HODGDON, Maine — History may have been made Friday afternoon as the Hodgdon boys soccer team is believed to have won its first ever home playoff game.
No. 8 Hodgdon (9-4-2 overall) received two goals from Dylan Oliver and solo goals from Wyatt Foster and Josh Palmer to secure the 4-2 win over No. 9 Easton in a Class D North preliminary playoff.
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- Easton’s Alex Harvath, right, grimaces as he heads the ball (and bumps heads with teammate Gavin Pangburn) during Friday’s Class D North prelim soccer game in Hodgdon. (Staff photo/Joseph Cyr)
Kooper Kinney and Colin Sotomayor each scored solo goals in the second half for the Bears to even the game at 2-2. Seth Faloon and Kinney tallied assists for the Bears. Easton ends its season with a 7-7-1 record.
Played at Graydon Drake Field, Friday’s game gave the Hawks a small bit of revenge over last year’s meeting between the two teams. The Bears beat Hodgdon 2-1 last year in an upset.
Hodgdon’s last boys soccer playoff win came back in 1999. That win featured Hodgdon’s coach, Jason Little, as a player. Little is in his first season as the varsity boys soccer coach.
“This is the first time Hodgdon has ever had a home playoff victory and only the second playoff win in the history of the program, so this is really exciting,” Little said. “It feels really good.”
Hodgdon advanced to the quarterfinals at No. 1 Bangor Christian on Wednesday.
Hodgdon’s Dylan Oliver, front, goes soaring into the air after Easton’s Alex Harvath makes a play on the ball during Friday’s Class D North boys prelim. Hodgdon won 4-2. (Joseph Cyr | Pioneer Times)
Foster put Hodgdon on the scoreboard 12 minutes into the game when Easton was called for a handball inside the scoring area, resulting in a penalty kick. Foster, a defender for the Hawks, sent a low lined shot to the bottom right corner that Easton goalie Kody Carter could not block.
Wind was a factor, particularly in the the first half, which played to the advantage of Hodgdon. The Bears won the opening coin toss, but opted to take the wind in the second half. That wind resulted in the Hawks’ second goal of the day as Oliver lofted a high arcing shot that sailed over the head of Carter and into the net.
Little said he was fully prepared for Easton to make a strong run in the second half, and the Bears did precisely that. Just four minutes into the half, Kinney took a pass from Faloon and was able to beat the Hawk defense.
The Bears tied the game (2-2) just three minutes later as Sotomayor received a through pass from Kinney and sent a high shot into the upper left corner of the net but Hodgdon responded with goals from Oliver and Palmer.
Easton’s Camden Michaud and Hodgdon’s starting goalie Michael Sanders were both knocked out of Friday’s game with injuries. Michaud fell hard to the ground striking his head, while Sanders ran into the goal post attempting to make a save. Josh Foster took over goal-tending duties for the Hawks.
Sanders and Josh Foster combined to make six saves on eight shots. Carter stopped eight of 12 shots for the Bears.
“We just didn’t show up in the first half and that was the story,” Easton coach Ryan Shaw said. “We’re a possession team and we didn’t possess the ball. We can play with anybody, but we didn’t have the discipline in the first half to play the way we want to play.”
