FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Ryan Player is perfectly content at his regular center midfield position, but with his team trailing by a goal late in the Oct. 6, 2015 home match against Central Aroostook, his coach felt the need to move him to offense.
The switch paid off as the Fort Fairfield junior scored the tying goal with 5:28 left and assisted on Chris Gill’s game-winner 38 seconds later, keeping the Tigers undefeated with a 3-2 victory over the Panthers in a matchup of Class D North powers.
“Ryan doesn’t really like to play striker,” said Fort Fairfield coach John Ala. “He’d rather assist on a goal than score himself, but we needed his offense, and he came through.”
Both squads were coming off lengthy layoffs because of the harvest recess, with Fort Fairfield having gone two weeks without a game and Central Aroostook one. It took awhile for each team’s offense to click, but the goals came in bunches over the final 28 minutes.
The Tigers opened the scoring with a breakaway goal by junior forward Landon Kinney 12:35 into the second half, but the visitors bounced back with a couple quick strikes.
At the 20:25 mark, Fort Fairfield goalkeeper Dalton Cassidy made an initial save on a shot taken by Central Aroostook’s Dustin Pryor, but Alex Boulier was there to boot in the rebound to tie the match. Just over two minutes later, the Panthers’ set play specialist, senior Dane Kingsbury, lofted a superb corner kick that Cassidy attempted to punch away. The ball caromed off the crossbar and trickled over the line to give the Panthers the 2-1 edge.
The score stayed that way, and at the six-minute mark, Ala sent Player to the front line. About 30 seconds later, Player scored off a nifty through ball from Isaac Cyr and soon after that made a throw-in that found the foot of Gill, who sent it past Panther goalkeeper Hunter Crouse to break the tie.
The talented Player, who moved back to Fort Fairfield in June after spending his sophomore year in Colorado, said it was the first time this season he was called upon to make the move up front.
“The option has always been there, but we just haven’t had to use it,” Player said, “but coach thought this was the time and it worked.”
Cassidy finished with 10 saves on 14 shots for Fort Fairfield, while Crouse made eight saves on 25 shots.
Player said it has been a season where everything has come together and hopes it continues with the playoffs approaching.
“We’ve just been solid everywhere,” he said. “We have a strong bench, and Dalton is one of the best [goalkeepers] around and keeps us in every game.”
Fort Fairfield has handed Central Aroostook its only two losses of the season. The Tigers also prevailed way back on Aug. 18 in Mars Hill, 4-1.
“Credit them because they closed it out the way I was hoping we would have,” said Central Aroostook coach Cody Tompkins. “They are a good team … well coached with some really good players. They are going to go deep in the playoffs, and I hope we do, too.”
