PRESQUE ISLE — The 2008 University of Maine at Presque Isle mens soccer team made school history last season recording a record 10 shutouts en route to a 12-5-1 record and the No. 2 seed in the Sunrise Conference playoffs. The Owls are looking to match that feat in 2009.
The Owls have bolted to an impressive 6-2-1 record thus far on the season and have been led by junior forward Devon Peaslee of Woolwich. Peaslee who has scored eight goals and three assists through the first nine games, was named the Sunrise Offensive player of the week for Sept. 29.
Nineteenth-year head coach Alan Gordon is pleased with what he has seen so far.
“We have an excellent group of returning players as well as a solid recruiting class who will make us a stronger team,” said Gordon.
Leading the group of returning players is Peaslee, who led the Owls in scoring last season and was selected to the Association of NCAA DIII All Independent 2nd Team, a conference made up of 17 institutions throughout the United States. Peaslee has the athletic ability and skill to take over a game and will once again be the key to the Owls attack, according to the coach.
Junior midfielder Craig Maffei of Readfield has added five goals and three assists while dominating the center of the field with his outstanding athletic ability and strength on the ball. Junior defender Matt Carrington (Nottingham, UK) has a team-high five assists with all but one assist going to Maffei on long directs. Carrington has stepped into his own this year playing the best soccer of his three-year career, according to the coach.
The Owls defense has recorded four shutouts in their first nine games.
Maffei was the leader of the record-breaking Owls defense in 2008, but moves to the attacking midfield position this year to give UMPI a more explosive attack. Maffei can dominate the air with his size and strength and should team-up with Peaslee to create a tough match-up for opposing teams.
Senior midfielder Corey Harding from Newport missed the second half of the 2008 season for health reasons and adds a strong presence to the Owls midfield. Harding has the ability to defend, distribute and score from his central midfield position. Junior outside midfielder Josh Peaslee, Devon’s twin brother who was also selected to the NCAA DIII All Independent team in 2008, benefits from Maffei’s move to midfield. Josh Peaslee has outstanding speed, quickness and foot skills and should be more involved in the Owls offense this year from the wing position.
Senior defender Trevor Hews from Van Buren is a four-year starter and a major reason the Owls were one of the top teams in the nation last year in both goals against average and shutouts. Hews is excellent one-on-one defender and is a major threat with his long throw-ins into the box. Ben Corsello, a junior from Old Town; Dylan Harris, a senior from Patten; and Richard Felbaum, a sophomore keeper from Saco, also return to the Owls defense and are even more confident with a year of experience under their belts.
Juniors Matt Carrington from Nottingham, United Kingdom; Chad Parker from Turo, Nova Scotia and Chris Smith from Phillips are all battling for time in the Owls’ defense. Carrington, Parker and Smith are all versatile players who can also step in at the midfield positions. Juniors Seth Dorr from Houlton and Corey Fournier from Milford, as well as sophomore Cody Closson from Fort Fairfield all have the explosive speed to step in at either the striker or outside midfield positions. Hanad Ashkir from Fairfax, Va. returns after a year off and will battle for playing time on a deep Owls squad with first-year players Bikram Shrestha and Anup Prasai from Nepal; Will Cole from Murray Siding, Nova Scotia; Sam Bacon from Easton; Austin Dufour from Fort Fairfield; Manny Martinez from Mars Hill, Jacob Paradis from Ashland; Stephen Sweatt from Scarborough; Ryan Van Buskirk from Houlton; and John-Douglas Haddad from Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.
Former Owl standout player Trevor Parent is the Owls’ assistant coach this season while Joshua MacKinnon from Nova Scotia is the Owls’ student assistant coach.
The Owls split a pair of Sunrise conference games this past weekend, defeating Paul Smith’s College 5-1 on Saturday before dropping a heart breaking 3-2 loss to SUNY Canton on Sunday
On Saturday, Josh Peaslee scored off a Maffei assist 17 minutes into the game and the Owls never looked back, en route to the 5-1 victory over Paul Smith’s College of New York. Maffei put the Owls up 2-0 eight minutes later when he went high into the air off a Seth Dorr corner kick to beat Paul Smith’s keeper Mohammed Kamaruzaman. Devon Peaslee added two unassisted goals while first year player Will Cole (Murray Siding, NS) scored off a Chris Smith assist to round out the Owls scoring. Richard Felbaum and Ryan Van Buskirk (Houlton, Me) combined to make eight saves on 10 shots.
On Sunday, SUNY Canton took advantage of its limited chances to defeat the Owls 3-2. Neither team scored in the first half of action, with much of the play occurring at midfield.
The Owls did score early in the game, but an offsides call disallowed the goal. SUNY got on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the second half when Agoro Moubarak scored unassisted. The Owls kept fighting and tied the game five minutes later when Craig Maffei hit a perfectly placed ball over SUNY keeper Eamon Case from 25 yards away. SUNY recaptured the lead on an unassisted goal by James Catillaz but once again the Owls found a way to tie the score when Devon Peaslee beat a SUNY defender to find the back of the net. Comella spoiled the Owls come back when he scored the game winner with 15 minutes to play.
UMPI created a number of late chances but were unable to come back a third time, losing by the 3-2 score. The loss drops the Owls to 3-2-1 in the Sunrise Conference midway through the season. The Owls travel to Castine to face Maine Maritime Academy Wednesday for a 5 p.m. kickoff and will host Fisher College of Boston, Mass. this Sunday at Park Family Field for a 1 p.m. contest.
Contributed photo
UMPI MEN’S SOCCER TEAM – Members of the UMPI mens soccer team include, front from left, John Douglas Haddad, Manny Martinez, Joshua Peaslee, Chris Smith, Jacob Paradis, Corey Fournier, Seth Dorr, Cody Closson, Anup Prasai, Stephen Sweatt, Will Cole, Austin Dufour; and back, coach Gordon, Devon Peaslee, Dylan Harris, Craig Maffei, Corey Harding, Trevor Hews, Ben Costello, Sam Bacon, Chad Parker, Matt Carrington, Hanad Ashkir, Bikram Shresha, Richard Felbaum, Ryan VanBuskirk, and assistant coach Trevor Parent.
