WATERVILLE, Maine — The Caribou girls’ soccer team did something last Wednesday that no other opponent was able to do during the regular season — score a goal against No. 1-ranked Waterville.
However, it wasn’t enough as the Panthers netted six unanswered goals in the second half on its way to a 7-1 victory over the Vikings.
Freshman Gabrielle Marquis was credited with Caribou’s goal, which tied the match with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Pilar Elias netted a goal three minutes into the second half to help the Panthers regain the lead and they went on to score five more to win decisively.
“I think [the Elias goal] created some momentum for them and some letdown for us,” said Viking coach Todd Albert. “They are extremely fast and well skilled, which made for a difficult matchup.”
Lydia Roy posted a hat trick for Waterville, while Fotini Shanos and Elias finished with two goals each. The Panthers (16-0) also won their semifinal game and will take on No. 2 Hermon in the Eastern Maine Class B finals this afternoon.
Despite the loss, Albert called it a successful season. Caribou ended up with a 9-6-1 overall record, scoring 52 goals while allowing 36. Senior Bria Judd, who played only two seasons on the varsity, ended up as the fourth-leading goal scorer in Caribou girls’ soccer history, which dates back to the early-1980s. Judd owns the single-season mark of 24, established last year, and came one short of tying it with 23 more this year.
Sarah Doak also closed out her fine career after scoring 43 goals, fifth on the all-time list, and recording 22 assists, which places her third overall.
It was a transition season for the Vikings, which welcomed a talented group of six freshmen to its roster.
“They did well and earned good playing time and the older girls were very good in welcoming them,” Albert said.
Caribou graduates six players, including Judd and Doak and three-year starting goalkeeper Morgan Outing, and their leadership and experience will be missed, according to the coach.
“We will need the current freshmen and the other returning players to take on larger roles and raise their level of play next year,” Albert said. “With continued effort and improvement, we will be competitive in the foreseeable future.”
In other soccer playoff action featuring local teams, the Fort Fairfield Tiger girls and boys reached the semifinals, but both were beaten by Ashland Saturday. The Hornet girls were 2-0 winners and the Hornet boys came out on top, 3-1.
The Tiger girls managed only one shot on goal against Ashland goalkeeper Megan Cote, who recorded her ninth consecutive shutout as her team advanced to today’s Eastern Maine Class D title game against PVHS. Caitlin Paradis and Morgan Doughty each scored for the winners, who improved to 16-0.
Megan Jellison made four saves on 13 shots for the Tigers, which finished the season with a 9-6-1 mark under first-year head coach Tom Towle.
The Fort Fairfield boys went into intermission tied with the host Hornets, thanks to Joongi Yu’s goal off a Johnny Theriault assist with 16:21 to go, but Ashland scored goals 61 seconds apart early in the second half to regain control.
Dalton Cassidy of the Tigers made five saves on 14 shots, including a leaping one late in the game to prevent a fourth Ashland goal. His opposite, Tim Tarr of the Hornets, needed to make just one save on the afternoon while facing five shots.
In girls’ quarterfinal play last Wednesday, Fort Fairfield surprised No. 4 Washburn, 4-1. The Tiger girls had lost twice to the Beavers during the regular season, but scored just 29 seconds into the match en route to the victory. Chelsey Pelkey had that opening goal, which came off an Alexis Coiley assist. Coiley and Taylor Churchill also netted first-half goals as FF took a 3-0 lead at intermission.
Coiley added a second goal in the second half for insurance. Washburn broke the shutout when Mackenzie Worcester tallied off a Joan Overman assist with two minutes to play. Pelkey picked up two assists and Jellison had 15 saves on 25 shots in goal for the winners. Beaver goalkeeper Grace Braley saved 18 of 30 shots.
The boys’ quarterfinals were played a day earlier. Ashland advanced on some very late-game heroics as Blair scored off a Jarrett Beaulier assist with just 1.5 seconds left in regulation, giving his team a 3-2 win over Washburn.
Cody Blair also netted a pair of first-half goals for the Hornets, one unassisted and the other off a Beaulier pass. Alex Pelletier and Cameron Bragg scored for the Beavers, which finished 11-4-1, and Noah Farley had an assist. In goal, Ashland’s Tarr made 14 saves on 16 shots and Washburn’s Caleb Thompson saved 21 of 24.
Fort Fairfield won its second game of the post-season by a 1-0 margin as Theriault scored on a penalty kick in overtime to break a scoreless tie and lift the Tigers to the road win over No. 2 PVHS. Cassidy made seven saves on 18 shots for FF and Joseph Higgins of the Howlers (11-3-1) had nine saves on 13 shots.
