Houlton (10-4-1) scored just two minutes into the game as Howe converted a nifty crossing pass from Keegan Gentle, who was deep in the right corner of the field but managed to find Howe in a one-on-one matchup with Fort Kent keeper Reece Pelletier in front of the net.
With 7:08 to go in the first half, the tandem hooked up again as Gentle sent a high crossing pass to Howe, who headed the ball past Pelletier giving Houlton a 2-0 lead.
“This is one of the best all-around games we have played,” Houlton coach Caleb Byron said. “They played to all of their strengths by passing the ball to feet and we also avoided playing into Fort Kent’s strengths of a possession game.”
Houlton keeper A.J. Henderson had three saves on three shots, while Pelletier stopped seven of nine shots for Fort Kent.
Coach Byron said scoring that first goal two minutes into the Oct. 25 game was the difference as it put added pressure on the Warriors.
Fort Kent coach Tim Desjardins said he was proud of his team’s efforts against a Houlton squad hungry for the win.
“Nobody gave us a chance this season, but we beat some higher class teams and had two good battles with Houlton during the regular season, beating them 2-0 and tying 1-1,” Desjardins said. “It really took us a half a game to get shuffled since we had to have a couple of bench players fill in.”
The Warriors (9-5-1 overall) were playing without the services of ace midfielder Camden Jandreau, a sophomore, who suffered a knee injury late in the season and was unable to play.
“We played better in the second half, but Houlton did enough to keep the ball out of the net,” coach Desjardins said. “Houlton’s keeper is very athletic and they are a very solid team.”
