Several local soccer teams on track to reach post-season

The soccer playoffs are less than a month away and teams from the region are hoping to be involved. Most squads have played at least half of their games and are trying to position themselves into a post-season berth.

In Heal Point rankings for boys as of Monday, Sept. 25, Presque Isle is fifth in Class B with its 5-1-1 record. The PI girls are seventh at 4-2. The top 14 teams in this division. will advance into the post-season.

In Class D, the Central Aroostook boys are 9-0 and in first place. Fort Fairfield is second at 8-2. Those two teams match up for the second time this season on Friday at 7 p.m. in Mars Hill. The Panthers took the first meeting in Fort Fairfield, 1-0.

Easton, at 5-5-1, is in ninth. Ashland, with a 3-4-1 record, is in 13th. The top 14 teams advance and Washburn, winners for the first time Monday, is 19th at 1-11.

On the girls’ side in Class D, Ashland is No. 1 with its 8-0 mark. Central Aroostook, at 6-3, is in third, while Washburn is sixth at 4-5-2. Easton, which stands at 2-7-2, is currently 11th with the top 13 moving on. Fort Fairfield, at 1-8-1, is 18th.

Summaries of matches played from Sept. 19-25 are as follows:

Washburn boys 3, Katahdin 0 — After beginning the season with 11 consecutive losses, the Washburn Beavers finally broke through Monday with a victory over the Katahdin Cougars in a match played at the Gehrig T. Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle.

Konner Jordan and Daniel Arce both scored in the final 10 minutes and the Beavers’ took advantage of a Katahdin own goal as the Beavers came out on top. Josh Jackson recorded the shutout in goal. The Cougars are now 2-5.

Washburn girls 2, Katahdin 1 — At Presque Isle, Kassie Farley scored two first-half goals to set the tone for the Beavers’ win over the Cougars. Carly Bragg made five saves on eight shots for 4-5-2 Washburn.

Erin Lake scored 30 seconds into the second half on a penalty kick for Katahdin (2-3-1). Natalie Rickards collected 10 saves on 18 shots.

Presque Isle boys 2, Ellsworth 0 — Zechariah Morse scored 10 minutes into the match and Griffin Guerrette added an insurance goal with 22 minutes to play as the Wildcats defeated the Eagles in a tough road test Monday.

The Wildcats have not lost in their last five outings. Jason Dumais picked up his second shutout of the season in goal for Presque Isle.

Ellsworth’s record dropped to 3-5-1.

Presque Isle girls 3, MDI 1 — The Wildcats bounced back from a tough loss in Fort Kent on Sept. 19 by beating the Trojans at home Saturday.

The match was tied at 1 at intermission before unanswered goals by Paige McHatten and Madison Michaud in the second half gave PI its fourth win against two losses.

“I thought we played a very good second half and as hot as it was, it was all hands on deck and all 20 players contributed to the victory,” said Wildcat coach Ralph Michaud.

Mackenzie Turner scored in the first half for PI off a Michaud assist before Daisy Granholm tied it for MDI.

Presque Isle boys 5, MDI 2 — Turning in their best offensive output of the season, the Wildcats topped MDI in the Saturday home game.

Guerrette led the charge with three goals, while Morse and Torey Levesque each scored one. Levesque’s goal, which came eight minutes into the game, was a shot from midfield which bounced over the head of MDI goalkeeper Hunter Goodwin and into the net. Guerrette then scored goals four minutes apart, off assists from Morse and Adam Paterson, before Morse made it 4-0 off a Guerrette assist with 5:25 left before intermission.

Griffin Maristany and Simon Davis scored the Trojans’ goals, while Guerrette added his third off a Jack Beaulieu assist to cap PI’s strong offensive showing. Dumais played most of the game in goal before giving way to the backup, Mason Young, for the final eight minutes.

“We wanted to score early and often and we did that,” said PI coach Joe Greaves. “We had been off to a slow start scoring and we needed to get things going, and we showed our offense is capable of being dangerous.”

Central Aroostook boys 10, Southern Aroostook 0 — The Panthers rolled to another victory by shutting out the Warriors Saturday in Mars Hill. Hayden Kingsbury and Ethan Pryor had two goals each, while Sam Brewer, Caleb Harris, Taylor Campbell, Hunter Wardwell, Bryan Anthony and Sam Rowe tallied one each.

Brayden Bradbury recorded the shutout in goal. CA, in first place in Class D North, has now outscored its opponents by a 70-5 margin. The Warriors fell to 0-6.

