BC too much for Ashland in D boys’ final
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
HAMPDEN — The Ashland Hornets had a memorable season come to an end last Wednesday.
J.J. DOZIER, senior goalkeeper for the Ashland Hornets, gets ready to catch a ball in front of Bangor Christian’s Ben Bragg and Ashland teammate Nicholas Belanger during last Wednesday’s match. 
The Patriots prevailed, 6-0.
The Hornet boys, the No. 3 seed in Eastern Maine Class D, had the difficult task of lining up against a Bangor Christian squad that on Saturday claimed its fourth consecutive state championship.
In the regional final, played at the Weatherbee Athletic Complex, the top-ranked Patriots posted their 14th consecutive shutout with a dominating 6-0 victory over Ashland.
“They are a quality team with talent from front to back, and we were very proud to face such great opponents,” said Hornet coach Mark Stanley. “They really dominated by pinning it into our end and possessing the ball.”
Jay Bishop put the Patriots on the board 10 minutes into the match and Rem Poulin made it 2-0 with a goal that came with 4:23 to play before intermission. Ashland senior goalie J. J. Dozier made some great saves which kept his team in contention, however, he suffered an injury on the second goal and was replaced by freshman Tim Tarr.
“I still felt like we had a chance at coming back, however they amped up their passing game and rarely let us out of our end,” Stanley added.
Kenneth Van Dine added a goal early in the second half, followed by consecutive tallies which came courtesy of Ben Bragg. Hunter Cotton scored BC’s final goal with 14:32 left.
Tyler Chasse provided Ashland with its best scoring opportunity with less than 10 minutes to play. His 25-yard shot caromed off the bottom of the crossbar before Patriot goalkeeper Caleb Peary deflected it away.
“The boys still kept their heads high and played with the same amount of passion and commitment that they showed all year,” Stanley said.
Despite the loss, Ashland overcame some obstacles en route to becoming Eastern Maine runners-up.
The team went just 4-11 in 2011 and bounced back with a brilliant regular season as evidenced by a final record of 11-4-2.
The Hornets lost one of their key players in Mark Chasse with an injury during the final week of the regular season, which sidelined him throughout the playoffs. Still, Ashland was able to come from behind to defeat Central Aroostook in overtime in the quarterfinals before also spotting Southern Aroostook a one-goal lead before bouncing back for a 4-2 victory in the semis.
“This group really set the standard for the school’s soccer program for years to come,” Stanley said. “They trained and performed with great discipline and professionalism.”
