The Southern Aroostook girls soccer team improved to 10-2 on the season Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over Katahdin.
The Warriors are enjoying a six-game winning streak as the regular season draws to a close. During this streak, SA has outscored the opposition 26-4.
Southern Aroostook is currently ranked fourth in Class D North, but only the top three squads in this region earn a first-round bye. Ideally, the Warriors would like to avoid having a preliminary playoff game, according to coach Holly Vining.
Katahdin goalie Natalie Rickards dives on the ball as Southern Aroostook’s Hannah Brown approaches during an Oct. 11 game in Stacyville. SA won 4-1. (Joseph Cyr)
“We are vying for the best seed possible heading into playoffs,” Vining said. “Hopefully by the end of next week, we will all be strong and healthy. That’s the best we can ask for heading into playoffs.”
In Wednesday’s game, Kylie Vining scored three goals, two assisted by Hannah Landry, and Makaelyn Porter had a goal and an assist as Southern Aroostook picked up the hard-fought win.
Katahdin freshman Sylvia Hartt scored her first goal of the season, assisted by eighth grader Emily Byers.
Sydney Brewer made five saves on 13 shots for the Warriors, while Natalie Rickards had eight saves on 12 shots for the Cougars.
“I thought the girls played pretty well yesterday,” coach Vining said. “We had a strong first half. We came out a little flat second half, and Katahdin quickly capitalized. It was a wakeup call.”
Coach Vining added the squad has come together as a team this year.
“It’s hard to single anyone out in this group,” she said. “They have great teamwork and chemistry. They are all hardworking and extremely unselfish They just want their team to be as successful as possible and are all willing to sacrifice to make that happen. We have tried many different formations and have moved a number of kids around, and they have embraced the changes and have all been willing to play where their team needs them. That says a lot about who they are.”
Illnesses have been an issue for the team over the past week with a couple of players dealing with bronchitis. A few players are also dealing with minor injuries, but the coach said she expects her team to be back to full strength by playoff time.
“As far as our level of play, the girls have had some great accomplishments this season,” she said. “They are becoming more skilled all the time and have improved their knowledge of the game significantly. They have worked hard on possession and off ball support and have shown us what they can do.”
Thursday’s schedule
Thursday will be a relatively quiet day on the soccer front with only a handful of games scheduled. The Caribou girls play a make-up game against Nokomis in Newport at 3 p.m; the Central Aroostook boys and girls soccer squads travel to Easton for 3:30 p.m. games; Van Buren boys and girls head to Washburn for 3:30 p.m. contests and the Caribou boys take on Presque Isle at 7 p.m.
The following is a recap of other Wednesday soccer games.
Southern Aroostook boys 1, Katahdin 1 — At Stacyville Wednesday, Bradley Hotham scored the equalizer in the second half for the 2-8-2 Cougars after Steven Rackliff had scored in the first half for Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook.
Tanner Lane collected five saves on nine shots for the Cougars. Rackliff had 19 saves on 31 shots for the Warriors
Southern Aroostook goalie Steven Rackliff makes a leaping save Wednesday afternoon in a game against Katahdin. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. (Joseph Cyr)
Woodland boys 2, Hodgdon 0 — At Hodgdon, Jason Lockenwitz and Drew Hayward both scored goals for the Dragons. Austin Murphy notched assists on both goals. Alex Morrison made four saves on eight shots for Woodland.
Hodgdon goalie Josh Foster made eight saves on 13 shots.
Hodgdon girls 10, Woodland 1 — At Hodgdon, the Hawks had six different scorers in their win over Woodland. Emma Drew, Maddi Merritt, Sydney Howell and Kathryn Rediker all scored two goals each, while Merritt also had a pair of assists to lead the team. Drew also contributed one assist.
In addition, Erin Peters and Lauren McGillicuddy had solo goals, while Sidney Crane had two assists and Sabra Scott had one for Hodgdon (7-5-1).
Jayden Smith scored the lone goal for Woodland ( 2-8-2).
Autumn Ganzel made five saves on six shots. Sadie Smith made 17 saves on 27 shots.
