WASHBURN, Maine — The Central Aroostook Panthers and Washburn Beavers open statewide varsity soccer play when they meet Friday afternoon in Washburn. Both the boys’ and girls’ games begin at 4 p.m.
Aroostook County teams are traditionally the first in Maine to play regular season games. Many get an early start due to a few local schools breaking for potato harvest in mid-September.
Washburn District High School Athletic Director Ron Ericson confirmed Friday morning that the CA-Washburn clashes are the first varsity games to be played in the state this season.
The boys’ game on Friday features a Central Aroostook squad that went 10-4 and placed fifth in the Class D North standings last season. After beating No. 12 Machias in the preliminary round and No. 4 Woodland in the quarters, the Panthers were beaten by No. 1 Fort Fairfield in the semifinals.
The Panthers are coached by Wallace Endy, who replaces Cody Tompkins. Endy has previous coaching experience in Mars Hill at both the middle school and varsity levels.
The Washburn boys are coming off a 3-9-2 season under veteran coach Ben Goodwin. The Beavers placed 15th in the Heal Point standings in 2016 and were less than two points away from claiming the final playoff spot.
The Panthers swept last year’s matchups against the Beavers, winning by scores of 3-1 in Washburn and 1-0 in Mars Hill.
Returning girls’ coaches Marcie Barbarula of Washburn and Joe Levesque of Central Aroostook square off in the other matchup.
The Central Aroostook girls are coming off a successful season and hope to continue that momentum in their debut. The Panthers were 10-4 last year, finishing fourth in Class D North, before topping Bangor Christian and Katahdin in home playoff games and then falling to eventual state champion Ashland in the semis.
Washburn also made the postseason in 2016, going 5-8-1 and placing 12th. The Beavers were beaten by No. 5 Katahdin in the preliminary round.
The Panthers dominated last year’s head-to-head contests by scores of 6-0 in Washburn and 9-0 in Mars Hill.
