfielder and defender respectively, will be called upon to provide leadership to a still fairly young squad. They also will bring a veteran presence to their respective spots. Other seniors — striker Isaac Cyr, defender Adam Smart and midfielder Adam Sessons — will also be asked to give quality minutes and help with the leadership roles.
The junior class features two of Aroostook County’s most dynamic scorers in Cody Blair and Mark Chasse. Their combination of quickness and intensity made them tough matchups last season, and there is no reason to think it would change this season. Other juniors include defenders Michael Cook, Aaron Sturgeon and Lane Deabay, along with midfielder Wyatt Condon. Each will be asked to step up their games from a year ago as they continue to improve and gain experience.
Several sophomores will fill key positions for the Hornets. Leading the way and perhaps a key to their continued success will be goalie Tim Tarr. Although only a sophomore, Tarr brings a lot of confidence to the position. Stanley is excited about the prospects of having Tarr in the net for the next three years. Strikers Zach Carr and Ben Philbrook benefit from seeing Blair and Chasse play, and should be able to help out on the offensive side of the ball.
Midfielders Alex Lewin, Airin Harmon and Jarrett Beaulier will continue to grow and improve through the season, as will defender Garrett Graham. Backup goalie Malcolm Milligan is also working hard, according to Stanley. Freshman Lucas Craig is the lone representative of the class of 2017, and should see time in the midfield slots. The managers for the squad are Cassi Goulet and Jasmine Clark.
Stanley believes that the team’s strength will be on the offensive side of the ball.
“We are quick and dynamic,” he explained. “We will score goals, but it is a matter of how many we give up that will be the deciding factor.”
Defensively, the coach is encouraged by the progress so far, and feels that this will continue throughout the season.
“We have good size and speed on defense, but we will have to make good decisions,” he continued.
Stanley sees Southern Aroostook and Wisdom as the top teams, although he believes the rest have leveled off and will be competitive.
“Our goal is to host in the quarterfinal round, and to equal our results from last year,” he said.
