LIMESTONE, Maine — After an improbable run during the second half of last year, the Limestone-MSSM boys’ soccer team is hoping to bring that momentum into the new season.
The Eagles started 0-6 but won seven of their last eight matches to reach the 2014 playoffs. They met up with the Fort Fairfield Tigers in the preliminary round of the Class D regionals and lost, 1-0.
Limestone-MSSM, which moves up a division to Class C, lost eight players to graduation but boasts the largest roster ever under eight-year coach Jon Hamilton, with 25 players suiting up.
“This year will be interesting for us as we move to Class C and have many new faces on the team,” Hamilton said. “As always, our goal is to make playoffs, but in order to do this, we need to focus on one game at a time.
“We got off to a rough start with losing the first two games of the season, but we need to continue to work on our rotation defensively and have everyone learn their new roles on the team. If we continue to work at this, I believe we can turn the season around,” he added.
Hamilton’s starting lineup includes Tobyn Blatt and R. Tyler Simmons at forward. Blatt has great quickness, while Simmons, one of the captains, owns excellent ball skills and should be an offensive threat. Freshman Tommy Pinette join the veterans on the front line and should bolster the offense with his speed and skills.
Ahmed Beshir, another captain, will lead the midfield corps. He is capable of playing multiple positions and has a strong shot. Travis Hatfield is another starting midfielder who works hard on his game and plays well on both sides of the field. Paddy Keith-Hardy rounds out the middle line and will also be the back-up goalkeeper.
The defense is led by Gordon McCulloh, another captain who often marks up the opponent’s top offensive player. Brennan Lane and Bret Morgan also play in the back along with sweeper Alex Sprague, who makes the move after playing offense a year ago.
The starting goalie is Matthew Pelkey, in his first year at the position.
The reserves are Matt Hancock, Chris Kinney, Anthony Fiori, Garrett Barb, Trevor Gava, David Govoni, Sean Hale, Trevor Hale, Davis Levesque, Henry Terhune, Willie McGirt, Nathan Gere, David Tucker and Oliver Wainman.
Dustin Wallace is the manager of the Eagles.