Central Aroostook girls 2, Southern Aroostook 0 — In what Central Aroostook coach Joe Levesque called a duel between two outstanding goalkeepers, the Panthers avenged an early-season loss to the Warriors in Mars Hill Saturday.

“We dominated time of possession and kept the ball on their end for long periods of time,” Levesque said. “I thought (SA goalkeeper) Sydney Brewer was the main reason they stayed in the game as she made several great saves.”

She was peppered with 26 shots, while her opposite, Caitlyn Harris, also played well in recording the shutout, saving five of nine shots. Kate Levesque put the Panthers on the board with 1:36 left before intermission and Kayla Martin added a second-half goal.

Ashland girls 11, Katahdin 0 — In Ashland Thursday, Amber Chasse and Morgan Doughty each scored three goals and posted two assists to lead the Hornets to victory over the Cougars.

Willow Hall and Jamie Poulin contributed two goals each and Shelby Stolze added one for Ashland. Meagan Cote and Ava Cameron combined to make two saves on two shots.

Nikita Keim made 10 saves on 31 shots for Katahdin of Stacyville.

Ashland boys 6, Katahdin 0 — The Ashland boys rolled to the shutout victory over Katahdin Thursday The Hornets scored five times in the second half, with Alex Kaiser, Mason Moro, Mason Deabay, Brady Holmes and Weston Robinson all breaking through for goals. Dylan Haley scored in the first half off a Kaiser assist. Drew Doughty also had an assist for Ashland. Goalkeeper Steven Bellanceau saved one of three shots.

Katahdin’s Tanner Lane and Bradley Hotham combined to save 12 of 25 shots in goal.

Central Aroostook girls 6, Washburn 1 — Sisters Kassie and Kate Levesque scored two goals each Thursday as the Panthers bested the Beavers in Mars Hill. Brea Bradbury and Martin were CA’s other goal scorers and Harris and Macey Coffin handled the goalkeeping chores and combined to save six of nine shots.

Madison Miller netted the lone Washburn goal and Carly Bragg saved 10 of 22 shots. The Beavers are now 4-5-2.

Central Aroostook boys 8, Washburn 1 — Wardwell scored three goals to help Central Aroostook post the victory in Mars Hill Thursday.

Harris, Jacob Carvell, Kingsbury, Brewer and Ethan Cushman scored a goal apiece for the Panthers, who are now a perfect 8-0. Bradbury made six saves on 10 shots.

Jordan scored for Washburn and Jackson made five saves on 28 shots.

Fort Fairfield girls 2, Van Buren 1 — On Thursday, the visiting Tigers won for the first time this season behind goals by Sadie Edgecomb and Kourtney West, who scored the game winner. Leah Gendreau netted the lone Van Buren goal.

Fort Fairfield boys 4, Van Buren 0 — Dawson Watson scored twice and Grayden Griffeth and Lorenzo Viano contributed a goal each Thursday as the Tigers made it seven consecutive wins by shutting out the Crusaders in Van Buren.

Presque Isle boys 2, Fort Kent 2 — Fort Kent’s Austin Plourde scored the tying goal 30 seconds after Presque Isle had taken the lead and the two teams battled through the final 14:30 minutes of regulation and the two five-minute overtime sessions without scoring again, ending in a draw last Tuesday in Fort Kent.

Morse put PI on top in the first half before the Warriors’ Noah Martin tied it early in the second half. Gage LeTourneau headed in a free kick by R.J. Gross to give the Wildcats the lead with 15 minutes to play before Plourde furnished the equalizer soon after. Fort Kent is now 4-1-1 and atop the Class C North standings.

Fort Kent girls 2, Presque Isle 1 — The Warriors avenged an early-season loss to the Wildcats last Tuesday in Fort Kent as Desirae Hafford scored twice in a one-minute span early in the second half to wipe out a 1-0 deficit.

Michaud had put Presque Isle on top late in the first half with her 10th goal of the season, which came off a McHatten assist. The Warriors went to work quickly after intermission behind Hafford’s goals and then held off PI down the stretch.

Van Buren girls 3, Easton 1 — Last Tuesday in Van Buren, the Crusaders ended a losing streak that dated back to the start of the 2015 season. They are now 1-6-1 on the year. Van Buren’s Gendreau posted the hat trick for the winners, while Delia Bonner scored for the Bears. Easton does not have another game until a rematch at home against Van Buren Oct. 10.

Van Buren boys 2, Easton 0 — Matthew Burgess and Luke Perreault scored a goal each as the Crusaders won the home match over the Bears last Tuesday. Easton’s next game is also Oct. 10 at home against Van Buren.