The preliminary playoff round was not welcoming for area girls soccer squads as Hodgdon, Southern Aroostook and Katahdin were all eliminated from the postseason Friday. Houlton is the lone girls soccer squad still alive in the playoffs as the Shires earned a first-round bye.
The following is a recap of games played.
Warriors fall in OT
No. 8 Southern Aroostook 1, No. 9 Wisdom 2 (OT) — At Dyer Brook Friday, Kylie Vining scored off an assist from Lily Leavitt late in the first half to put the Warriors up 1-0. Wisdom answered with 35 minutes remaining in the second half with an unassisted goal from Stephanie Bergouin. Both teams battled it out scoreless for the remainder of the second half.
“The girls came out strong in the first half,” said SACS coach Holly Vining. “Both teams were pretty evenly matched. We lost our momentum after giving up a goal early in the second half, but still managed to hold them scoreless for 35 minutes.”
Melanie Bellefleur converted off a corner kick for Wisdom less than a minute into the first overtime period to defeat the Warriors 2-1.
“We were hopeful we would regain our momentum when we changed ends for the overtime period, since the wind had been a factor for us,” Vining said. “Wisdom, however, converted off a corner kick less than a minute into the overtime period to end the game. It was heartbreaking after how hard the girls fought, but they gave their fans a great game and a lot to be proud of. It was the first ever playoff experience for the majority of the girls with five freshmen and six eighth-graders on our roster. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to host.”
Alexa Merry had 11 saves on 18 shots for Southern Aroostook while Rhylee Wright had four saves on 7 shots for Wisdom.
“It has been an incredible and unforgettable season with such a young and talented group of girls,” coach Vining said. “They far exceeded expectations for this season and will all be returning next year with the exception of our lone senior, Lily Leavitt. Lily spearheaded our offense, was a great leader and role model, and will be a tremendous loss.”
Panthers claw out win over Cougars
No. 6 Central Aroostook 2, No. 11 Katahdin 0 — At Mars Hill Friday, Central Aroostook got all the scoring it needed in the first half to defeat Katahdin in a Class D North prelim game. Karli Levesque and Delaney Grass each scored for the Panthers to lead them to the quarterfinal round.
Panther goalkeeper Ashlee Harris earned the shutout with six saves on seven shots. Katahdin keeper Courtney Stevens made 12 saves on 19 shots.
Hawks grounded by Wolverines
No. 7 Hodgdon 0, No. 10 Schenck 2 — At Hodgdon Friday, the visiting Wolverines scored a goal in each half and played stingy defense as they pulled off the upset victory over Hodgdon. The Hawks won the opening coin toss, and chose to play against the wind in the first half.
Emma Alley scored a first-half goal on a shot aided by stiff wind at her back. Alley’s high-arcing shot from just outside the scoring area sailed just over the reach of Hodgdon goalie Jessica Drew with 3:42 remaining in the first half.
“The wind (in the first half) worked to our advantage,” said Schenck coach Michelle Hatch. “We wanted to be aggressive because we are an aggressive team. Our goal was to beat Hodgdon to every ball and we were successful with that.”
Nichole Chasse gave Schenck an insurance goal midway through the second half with Alley getting the assist.
The Wolverines held a 24-6 advantage in shots, and 14-3 edge in corner kicks. Drew made 21 saves in net for the Hawks, while Kayla Falone had six saves for Schenck.
“We were hoping that having the wind at our backs in the second half would give us the advantage,” Hodgdon coach Seth Dorr said. “It’s been awhile since we had clinched a home playoff game, so I am very proud of this team. They (Schenck) just made more plays than we did today.”
Regular season finale
Houlton 6, Mattanawcook Academy 0 — In the final regular season game of the season Oct. 20, Houlton notched the shutout over the Lynx of Mattanawcook Academy. Katie Condon scored two second-half goals and added an assist to lift the Shires to victory.
Houlton’s Alexis Miller scored the only goal of the first half on an assist by Chelsea Gentle and Mia Hanning added a goal in the second half for the 12-1-1 Shiretowners. Emma Hines and Hannah Foley combined to make five saves on seven shots for Houlton. Symone Malbaurn made 18 saves on 28 shots for the 5-9 Lynx.
