HOULTON, Maine — The regular season for boys and girls soccer is now complete, but for many local high school squads the work is not yet finished.
Twenty-one squads out of a possible 31 Aroostook County teams have qualified for the playoffs this year, with several of those schools earning byes directly to the quarterfinal round.
Preliminary playoff games are slated to begin Friday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22, for many teams. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 25, for girls and Wednesday, Oct. 26, for boys.
Semifinal games take place Saturday, Oct. 29 for both groups, with regional North championship games slated for Tuesday, Nov. 1, for Class D squads and Wednesday, Nov. 2, for Classes B and C.
Both the Class C and D North championships will be played in Aroostook County on the artificial turf at Presque Isle Middle School. The Class D North championships are scheduled for 4 p.m. (boys) and 6:30 p.m. (girls) on Nov. 1, with the Class C North championships scheduled for 4 p.m. boys and 6:30 p.m. girls on Nov. 2.
In the event that no Aroostook County teams are competing in the Class C championship, those games will be moved to Hampden Academy.
The Class B North championship games will be played Nov. 2 at Cameron Stadium in Bangor (4 p.m. boys, 6:30 p.m. girls.)
A look at the final standings, and playoff pairings for local teams, is as follows.
Girls soccer
In Class B North, Presque Isle (8-5-1) finished third, while Caribou (1-12-1) finished 15th. The Wildcats receive a first-round bye and will take on No. 6 Ellsworth in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 4:30 p.m.. The two teams tied 0-0 in their only meeting during the regular season.
The Vikings did not make the playoffs this year.
In Class C North, Houlton/GHCA (14-0) finished third, while Fort Kent (9-5) finished fifth. The No. 3 Shires will host the winner of No. 6 Dexter-No. 11 Mt. View on Tuesday, Oct. 25 (time to be determined) in the quarterfinals. Houlton did not play either Dexter or Mt. View during the regular season.
No. 5 Fort Kent also receives a bye, but will be on the road for its playoff game. The Warriors will travel to No. 4 Central of East Corinth on Tuesday, Oct. 25 (time to be determined). The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
In Class D North, Wisdom/Van Buren (14-0) finished second, while Ashland (11-3) is ranked third; Hodgdon (11-3) is fourth; Central Aroostook (9-5) is fifth; Madawaska (6-8) is sixth; Fort Fairfield (5-9) is ninth; and Maine School of Science and Mathematics (4-3-1) is 11th.
No. 2 Wisdom/Van Buren will host the winner of No. 7 Woodland-No. 10 Easton Tuesday, Oct. 25 (time to be determined). Easton did not face Woodland during the regular season, nor did the Pioneers face either squad.
No. 3 Ashland is scheduled to host the winner of No. 6 Madawaska-No. 11 MSSM on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Madawaska did not play MSSM during the regular season and split games with Ashland – winning 2-1 at home and falling 1-0 at Ashland.
No. 4 Hodgdon will host the prelim winner of No. 5 Central Aroostook versus No. 12 Shead (game to be played 4 p.m. Friday in Mars Hill). The quarterfinal round will be played at Hodgdon Tuesday, Oct. 25. The teams did not face off during the regular season.
No. 9 Fort Fairfield travels to No. 8 Bangor Christian in a prelim contest 2 p.m. Friday. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
Other squads in the region that did not qualify for the playoffs were: Southern Aroostook (5-8-1) finished 13th; Washburn (5-9) finished 14th; Katahdin (1-12-1) finished 16th; and East Grand (1-12-1) finished 17th.
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — October 13, 2022 — Wildcat sophomore Isaac Staples (left) keeps the ball away from Viking junior Sam Hebert during a regular season soccer game. Both squads advanced to the playoffs. (Paul Bagnall | The Star-Herald)
Boys soccer
In Class B North, Presque Isle (7-6-1) finished fifth, while Caribou (4-10) is eighth. The Vikings will host No. 9 Old Town Saturday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. Caribou beat Old Town twice on the season – 3-1 and 4-1. If the Vikings win, they will then face No. 1 John Bapst in the quarterfinals Oct. 26.
No. 5 Presque Isle travels to No. 4 MDI in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m. The Wildcats beat MDI 4-0 at home, but fell 6-0 on the road.
In Class C North, Fort Kent (13-1) finished as the top team, while Houlton/GHCA (5-9) finished 13th. Fort Kent will face the prelim winner of No. 8 George Stevens Academy-No. 9 Penquis in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Warriors did not face either team during the regular season.
Houlton/GHCA did not qualify for the playoffs this year.
In Class D North, Madawaska (12-2) is ranked second; Fort Fairfield (9-4-1) is third; Wisdom/Van Buren (10-4) is sixth; Easton (12-2) is seventh; Katahdin (10-4) is 10th; Maine School of Science and Mathematics (2-5-1) is 12th; and Hodgdon/East Grand (4-8-2) is 13th.
No. 7 Easton hosts No. 10 Katahdin Friday for a preliminary playoff. The Bears beat Katahdin 1-0 in their only matchup on the season. The winner of that game advances to the quarterfinals to take on No. 2 Madawaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
No. 6 Wisdom/Van Buren hosts No. 11 Woodland in a preliminary contest Friday, Oct. 21. The two teams did not meet during the regular season. The winner advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 3 Fort Fairfield on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Tigers lost to Wisdom/Van Buren twice during the regular season – 5-2 at home and 3-2 on the road. Fort Fairfield did not play Woodland.
No. 12 MSSM travels to No. 5 Penobscot Valley of Howland for a Friday prelim. The two squads did not meet during the regular season.
No. 13 Hodgdon travels to No. 4 Schenck/Stearns Friday for a 3 p.m. preliminary contest. The two teams did not meet during the regular season. The winner faces the winner of No. 12 MSSM-No. 5 Penobscot Valley in the quarterfinal round.
No. 15 Washburn (3-11), No. 16 Central Aroostook (5-9), No. 18 Ashland (2-12) and No. 19 Southern Aroostook (0-14) did not make the playoffs this year.
