Three local girls’ soccer teams are hoping to bring home state titles, with Houlton, Ashland and Presque Isle all playing in championship matches Saturday.
Houlton girls (16-1) vs. Madison (16-1), Class C finals, 12:30 p.m. at Hampden Academy — A senior-laden Houlton girls soccer team will face its toughest challenge yet as the Shires take on Madison. According to Houlton coach Tim Tweedie, Madison is almost a mirror image of the Shires, as both teams have three freshmen, two juniors and eight sophomores on the roster. Madison has eight seniors, while the Shires have nine.
“I think Madison is a lot like us,” Tweedie said. “It’s kind of weird. We’re both 16-1. They’ve scored 88 goals and have given up 14. We’ve scored 86 and have given up 12, so we both have a differential of +74. We’ve had 10 shutouts, they’ve had 9. It’s very odd.”
According to the coach, Madison likes to possess the ball, in an attempt to lure their opponents in close and then then play big switches, which is what the Shires like to do as well. Madison has several very skilled players in Ashley Emery (midfielder), Jillian Holden (striker), and Whitney Bess (midfielder). The Bulldogs also have an outstanding goalkeeper in senior Lauren Hay.
The Shires have their own offensive firepower with Kolleen Bouchard and Mia Hanning leading the scoring attack, while defensively Lexi Miller, Tyra Gentle, Claire Gilpatrick and goalie Tessa Solomon anchor the backfield.
The Hornets’ Amber Chasse, right, races for the ball against Fort Kent’s Mikayla Pelletier during a regular season match. Chasse has scored 31 goals for Ashland heading into Saturday’s state championship game against Richmond. (Courtesy/Dave Allen Graphics)
Tweedie added that, like the Shires, Madison is a very quick team and playing on the artificial turf at Hampden Academy will bring out the speed in both teams.
“(Turf) is faster, the bounces are bigger, passes have to be to the feet or one step away, as opposed to space,” he said. “Fortunately, some of our kids have had opportunities to play on turf either in the summer at the Maine Maritime Team Camp or versus Presque Isle in scrimmages. We’re going to have to adjust quickly as Madison is a team that likes to jump on their opponents early. They scored 50 seconds into their regional championship game.”
Getting used to the turf quickly will be a key for the Shires. Communication is always key, as are attacking as a team, winning the ball out of the air, switching the ball to space, and not letting the moment get too big, the coach said.
“Some of these kids have played in basketball state championships, so they’ve had opportunities to get used to playing in front of big crowds at neutral sites,” Tweedie said. “I’m sure the cheerleaders have also had big moments in front of big crowds. So, hopefully that helps. We’re a senior-laden team, so hopefully maturity helps with that too.”
The last time Houlton appeared in a state soccer championship was back in 1987 when the Shires defeated Lincoln Academy 4-1 for the Class B crown.
Ashland girls (16-1) vs. Richmond (12-3-2), Class D finals, 5:30 p.m. at Hampden Academy — This will be the fourth consecutive meeting between the two teams in the championship match. The Hornets hold the edge, winning both last year and in 2014, while the Bobcats captured the 2015 title.
Ashland took last fall’s game on an overtime header off a corner kick by Cassidy Pelletier. She graduated and last year’s leading scorer and the school record holder for goals in a season and in a career, Mackenzie Carter, missed the entire season with a knee injury.
Still, coach Peter Belskis’s Hornet team features plenty of offensive firepower, having outscored opponents 120-8, including a 23-1 advantage in the playoffs. Maine Soccer Coaches regional all-stars Morgan Doughty and Amber Chasse, who are first cousins, lead the way with 32 and 31 goals, respectively, while Shelby Stolze has 23 to her credit.
Senior back Micayla Driscoll and senior goalkeeper Megan Cote are other MSC all-stars who fortify the team’s defense, which also features Lexi Craig and marking backs Kassandra Nelson and Olivia Tardie.
“[With the injuries and graduation losses] everybody had to pick their game up this year and we have accomplished that,” Belskis said. “From Day 1, they have all had the attitude that anything short of another appearance in the state finals wouldn’t be good enough.”
Richmond is led by a pair of midfielders who received MSC honors, senior Destiny Anair and junior Caitlin Kendrick, along with senior goalkeeper Sydney Tilton.
Presque Isle (14-3-0) vs. Yarmouth (17-0), Class B finals, 5:30 p.m. at Deering Memorial Field in Portland — The Wildcats go in as heavy underdogs against the Clippers, who come in having allowed only four goals all season.
“Yarmouth is the defending champ and are undefeated, but our Wildcats have been amazing to me all year so we are going down to Portland with the attitude that if we can play to our potential, we can compete with anybody,” said PI coach Ralph Michaud.
Junior back Elizabeth Collins is one of the key defenders for coach Ralph Michaud’s Presque Isle Wildcats, who square off against Yarmouth for the Class B state title Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Portland. (Dave Allen Graphcis)
Presque Isle does come in with one of the top scorers in the state in junior Madison Michaud, an MSC regional all-star who has tallied a school record 34 goals this fall. The Wildcats also feature a talented goalkeeper in junior Savannah Rodriguez, another MSC regional all-star selection who stopped a penalty kick in Wednesday’s regional finals against Hermon and has accumulated seven shutouts this season.
Sophomore back Charlotte Carrier, senior midfielder Emily Wheaton and sophomore midfielder Paige McHatten are among the other key performers for the Wildcats, who have reeled off 11 victories in their last 12 games following a mediocre 3-2 start.
Yarmouth, which beat Waterville (the school PI shut out 4-0 in this year’s B North semifinal) for the title last year, has two MSC regional all-stars on the back line in senior Hannah Corey and junior Olivia Feeley, while senior forward Sara D’Appolonia, another all-star, is an accomplished scorer.
