Caribou boys play at Camden Hills today, girls faced Gardiner Tuesday on the road
Sports Reporter
The “second season” is under way for both Caribou soccer teams and the Fort Fairfield and Limestone-MSSM girls squads. The Caribou boys are on the road as the No. 5 team in Class B, squares off against No. 4 Camden Hills at 2:30 p.m.
Jerry Ferszt, right, of the Caribou Vikings blocks a kick by an Old Town player during an Oct. 17 match. Caribou enters this afternoon’s EM quarterfinal against Camden Hills with a 6-5-3 mark.
The playoff season began Tuesday, Oct. 27 for the three girls teams who qualified. Victories in their quarterfinal contests would propel the teams into the semifinal round of the Eastern Maine playoffs, with those games taking place either Friday or Saturday.
Caribou made the trip to Gardiner for a No. 4 vs. No. 5 Class B tilt, while in Class D, Limestone-MSSM and Fort Fairfield were also on the road for their quarterfinal games.
The semifinal round will take place Friday or Saturday, with the EM championship games set for next Wednesday, Nov. 4.
A look at the soccer teams from the area making it into the post-season follows:
(6-5-3, fifth place in Eastern Maine Class B)
Injuries have been the story, especially late in the season, for coach Mark Shea’s Caribou Vikings.
Nate Rossignol, one of the team’s top three goal producers, has been hobbled by a sprained ankle for the past several weeks, greatly limiting his playing time. Senior center midfielder Ethan McDuffie missed the second half of the season due to injury as well, while goalkeeper Garrett Jordan is the latest casualty, suffering a concussion during the final week of the regular season that will keep him out for the post-season.
The effect of the injuries was apparent in the team’s final three matches, all resulting in losses, but the Vikes still managed to secure the No. 5 ranking in Eastern Maine Class B with their 6-5-3 record.
“[The injuries] have forced us to change our formation and style of play,” Shea said. “Where our strength was once in our ability to score, it is now in our ability to defend.”
Caribou has a challenging quarterfinal opponent in Camden Hills on the Windjammers’ home field. Camden Hills made it into the EM finals last year (losing to Presque Isle), and returned eight of 11 starters from that group. The ‘Jammers scored 68 goals on the season, with three players reaching double figures.
“Our game plan will be to contain their attackers and try to score on the counter attack,” Shea said. “Our strength is our defense and we are going to play to that strength.”
The Vikes will use a formation that includes four defenders and five midfielders. Stephen St. Peter gets the start in goal in place of Jordan, while Jon Ouellette, Jerry Ferszt, Jared Sleeper and Matt Till are the backs. The midfield group is made up of Dean Walker, Ben Blackstone, Cam Anderson, Rossignol and Chad Caverhill, while Roland Thibodeau is the lone forward.
“We began the season with a mission: to be the hardest working team in Eastern Maine Class B,” Shea said. “We may not have won all our games thus far, but I think it’s fair to say that we have not been outworked by any of our opponents either.
“This group has been focused and committed from Day One, and that resolve has allowed us to aptly deal with all of the ups and downs we’ve encountered this season.”
Caribou’s quality victories this regular season, which helped allow them to secure the high ranking, were over Class C power Madawaska and Class B playoff teams Old Town and Mount Desert Island. The Vikes also tied Fort Kent and dealt undefeated Presque Isle one of its two ties.
Shea said the play and leadership demonstrated by the team’s captains (McDuffie, Anderson, Ouellette and Sleeper) has been appreciated and another key ingredient in the success of the Vikes.
“They do everything the right way, seldom looking for the easy way out, and I know they will do whatever it takes to give us a chance to win.”
(9-4-1, fifth place in Eastern Maine Class B)
Caribou returns to the playoffs following a very successful regular season. Coach Todd Albert’s Vikings were beaten twice by the No. 1 team in EM Class B, the undefeated Presque Isle Wildcats, and also lost road matches at Fort Kent and Old Town, but came through with nine victories and earned the chance to play at Gardiner yesterday afternoon in the quarters.
“Keys for us were improvement in passing, conditioning, heading, defending, shooting and teamwork,” Albert said. “We’re expecting a close match with Gardiner and just need to play our game and take it to them.”
Caribou has a very strong goalie in Brittany Doak, an All-Conference player last year, and a potent scorer in junior striker Jenna Selander, who led the team in goals with 15 and assists with eight. Wing forwards Olivia Sleeper (8/2) and Jamie Martin (6/3) and midfielder Abby Small (2/7) are other weapons.
The other starters are freshman Hannah Hebert, along with Katie Keaton, Liz Barbosa, Jessica Zyblut, Paige Small and Lydia Kieffer (2/2). Morgan Swan (three goals) comes off the bench to provide offensive punch.
“The young players have caught on quickly and all the girls bring positive qualities to the team,” Albert said. “I enjoy coaching this group – they work hard, enjoy playing soccer and have improved so much.”
A win over Gardiner would have moved Caribou into Saturday’s semifinal against the winner of the Presque Isle-John Bapst match.
(7-6-1, eighth place in Eastern Maine Class D)
Kerrie Alley has spent seven seasons coaching her Fort Fairfield team’s group of seniors, dating back to her years as the middle school coach. Regardless of the outcome of yesterday’s match against top-seeded and defending state champion Southern Aroostook, it has been an enjoyable season.
“This is a great group of young ladies,” Alley said. “They have good attitudes, a good work ethic and a great sense of humor, and have made it easy to coach.”
Alley said the Tigers dropped a couple close games that led to their No. 8 ranking, but feature a strong goalie in sophomore Katy Donovan, who took time in the off-season to work on her skills, which Alley said was a huge benefit to the team.
Seniors Kelsie Wilson and Sarah Hebert and junior Kaitlyn Kinsey and sophomore Danielle Tracy make up the defense, while senior Courtney Churchill and junior Brooke Beaulieu are the top midfielders, with senior Emily Weissman and junior Alyssa Murchison the other halfbacks. Kylie Plourde, the team’s leading scorer, and Lindsey Graves are the forwards. A deep bench has also been a strength of this year’s Tiger squad.
Editor’s Note: The Limestone-MSSM Eagles are the No. 6 team, finished 8-5-1, and played Deer Isle-Stonington in the EM Class D quarterfinals yesterday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The team’s coach declined to return a questionnaire seeking information for a playoff preview article.
Caribou’s Jamie Martin tries in vain to keep the ball from rolling over the end line during a recent regular season contest. The Vikes took the No. 5 seed into yesterday’s match at Gardiner.
Stephanie Leighton sprints down the sideline during an offensive push in her Limestone-MSSM team’s match against Hodgdon recently. The Eagles played Deer Isle-Stonington in the EM quarterfinals yesterday afternoon.
Colliding with Katahdin goalie Makayla Patterson, left, is Fort Fairfield’s Kylie Plourde during a recent regular season match. The Tigers played Southern Aroostook in the EM Class D quarterfinals yesterday in Dyer Brook.
