Presque Isle rec grades 5-6 soccer league begins playoff round

Grades 5 and 6 soccer
    Pressure between the pipes couldn’t faze Joseph Boone of the Clash or Grant Stewart of the Crew as the two sides finished a very entertaining contest tied 0-0. Shaye McHatten anchored the Crew defense from the stopper position while Nick Powers was equally as strong in the same spot for the Clash. Offensive pressure was created by Gavin Kelley and Michaela Dumais of the Crew and Alex Brewer and Madison Fournier of the Clash.     In the last games of the regular season, the Sting and Crew met up under the lights to kick off the night time session. Bryce Smith used some quick footwork and blazing speed to knife through the Crew defense and put the Sting up in the early moments. Mandy Graham’s blast from the right side off a free kick was able to snake through a crowded box and into the net to tie the game for the Crew moments before the first half expired. Graham started the second period as she ended the first, notching her second goal of the game from the left wing. Issac Devine broke out of the midfield pack with the ball on his foot en route to a breakaway goal, tying the game back up at 2-all. Denny Young scored the eventual game winning goal by zig-zagging up the field and eluding all would be defenders, propelling the Sting to the 3-2 victory.
    Josiah Morse scored a couple goals and Pat Cash was nearly flawless in goal as the Mutiny wrapped up the regular season with a 2-0 victory over the Clash. Morse struck for the first goal midway through the first period. After intercepting a throw in at midfield, Morse flew down the middle of the field towards the left goal post. He slid the ball back across the box just inside the right goal post. Grace Player set up the second goal with about six minutes remaining. She corralled a loose ball on the left wing, then sent a centering pass up to Morse, who had a one on one with the goalie, blasting the ball into the upper corner of the goal.
    Denny Young kept up his scoring run to the tune of three goals as the fifth-seeded Sting upended the fourth-seeded Strikers, 3-0, in their quarterfinal matchup. The first goal came off a rebound as keeper Byron Winslow made a great save on the initial save. Young weaved through the defense to make the lead 2-0 before the half with a blast from the left side. Young rounded out his scoring streak with a laser into the upper left corner of the goal for the differene maker.
Grades 3 and 4 girls soccer
    Madison Bearden finished with four goals as the Blizzard downed the Tornado, 5-2. Bearden got the scoring going early in the first, converting off a Taylor Billings pass. Savannah Rodriguez quickly tied things up for the Tornado, using blazing speed to rush past defenders before unleashing a thunderous shot. Natalie Bates put the Blizzard up before the half with another unassisted goal.         Rodriguez made it a whole new ball game a few minutes into the second half as her laser-like shot was too much for the Blizzard keeper to handle. Bearden took over shortly thereafter, scoring three unanswered goals in the matter of minutes.
    The rematch was more of the same as the Tornado and Blizzard took the field to end their seasons. Madison Bearden notched three goals and assisted on another as the Blizzard once again picked up the 5-2 win. Bearden’s first goal was the lone score in the first half as the two sides played a tightly-contested opening frame. The Blizzard came out with a flurry of goals in the second half, starting with a Taylor Billings goal off a Kaci Bates assist. Bearden then scored her next two goals just minutes apart, both coming unassisted. Savannah Rodriguez put the Tornado on the board with a mighty blast. Teammate Kimberly Cook cut the deficit to 4-2 as she snaked through the defense for a goal of her own. Natalie Bates ended the comeback with a goal off a Bearden assist to wrap up the high scoring second half.
    Emily Wheaton scored three goals and added an assist as the Hurricane shut out the Galaxy by a final of 4-0. The first goal came via an intercepted pass at the top of the penalty area. McKenzie Turner made the game 2-0 just before the half off a Wheaton pass in front of the goal. Wheaton added two insurance goals in the second half and keeper Ande Kornachuk had the shutout.
Grades 3 and 4 boys soccer
    The Drillers wrapped up their season with a match up against the Crunch on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. Jack Beaulieu and Erick Tompkins of the Drillers kept the Crunch defense of Ian Franz and Patrick Lessard on their toes, but the back line was solid in front of Crunch keeper Jason Dumais. The Crunch counterattack was spearheaded by Ian Michaud, Jack Bonville and Colin Daigle, but they couldn’t get past the Drillers’ pesky marking backs Zechariah Morse, Jacob Sjoberg and Alex Harvath. The game was scoreless headed into a much-needed intermission.
    The second half followed the script of the first as neither team could gain a decided advantage. Griffin Guerrette untied the game midway through the second half. He dribbled down the left side of the field and uncorked a furious shot Drillers’ keeper Tompkins couldn’t quite get the grasp on, and the ball trickled into the goal. The goal proved to be the only one of the game as the Crunch prevailed.
    Isaac Madore poked in a loose ball on the goal mouth from a Connor McManus corner kick late in the second half as the Missiles were able to salvage a tie against the Blast, 1-1. The game opened as a midfield battle royal as neither team could gain momentum toward the other’s goal. A trip 25 yards in front of the Missile net resulted in a free kick for the Blast. Will Bridges lofted a ball into the box for the Blast. Somehow the ball landed at the feet of teammate Chandler Paradis, who was then able to poke it through the defense and into the goal. The game remained 1-0 in favor of the Blast until McManus hammered a ball into the box to the waiting Madore.