Soccer playoffs will include several local squads
There were still some things to be decided depending on the outcomes of matches held Tuesday, which was the date for final regular season matches throughout the state, but it looks like many teams from the region will be in action when the playoffs get underway this weekend.
In Class B, both Presque Isle teams have finished strong and will get to host preliminary playoff matches. The 9-4-1 girls will play Friday and will be either the sixth-, seventh- or eighth-place team, depending on the outcome of some of Tuesday’s games. The boys were in fifth place entering Tuesday and if that is where they finish, will be at home on Saturday. Teams finishing in the top four earn a first-round bye into the quarterfinals next Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The PI girls coupled their win over Caribou last Wednesday (see story) with a 6-0 victory at Ellsworth Saturday. Madison Michaud, the Wildcats’ leading scorer as a freshman, tallied three goals and assisted on another, while Regan Nelson, Emily Wheaton and Taylor Williams had the other goals. Jillian Flynn and Savannah Rodriguez each played a half to combine for the shutout in goal.
The Wildcat boys seem to be saving their best for last as evidenced by their impressive run to end the regular season. It was capped with Saturday’s 3-1 upset at No. 1 Ellsworth. After falling behind early, Ryle Mortland and Jonah Hudson both scored late in the first half and Griffin Guerrette provided insurance with an empty-net goal with 29 seconds to play.
Presque Isle went 5-0-2 over the second half of the season to finish 7-4-3. A change at goalkeeper proved pivotal as freshman Jason Dumais recorded five consecutive shutouts since moving up from junior varsity and being inserted into the starting lineup Sept. 26 and has surrendered just two goals in his seven starts since Sept. 26.
“He impresses me more and more,” said coach Joe Greaves. “The things he has done have been almost hard to believe. I knew he was good and had a lot of hype coming in as a freshman but I never imagined he could do this.
“He looks like a senior out there when he plays. He is fearless and to stand in net in Ellsworth as a freshman you have to be fearless.”
The Ashland girls will be the No. 1 girls’ team in the Class D ranks (see story). The Hornets bested Central Aroostook and Hodgdon last week to end the regular season. Savannah Flint had four goals in last Tuesday’s 9-0 victory over the Panthers, while Mackenzie Carter had four in the 12-0 blanking of the Hawks.
The Ashland boys have quietly put together a successful season themselves. They are at 9-4-1 and will be the No. 3 seed and host a prelim most likely to be played Saturday. The Hornets beat Central Aroostook last Tuesday, 2-1, and shut out Hodgdon Saturday, 2-0 and went 4-0-1 over their final five matches. Airin Harmon and Kyle Beaulier scored against the Panthers, while Ben Philbrook and Lucas Craig did the honors against the Hawks.
The Central Aroostook girls and boys will also host prelims. The Panther girls are currently in sixth place at 8-5-1 and the boys are in fifth at 11-3. In addition to the losses to Ashland, the Panthers both swept past Easton Thursday and East Grand Monday.
The Easton Bears beat Katahdin Monday and, at 8-5-1, hold the No. 12 position. They will have a road prelim match Saturday. The girls’ team at Easton is 5-9 and heading into Tuesday was in the 12th and final playoff spot. They were battling Bangor Christian for a berth in the prelims.
Entering last night’s final game at Washburn, the Fort Fairfield boys had not lost a match and will assume the No. 1 seed in Class D and get a bye into the quarterfinals. The team was 12-0-1, with the lone tie coming Oct. 16 at Ashland, and is coming off decisive wins over Southern Aroostook (8-0) and East Grand (11-1) last week. Ryan Player scored four times and Jonah Daigle added three in Saturday’s win over the Danforth-based Vikings.
The Tiger girls have also finished strong with shutout victories in their last three matches. Fort Fairfield was 11-2 going into the Washburn game and the only two losses were to No. 1 and undefeated Ashland. A victory over the Beavers will most likely send FF into the fourth seed and give them a bye into the quarters, which will be played Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The Washburn boys will get the chance to play at home in the prelim round. With an 8-4-1 record going into the FF match, the team held the No. 7 position and will host on Saturday.
The Beaver girls are at 2-10-1 and will most likely miss out on the playoffs unless they were able to upset Fort Fairfield yesterday.
