The Houlton girls soccer team played Fort Kent for the third time this season with the stakes being a trip to the Eastern Maine Class C finals. In the previous two meetings, both games ended in ties (1-1) and (0-0). So, a winner between the two clubs was finally decided on Saturday in the semifinal matchup.
The No. 3 Fort Kent Warriors upset No. 2 Houlton on their home field, 3-0. Fort Kent will face No. 1 Orono in the Class C finals today in Orono.
“In the three games we played against Fort Kent this season, they definitely played their best game on Saturday and we played our worst,” said Houlton coach Tim Tweedie. “That is not to take anything away from either team. But that is just what happened.”
To open the game on Saturday, it looked as if Houlton would strike first, but Fort Kent goalie Alexa Pelletier had other ideas. Houlton lofted a high-arcing shot from the top of the 18-yard line toward Fort Kent’s net. Pelletier was able to flick the ball over the crossbar, making for an exciting start.
“We had the early chance,” added Tweedie. “Their keeper came up with a great save. It is probably the best I have seen all season.”
But, the game would belong to Fort Kent, with Chelsey Plourde scoring twice, her first tally at the 27:55 mark and her second goal with just 1:52 left in the half. Teammate Lauren Doak provided what turned out to be the game-winning goal at the 32:50 mark of the first half just before Plourde scored about five minutes later. Danielle Pelletier and Erin Chasse each picked up an assist.
Instead of being ahead 1-0, Houlton found themselves playing from behind.
“That was the first time we had trailed Fort Kent all season,” said Tweedie. “They are really tough to score on. They only gave up a handful of goals all season, so that two-goal swing in the first eight minutes dictated the rest of the game.”
Doak scored when Houlton keeper Tanika Toby lost her footing on the slick field after Friday’s rain. When Toby went down, the ball rolled into an open net. Plourde’s first goal came at the 27:55 mark on another “freaky” play. Plourde lifted the ball toward Toby, who initially fielded the ball, but when she took her eyes off the ball momentarily, the ball bounced away from her into the net. Plourde’s final goal came on a defensive miss. A Houlton defender “whiffed” the stop on the ball. Once the defender missed the clear, the ball rolled into the corner of the net.
Houlton keeper Toby stopped four of 10 shots, while Pelletier blocked eight of 11 shots faced, coming up with big defensive stops to keep Houlton at bay.
After the break, the Lady Shires had several close chances to score, but came up empty each time.
The Houlton girls end a terrific run with a 10-3-3 record.
Tweedie noted, “Overall, we had a tremendous year. We played 16 games and only lost three. Saturday’s loss was our first in six weeks. So, while it hurts, that tells me that we did a lot of things right this season.”
In 16 games, the Lady Shires allowed only 12 goals.
“That is a testament to the hard work of our players on defense,” Tweedie added. “Although we wanted to keep playing for a couple of more games, the semifinals are still something to be proud of.”
As Tweedie said, 17 teams started the season in Class C looking to be the last one standing, and Houlton rose to the top going farther than most, finishing third behind the final two — Orono and Fort Kent.
“It is definitely a (starting place) for us to build on in the future,” he said.
The Houlton girls will be without the services next year of seniors Jessy Dickison, Abby Deveau, Toby, Alana Pratt, Bre Longstaff and Samantha Keegan, as well as exchange student Breanna Briggs.
“We will miss them both on and off the field,” said Tweedie. “I feel like we have a strong core coming back and a very successful group of eighth-graders that will freshmen in the fall. We don’t want to take any steps backward. I want it to be our goal to get to the semifinals every year. I think we’ve got some teams coming up that can get us over the hump so we can make it to an Eastern Maine championship.”
In order for the Houlton girls to achieve that goal, they need younger players to step up and match the hard work and dedication of this year’s senior squad.
“They’ve had a ton of success,” said Tweedie. “This senior group has played in 61 soccer games since they began four years ago and they have only lost 14 times. That’s not too bad. I’m going to miss them.”
In the quarterfinal game last Tuesday, Emily Mooers scored twice as the Lady Shires defeated No. 7 George Stevens Academy, 2-0.
Mooers’ first goal came with 11:55 left in the first half, while her second goal came with 2:52 left in the game off a corner kick.
Houlton goalie Toby stopped three of nine shots, while GSA keeper Megan Nowland made 11 saves against 19 shots faced.
Alana Pratt of Houlton has been selected for the Eastern Maine Soccer Coaches Class C Regional All-star team. Pratt is a senior forward for the Lady Shires.
