HOULTON, Maine — Revenge proved oh so sweet for the Houlton girls soccer team Saturday evening.
No. 1 Houlton (14-1 overall) scored early and often as the Shires rolled to a 5-1 victory over No. 4 Orono (11-3-1) in a Class C North semifinal game. In the process of beating the Red Riots, Houlton avenged its loss to Orono in last year’s regional championship.
The Shires will host No. 2 Dexter (12-4) on Wednesday. The time for that game had yet to be determined. Dexter advanced to the championship with a 2-1 win over No. 3 Central Friday. Houlton and Dexter did not meet during the regular season.
Houlton senior standout Kolleen Bouchard continued her dominance on the pitch Saturday as she booted in three goals and added an assist to lead the Shires. It marks the second straight playoff game that Bouchard has scored three goals for the Shires as she tallied three goals against Bucksport in the quarterfinals.
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- Houlton’s Anessa Wilde, left, delivers a kick as Orono defender Isabelle Henderson shields herself during Saturday’s semifinal game played in Houlton. The Shires won 5-1. (Joseph Cyr)
“It feels really good to get this win over Orono,” Bouchard said. “We are not taking anyone or anything for granted because you never know what can happen in the game of soccer. You have to come out in every game like it could be your last.”
That is something Bouchard, and many of the other seniors know first-hand, as it was just two years ago that Bucksport came to Houlton and stunned the Shires with a 1-0 upset.
Scoring early has been an emphasis this postseason for the Shires.
“We put a lot of pressure on Orono early,” Houlton coach Tim Tweedie said. “Scoring the first goal is so key mentally because it puts teams back on their heels. We had a good attack tonight.”
In Saturday’s game, Houlton senior Mia Hanning scored two goals and had three assists. Senior Aspen Flewelling also had an assist. Hanning exited Saturday’s game with what looked to be a serious injury late in the first half. The Shires dodged a bullet, however, as she was able to return three minutes into the second half, after spending much of the intermission with an ice bag wrapped around her leg.
“I’m feeling good,” Hanning said after the game. “I was worried at first that it was my knee, but I think it will be just a bruise. It’s fine. We have worked our butts off this season. We have been so close every year.”
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- Houlton’s Rebecca Howe, left, kicks the ball past Orono’s Jenna Gaetjen during Saturday’s semifinal. Houlton won 5-1. (Joseph Cyr)
If Hanning was bothered by the injury, it didn’t show in the second half as she exhibited tremendous speed racing down the field as part of the Shires’ front line of attack.
Up 5-0, Houlton did not alter its game plan and continued to press the Red Riots.
“We figured we should (stay aggressive),” Tweedie said. “Orono was down 2-0 to Penquis in the quarterfinals and came back to win that game 4-3. We knew Orono had it in them to score goals, so we didn’t want to take our foot off the gas.”
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- Shire Tyra Gentle, back, clears the ball away from Orono’s Leah Ruck. (Joseph Cyr)
Orono’s Becca Gallandt broke up the shutout as she scored with 7:37 to play in the game.
Houlton goalie Tessa Solomon made a number of fantastic saves in Saturday’s game, including a stop of a direct kick from just outside the 18-yard line in the second half. Solomon finished with nine saves on 10 shots, while Orono’s Maggie Coutts had two saves on seven shots.
Houlton’s Kolleen Bouchard uses her body to advance the ball during Saturday’s semifinal against Orono. Bouchard tallied three goals as the Shires rolled to a 5-1 victory. (Joseph Cyr)
For many of Houlton’s seniors, Wednesday’s game will be their third trip to the regional championship.
