PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Caribou boys and girls soccer teams picked up victories over Presque Isle in season-opening games Friday.
The Caribou High School girls soccer team squeaked out a 1-0 win against Presque Isle in a low-scoring bout at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle on Friday, while the Caribou boys picked up a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats in Caribou.
The girls game was not the big-scoring opening that the two teams might have hoped for, but both squads played evenly with strong defensive performances. The game’s only goal came on a direct kick by Caribou senior Edie Shea with 10 minutes left in the first half.
The biggest stars of the game were the two goalies: Vikings senior Sage Dubay — who recorded a shutout on the day — and the Wildcats’ Reagan Libby, who had several saves herself.
Presque Isle Coach Ralph Michaud said his squad had been “a little tentative” in the first half. He attributed this performance to the team having seven new starters but said it picked it up later in the game.
“(We played) much more intense in the second half,” Michaud said.
About 50 people were in the stands in the athletic complex. Several sat in the bleachers while others brought chairs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new rules on attendance to high school matches across Maine, and people primarily followed social distancing in Friday’s game. Some chose to wear masks, while others did not.
Caribou boys open with 3-1 victory over Wildcats
The boys game played at Caribou Friday served as a rematch to last year’s semifinals. When the Presque Isle Wildcats and Caribou Vikings boys soccer teams met in the regional semifinals last November, nearly 700 enthusiastic fans packed the hillside at Caribou High School, with the Vikings pulling out the 3-0 victory on their way to the Class B North Championship.
When the teams opened up the 2020 season, only about 40 socially-distant spectators dotted the landscape.
The Vikings return a veteran team, highlighted by the 12 seniors recognized in a pre-game ceremony. The Wildcats fielded a roster with only one senior, with 12 of the 17 players being either sophomores or freshmen.
The Wildcats came out aggressive, controlled the midfield, and frustrated the Vikings for much of the game.
Presque Isle tallied the only goal of the first half when Evan Chapman took a long clearing pass from Jonah Roy, dribbled by several Vikings, and scored with 11:19 remaining in the half. The lead held up going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Caribou finally broke through when Sawyer Deprey took a pass from Ethan Holdsworth and scored with 9:21 remaining. The Vikings turned up the pressure from there, and Holdsworth scored the go-ahead goal on a pass from Riley Bouchard with 6:26 left to play. Holdsworth added an insurance goal in the final minute on a feed from Carter Belanger.
For the 1-0 Vikings, goalie Cory Herbert made eight saves on 10 Presque Isle shots. For the 0-1 Wildcats, Xavier McAtee had nine saves on 17 Caribou shots.
