Young PI girls top Caribou
Wildcats tie Fort Kent and shut out MDI Trojans
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Last Tuesday’s matchup between the Caribou Vikings and the Presque Isle Wildcats featured a contrast in experience. While the Vikings suited up 14 juniors and seniors, the Wildcats countered with as many freshmen and sophomores.
For one evening anyway, youth won out.
The Wildcats sent the visiting Vikes home with their first loss after a 5-0 start, coming up with a 2-1 high school girls soccer victory in a game played under the lights on the turf field at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex.
After a 1-1 tie at halftime in which PI controlled the first 20 minutes and Caribou the final 20, Wildcat junior Emily Wheaton came up with the biggest play of the match. Just 4:07 into the second half, an Eleanor St. Peter corner kick found the head of Wheaton seven yards in front of the goal. She directed it into the left corner to put PI in front.
“That was a confidence-booster for Emily, which she needed as she’s playing a new position (center midfield) after striking the last two seasons,” said Presque Isle coach Ralph Michaud. “She was in the right place, took the beautiful corner and put it in.”
The Vikings showed resolve and outshot the Wildcats 9-4 the rest of the way and forwards Maddie Doucette, Ashley Matlock and Searra Herbert all had opportunities over the final eight minutes. Presque Isle goalkeeper Savannah Rodriguez displayed good hands with some nice saves on hard shots.
In the victory, the Wildcats limited an explosive Caribou team, which came in averaging seven goals per game, to a single goal.
“We played with a lot of guts,” Michaud said. “We had people in different positions because of injuries, but it was a great team win in another classic Caribou-Presque Isle game.”
The Wildcats controlled play early on by winning a majority of the 50-50 balls and playing aggressively on defense (eight fouls in the first half compared with Caribou’s one). Maddie Michaud, PI’s sophomore striker, opened the scoring by notching her fifth goal of the season. With 21:07 left in the first half, she pounded a shot past Caribou goalkeeper Kerrigan Manter after receiving a through ball from Mackenzie Turner.
Momentum then swayed toward the Vikings and they took advantage with 3:45 to go before intermission when Doucette fed a pass to Herbert from 12 yards out and she blasted one from the left side inside the far post to knot the score.
Caribou owned a 16-9 advantage in shots on goal, with Rodriguez making seven saves and Manter coming up with four. But in the end, a young Wildcat team proved too much on its home field.
“I looked on the field and one time we had eight freshmen and sophomores out there,” Michaud said. “It’s winning tight games like this that does so much for a young team’s confidence, and now they believe.”
On Thursday, Presque Isle played to a 2-2 tie at Fort Kent. Wildcat goal scorers were Clara Kohlbacher, assisted by Madison Michaud, and Michaud, assisted by Paige McHatten. PI took a 2-0 halftime lead before the Warriors mounted their comeback.
Saturday was the first time all season Michaud failed to score a goal, but two members of the defense provided unlikely offense in a 2-0 home victory over Mount Desert Island. After a scoreless first half, Elizabeth Collins and Charlotte Carrier scored a minute apart on lobs from 30 yards out. Savannah Rodriguez picked up the shutout in goal as PI improved to 3-1-1.
