PI drops close match at Caribou
CARIBOU, Maine — After picking up a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct, Viking senior Richard Newland stormed to the bench in frustration during the second half of the Sept. 1, 2015, soccer match against Presque Isle. Less than 10 minutes after his return to the field, he came through with the winning goal.
Newland trapped a long pass from classmate Michael Hunter, fell to the ground but regained his footing. He quickly gathered himself to float a shot from 15 yards out on the left side over Wildcat goalkeeper Patrick Cash and into the side of the net. The goal, which came with 9:18 remaining, snapped a tie and gave the Vikings a 2-1 victory over PI in a game played under the lights at CHS.
“It definitely gave me a chance to calm down,” Newland said about his time on the bench after drawing the card. “When I came back in, I just tried to play smart and get back in the game.”
The Vikings turned in an inspired effort throughout and were led by the play at midfield by Hunter, along with Hunter Milliard.
“I thought when it came down to getting down in the trenches and winning balls in the air, [Caribou] wanted it more,” said PI coach Joe Greaves. “In the second half, they had guys that really stepped up and took control and put us on our heels.
“With Milliard, Hunter and Andre Rossignol, it seemed like every ball they were on top of and that’s what wins you the game,” he added.
Presque Isle was able to strike first. With 14:19 to play in the first half, sophomore Griffin Guerrette skimmed a delivery from a defender off his head and to the feet of teammate Jaren Winger. The freshman then blasted a shot from the left side of the 18-yard line. Caribou goalie Ethan Plourde was able to get his hand on it, but it crossed over the goal line.
It didn’t take long for the Vikes to answer. Rossignol, a junior who transferred from Van Buren, got free for an open shot from straight on that Cash dove right on and got enough of the ball to see it carom off the left post. Caribou kept it alive and Matt Caron rifled a shot from 18 yards out with 3:31 left in the first half that eluded Cash and made it under the crossbar and into the back of the net.
The game remained 1-1 heading into intermission, but Caribou started to control things after the break and generated the better scoring chances. Despite yellow cards being administered to both Rossignol and Newland early in the second half, the Vikings were resilient and stuck to coach Kyle Corrigan’s game plan.
“They regrouped very well,” said Corrigan, who picked up his first varsity coaching win. “We discussed in the pregame that if Presque Isle scored, we wanted to get together, circle up, and get our minds back on playing aggressive.
“I saw how fired up the guys were at halftime so I wasn’t too worried. I thought we’d have a good chance of putting one away in the second half and winning the game,” he added.
