Houlton takes over top spot in Class C north region
With a definite feel of fall in the air, the high school soccer season is now at the midway point and girls soccer teams are establishing their identity on the field.
Houlton, thanks to a strong showing against Fort Kent this past week, has claimed the top spot in the Class C North region as of Tuesday morning. The Shires (6-0-1, 42.2959 Heal Points) overtook the Warriors of Fort Kent (4-2-2, 39.1837) by virtue of a 5-1 victory on Thursday.
In Class D North, Katahdin is the top-ranked local squad. The Cougars (3-3-2, 29.4643 Heal Points) are fifth in the region, while Hodgdon (7-1, 27.2041) is seventh; Southern Aroostook (2-3-2, 15.6633) is 11th; and East Grand (2-7, 3.4694) is 15th.
The top 12 teams in Class D North qualify for the playoffs.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday that were reported to the newspaper.
Shead 1, Hodgdon 5 — At Hodgdon Monday, the goal-scoring onslaught continued for the Hawks. Hodgdon has tallied 12 goals in the past two games, with Taylor Desrosiers responsible for seven of those goals.
Two days after booting in three goals against Van Buren, Desrosiers scored four more on Monday against Shead and also added an assist to lift Hodgdon to victory. Jill Gough also scored for the Hawks.
Holly Preston scored the lone goal for Shead.
Jessica Drew had eight saves on nine shots for Hodgdon, while Madison Greenlaw had 19 saves on 34 shots.
“During the second half of the season we plan to continue working toward our team goals by perfecting and intensifying our game as we push toward the postseason” Hodgdon coach Sarah Williams said.
East Grand 1, Central Aroostook 12 — At Mars Hill Monday, Brea Bradbury and Kate Levesque each scored three goals to lead Central Aroostook past East Grand of Danforth.
Kassie Levesque had two goals and two assists and Kayla Martin a goal and two assists for the 8-2 Panthers. Keara McCrum, Libby Grass and Michaela Pelletier added goals. Caitlyn Harris had one save on nine shots.
Natalie Golding had the lone goal for East Grand. Mallory Gilman saved nine of 33 shots.
Houlton 8, Calais 0 — At Calais Saturday, Mia Hanning and Aspen Flewelling each ended up with a hat trick en route to the win. Tyra Gentle and Chloe Davis each chipped in with a goal as Houlton outshot the Blue Devils by a 38-10 margin.
Tessa Solomon and Hannah Foley combined for the shutout.
Hodgdon 7, Van Buren 0 — At Van Buren Friday, the Hawks secured the shutout victory on the strength of goalkeeper Drew, who made six saves on eight shots. Desrosiers scored three goals to lead the team, while Megan Russell, Sidney Crane, Shelby Sanders and Maddi Merritt also scored goals.
Southern Aroostook 5, East Grand 2 — At Danforth Thursday, Kylie Vining scored two second-half goals as the Warriors picked up the win.
Katie Stevens, Aliyah Morales and Kacy Daggett also scored for Southern Aroostook.
Haleigh Shay and Kianna Cassie had the goals for East Grand.
Fort Kent 1, Houlton 5 — At Houlton Thursday, the Shires overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with five second-half goals to beat Fort Kent.
Kolleen Bouchard scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal with a penalty kick. Gentle, Anessa Wilde, Mia Hanning and Ameilia Ivey all had solo goals, with Bouchard and Hanning tallying assists. Solomon and Foley combined for three saves on five shots.
Cassidy Lovely had the lone goal for Fort Kent. Morgan Roy and Sylvie Guimond combined for four saves on 11 shots.
“After finding ourselves down 1-0 at halftime, we talked about how we were playing too passive,” Houlton coach Tim Tweedie said. “Instead of playing to win, we were playing to not lose. We were afraid to make mistakes and it wasn’t very productive.”
The Shires responded in the second half, scoring all five of the team’s goals.
“It was an incredible show of guts and determination by our girls and as I’ve explained to them, they’ve now raised the bar for how they’re expected to play,” Tweedie said. “It was as good of a half of soccer as I’ve seen any of my teams play in the past 11 years. We put unrelenting pressure on Fort Kent for 40 straight minutes. It was great.”
Katahdin 0, Penobscot Valley 6 — At Howland Sept. 21, Ryley Buck scored a pair of goals as the Howlers shutout Katahdin. Tori Watts contributed a goal and two assists for Penobscot Valley, while Lauren Reed notched a goal, including the game-winner in the first minute of the contest, and an assist.
Brianna Moon and Hannah Rhodes netted a goal each and Lexi Ireland pitched in with an assist. Lyndsay McKechnie made two saves to get the shutout.
Haley Landry made nine saves for the Cougars.
Highview Christian 2 East Grand 3 — At East Grand Sept. 20, Kianna Caissie scored the game winner off a Jennifer Crone assist two minutes into the first overtime period to give East Grand the win.
Sydney Cowger and Haleigh Shay also scored for East Grand. Hannah Goulet scored twice for Highview.
