WASHBURN, Maine — A young Fort Fairfield girls soccer team with 15 of its 21 players either freshmen or sophomores had a successful season debut Tuesday, Aug. 14.
Those underclassmen had a hand in most of the goals in the 5-4 victory over the Beavers.
Freshman Camryn Ala’s second goal of the game with five minutes to play gave the Tigers a 5-2 lead. The hosts didn’t give up, though, as sophomore Madison Miller tallied with 2:44 left and junior Kassie Farley put one in with 1:28 to play, cutting the margin to one, but Washburn was unable to score again.
“It was an evenly matched and hard fought game,” said John Ala, in his first season as the girls coach after having coached the boys team for 15 seasons. “We have a very young team, but I was pleased with their effort as we continue to develop our style of play.”
Kyli Farley of Washburn, left, celebrates with goal scorer Madison Miller during the first half of the Tuesday, Aug. 14, varsity soccer game against Fort Fairfield.
(Kevin Sjoberg)
Ala finished with two goals and an assist, while classmate Kira Rogers netted Fort’s first goal. Kourtney West, a sophomore, scored twice. Sophomore Cajisa Benson and junior Cammi King both had assists.
The Beavers’ Miller registered a hat trick and Kyli Farley, a sophomore, chipped in with two assists.
Fort Fairfield’s sophomore goalkeeper, Meghan Schupbach, had 13 saves on 19 shots and Washburn’s Trinity Saucier turned away 12 of 27 in goal.
In the boys game, the Tigers had a successful debut with a 4-0 road victory. Washburn was held scoreless for the second time to begin its season.
Junior Dawson Watson put Fort Fairfield on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the match and he added another just before intermission. Both goals were unassisted. Junior Colby Langner netted a goal and freshman Alex Oakes scored off an Avery Cormier assist to pad the lead in the second half.
Kobe West, a sophomore, turned in a shutout in goal for the Tigers. Beckham Vaughn handled the goalkeeping duties for the Beavers.
The victory was the first in his Tiger career for Cody Tompkins, who last coached in 2016 at Central Aroostook. Tompkins said that for the first time out, he was impressed.
“We played well at times,” he said. “We had some good attacks offensively and I thought our defense played well.
“Still, there are some corrections we need to make heading into our next stretch of games,” Tompkins added.
The Fort Fairfield boys are also a young team, with five freshmen and two eighth-graders part of the 15-player roster, which includes only one senior.
-
- Steven Nader of Washburn, left, tries to size up Fort Fairfield’s Joshua Gill as he looks to start the offense during the varsity soccer match in Washburn Tuesday, Aug. 14. (Kevin Sjoberg)
-
- Kira Rogers of Fort Fairfield, second from left, heads the ball during the Tuesday, Aug. 14, match played in Washburn. Also in on the play are, from left, Tru Drost of Washburn, Kourtney West of Fort Fairfield and Amanda White of Washburn. (Kevin Sjoberg)
