Local soccer teams enter postseason

By Gloria Austin 
Staff Writer
    It’s the start of Class C and D postseason games. Soccer high school girls’ quarterfinals were held Tuesday, with the boys playing their quarterfinals today. Class C and D girls and boys semifinals will be held on Oct. 29.
SACS host CAHS
Today, 2 p.m.
    The No. 4 Southern Aroostook Warriors will host No. 5 Central Aroostook today at 2 p.m. in Dyer Brook in a Class D quarterfinal game.
    The two teams have met once on the regular season, with Southern Aroostook taking a 2-0 win, but that was in August.
    “A lot has changed since then,” said Warrior coach Cliff Urquhart. “I think we are pretty evenly matched.”
    Urquhart said that Central Aroostook is a momentum team that can thrive off being ahead or controlling possession.
     “We need to set the tone of the contest and keep momentum off their side,” Urquhart said.
    For the Warriors to win, Urquhart said his squad needed to finish the opportunities presented up front.
    “If we fail to find the net in the early going and let CAHS gain momentum, then we are in trouble,” he said.
    The Southern Aroostook defenders will focus on the top Panther scorers.
    “Our defense needs to focus on junior striker Dan Brewer, who is a good scorer, and Spencer Stetson, who can also put the ball in the back of the net. Offensively, they are as complete as anyone in Class D.”
    Urquhart said the Warriors have talked about how seedings do not matter at this time of the year, since last season, the Warriors were ranked sixth and beat Ashland, which was No. 3, in the quarterfinals and No. 8 Deer Isle-Stonington topped No. 1 Calvary Chapel.
    “Upsets can happen,” Urquhart said. “But, I think if we just play our game, make the right rotations, stay in formation, progress with the pass and stay away from the boot ball, we can be in good shape to win.”
Houlton boys host WA
Today, 3 p.m.
    The Houlton varsity boys soccer team are entering the Class C quarterfinal game ranked fourth and will host No. 5 Washington Academy today.
    The Shiretowners finished the season with a 12-2 record, while WA is 7-4-3.
    Last year, the Shiretowners traveled to East Machias for the quarterfinals, losing 4-1, as the Raiders scored three goals in the first five minutes of the second half to defeat the Shires.
    Houlton has an offensive-minded line of Garry Fowler, George Bessa, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Micah Goetsch, which is backed by a solid defense, anchored by goalie Cody Briggs.
    The Houlton boys finished their regular season with a 4-1 win over visiting Madawaska Oct. 19.
    Fowler scored twice, while Bessa and Fitzpatrick each tallied a goal. Dylan Gard, Craig Thomas and Goetsch all added assists. Goalie Briggs stopped seven of nine shots faced.
    The Owls’ keeper Tim Deschenes blocked five of 10 shots.
Lady Shires vs. Madawaska
Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.
    The No. 6 Houlton Lady Shires traveled to play number-three Madawaska yesterday in the Class C quarterfinals. This marked the third meeting between the teams this season.
    “We feel pretty good going into this matchup,” said Houlton coach Tim Tweedie. “I feel we are playing our best soccer right now.”
     In the teams’ first meeting, the first game of the season, Houlton was defeated 4-1 at home. In the second contest held Oct. 18, in Madawaska, the Lady Shires tied the Owls, 2-all.
    “Actually, we had them 2-1 before they scored with three minutes left,” Tweedie added.
    The Lady Shires have improved as the season progressed, and they know they can compete with the Owls.
    “As I’ve told the kids all year, we are very young and we would be a different team in October than we were back in August,” Tweedie said. “The experience the freshmen and sophomores gained during the season was very valuable.”
    With that being said, Tweedie knows his squad is facing a very formidable foe.
    “Madawaska is very good and we’ve got our hands full,” he said. “But, I also like my team’s chances. It should be fun.”
    The Lady Shires completed their schedule Oct. 19 with a 3-2 win over host Calais on Amanda Fogarty’s game-winning direct kick 6:23 in the second half. Fogarty scored her first goal on a penalty kick, as the teams were 1-all at halftime. Houlton’s Chelsi Murray scored midway through the second period as the game stayed tied at 2-all.
    Houlton’s goalie Ashley Drew turned back eight of 12 shots, while Calais’ Paige Gillespie had 13 saves on 18 shots.
SACS host BC
Tuesday, 2 p.m.
    The Southern Aroostook girls soccer team defended their state Class D title yesterday against visiting Bangor Christian.
    “It should be a good match up,” said SACS coach Holly Vining. “I’m expecting a low scoring game, since the field isn’t in the greatest condition due to all the rain we’ve had. So, hard telling what might happen.”
    The Lady Warriors came into the first round of the playoffs as the second seed and met the No. 7 Patriots. The teams have played twice this season, with Southern Aroostook winning both times. The Lady Warriors took a 2-1 win on the road and a 1-0 decision at home.
    “The last time we met, we were a pretty even match,” Vining said. “We battled it out at midfield most of the second half with very little scoring opportunities for either side. We out shot them by four so neither goalie had a great deal of action. We were fortunate to get a goal 10 minutes in and were able to hold them scoreless for the remainder of the game.”
    The Lady Warriors finished with a season record of 12-2, while the Patriots were 5-7-2.
    As the Southern Aroostook girls went into yesterday’s game, Vining was hoping the home field advantage would be beneficial since the Lady Warriors’ field is larger than what Bangor Christian plays on.
    “BC generates most of their offense on the wings,” Vining said. “Their defense clears the ball wide and the wings attack. They also play the long ball a lot, so we need to be prepared to defend that and prevent any breakaways.”
    The Lady Warriors have worked on keeping their defense tight and in position to overlap.
    “Our outside midfielders will hang back a little more than usual to help our defenders contain their wings,” said Vining. “Winning the ball at midfield and keeping possession will be key for us. We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on passing, shooting, and generating offense these past few weeks, as we are still a young team offensively, so hopefully that work pays off for us.”
    The Lady Warriors are led in scoring by twin sisters Jasmine and Janel Rockwell.
    “We have struggled against the 4-3-3 formation that BC and many other teams play, as we don’t have quite the offensive punch we’ve had in the past,” Vining explained. “However, the girls are excited to play and extremely determined. At this point, we’re just hoping to play well.” 
    Vining said this group has been a pleasure to coach and have progressed through the season.
    “We never expected to do as well as we have this season with all the rebuilding,” she said. “Making it this far is a great reward.”