PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Presque Isle Wildcats faced off against the Hermon Hawks on the soccer pitch. A pouring rain and chilling winds set the stage for an exciting afternoon of soccer between the schools.
The girls varsity began the events for the day and undefeated Hermon demonstrated why the Hawks have been a powerful team throughout the season, rolling to a 7-0 victory. Hermon is currently 13-0 in Class B North and is the No. 1 seed.
Presque Isle (3-10) is currently ranked 1th in the region. The playoffs are tentatively scheduled to begin this weekend with preliminary round contests.
In Saturday’s game, the Hawks came out on the attack in the first half, playing aggressive offense, and bombarding the Wildcats defensive line. Though the Wildcats fought hard, the offensive assault from Hermon was relentless, with play for most of the match, happening in the Wildcats defensive side of the field.
Presque Isle’s Lindsay Himes and Taylor Doyen, were quick to hold the defensive line, but the offense by players like Hermon’s Brooke Gallop, Allison Cambryn, and in the first half, Hermon scored six goals, and took one more in the second half.
By the second half, the Wildcats tightened their defenses to slow down the Hawks, which definitely slowed Hermon’s offense in the second half.
The boys contest played afterward, and Presque Isle held strong during both halves, coming away with a 2-0 victory. Presque Isle improved to 11-0-1 on the season and is the top-ranked team in Class B North. Hermon dropped to 1-9-1.
At the start of the game, both teams were trading blows, with impressive offensive and defensive pushback from both sides. However, the Wildcats managed to breakthrough, and net a goal, thanks to midfielder Jenson Sargent, assisted by Dawson Kinney.
“We are a team that is very solid defensively,” said Wildcats Coach Tim McCue. “They [Hermon] are a very talented team, so we wanted to keep them closely marked. They are a well-coached team with lots of talent, so we needed to stay on top of that.”
The Wildcats were able to keep morale high, and continue the assault, constantly pressuring Hermon’s defense. Through their communication, teamwork, and pressure, they were able to net a second goal by midfielder Ben Turner, assisted by forward Malachi Cummings.
Presque Isle’s defense held strong as well, with players like Ethan Shaw, Ryan Thibault, and Jack Hallet holding the line, not to mention the impressive goalkeeper work by Xavier McAtee. Moving together like a machine, the Wildcats prevented Hermon from scoring, finishing the match with a shutout.
“We had a very successful season, and I am very proud of all the work they have done up to this point,” McCue said.
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine–October 16, 2021– Presque Isle’s Evan Chapman (left) defends against Hermon’s Noah Depuy at a soccer game on Saturday. Presque Isle won 2-0 (David DiMinno | The Star-Herald)
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine–October 16, 2021–Presque Isle Taylor Marston and Taylor Doyen, chase down Hermon’s Brooke Gallop during a Saturday game in Presque Isle. Hermon won 7-0 (David DiMinno | The Star-Herald)
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine–October 16, 2021– Presque Isle’s Mia Casavant chases down Hermon’s Sydney Gallop for ball possession during a Saturday afternoon soccer game in Presque Isle. (David DiMinno |The Star-Herald)
