Sports Editor
PRESQUE ISLE — It has often been said that beating a team three times in one season is the hardest things to do in the realm of sports. Just ask the Presque Isle girls soccer team.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
CELEBRATING THE MOMENT after she scored the final penalty kick is Caribou’s Elizabeth Barbosa, middle, along with teammates Abby Small, left, and Paige Small. No. 5 Caribou beat No. 1 Presque Isle 2-1 Saturday in an Eastern Class B semifinal game to advance to the regional championship, set for today. Caribou will face No. 2 Winslow at 2 p.m. in Winslow.
No. 1 Presque Isle (15-1) learned first-hand how difficult that third victory on the season can be as No. 5 Caribou (11-4-1) stunned the Wildcats 2-1 to advance to the Eastern Class B championship. Caribou will face No. 2 Winslow (16-0) 2 p.m. Wednesday at Winslow for the regional crown. Caribou did not face Winslow during the regular season.
“The team that plays better against the wind will have the advantage for sure,” Presque Isle coach Ralph Michaud said before the game. “There are no surprises in facing Caribou. We played them enough in the summer and twice during the season.”
During the regular season, Presque Isle beat Caribou 2-0 and 3-2.
“The way I presented it to the girls was that the pressure was on Presque Isle,” Caribou coach Todd Albert said. “They have already beaten us twice, so we’re the underdog for sure.”
Caribou played its role of underdog to perfection, scrapping its way to a 1-1 stalemate after two 40-minute halves and two 15-minute overtime periods, sending the game to penalty kicks to decide a winner. The Vikings made all five of their penalty kicks, while Presque Isle managed just four, giving Caribou the upset victory.
Kicking for Caribou were Lydia Kieffer, Jenna Selander, Ginger Kieffer, Jessica Zbylut and Elizabeth Barbosa. Kicking for Presque Isle were Chandler Guerrette, Chelsea Nickerson, Kayla Richards, Brooke Long-Postell and Alyssa Huston.
For Barbosa, who was playing in just her second game after breaking her foot in the preseason, taking the final shot was nerve-wracking, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do before stepping up to kick.
“I practiced with our keeper and she told me to keep it low and on the ground, and I did,” the senior said. “It’s overwhelming. When it was my turn to go, I was a little nervous, but I just blocked it all out.”
Played under strong, gale-force wind, both squads used that wind to their advantage in Saturday’s game. Presque Isle broke the scoring ice when Guerrette took a pass from Richards and buried it into the net with 8:38 to play in the first half.
Caribou, who had the wind to its back in the second half, used that wind to score its goal as Jenna Selander lofted a high, arcing shot that bounced mere inches over the head of Wildcat goalie Kelsey Park.
“We got lucky,” coach Albert said. “We knew whichever team had the wind, had the advantage.”
Ironically, Presque Isle was victorious in all three coin tosses Saturday, after winning just 3-of-15 coin tosses during the regular season, Michaud said.
In the first overtime period, playing against the wind, the Vikings played a more defensive game in the hopes of simply holding off Presque Isle long enough to force a second overtime.
“We wanted to get to that second overtime, for the wind advantage,” he said. “I also felt we had an advantage if the game went to penalty kicks.”
That advantage was standout Viking goalie Brittany Doak, who finished with 13 saves on 15 shots for the Vikings. Her counterpart Park had eight saves on 11 shots for the Wildcats.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Doak said. “The stress gets overwhelming some times, so I try to zone everyone out. You have to just focus on the game and do what you do.”
Caribou entered Saturday’s game down two starters — Hannah Hebert and Jamie Martin — who were inactive due to injury. Martin scored the game-winning goal in the Vikings quarterfinal victory over Gardiner last Tuesday.
“We knew this game was going to be a tough one,” coach Michaud said. “Our last game was 3-2 and that was a fight. It’s too bad the wind had to be a factor in this game.”
Losing a game on penalty kicks was also difficult.
“Having a game like this come down to PKs is unfortunate,” Michaud said. “It has nothing to do with skill in playing a soccer game. My hats off to Caribou and I wish them the best of luck against Winslow.”
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
SOARING into the air to deflect a shot is Caribou goalie Brittany Doak. The action took place during the Vikings’ win over Presque Isle in Saturday’s semifinal round.
