The high school soccer post-season begins with the preliminary round Friday, Oct. 25. Teams from the region have either two or three games remaining as they jockey for position.
In Class B boys, Presque Isle is third in the Heal Point rankings with a 9-2-1 record, while Caribou is sixth at 6-5-1. Both are shoe-ins for the playoffs as the top 13 qualify. The two teams clash in Presque Isle Thursday for their second meeting of the year. The Wildcats took round one in Caribou on Aug. 29, 1-0.
“We know Caribou is a very good team and much better than what their record might suggest,” said PI coach Joe Greaves. “It’s late in the season and we are both fighting for Heal Points. Pair that with the rivalry and it should be another hard-fought game.”
Easton (10-0-1) continues to hold onto the No. 1 position in Eastern Maine ‘D,’ but not by much. The Bears are 2.8 tournament index points ahead of second-place Bangor Christian. Easton has three matches remaining and BC a pair.
Ashland is sixth at 5-3-3, followed by Washburn in eighth at 5-4-2 and Fort Fairfield in 12th at 3-6-2. The top 15 move on in the Class D ranks.
For Class B girls, Caribou is ranked fourth and firmly in with its 9-3 record. Presque Isle is in 11th at 4-6-2 and should be able to stay within the top 13 and reach the playoffs for the 16th consecutive time under coach Ralph Michaud. The Vikes and Wildcats square off in PI tonight at 7 p.m. Caribou won the Aug. 28 matchup, 5-1.
“I think it will be a much closer game,” said Viking coach Todd Albert. “The rivalry always makes it an intense game and both teams want to play well. Presque Isle is not scoring many goals, but they are not giving up many either.”
Michaud said that Caribou has the clear edge in offensive firepower, but likes the way his team has defended in recent matches, noting he has seen a huge difference over the past two games with sophomore Taylor Williams inserted into the sweeper position.
“We’ll try not to let them score,” he said. “If we win 1-0, it’s still a win.”
For Class D girls, Washburn and Ashland are the top two teams with identical 10-1 records. The Beavers are first, seven points ahead of the Hornets. The teams split their regular season matches, with each winning on the other’s home field.
Fort Fairfield, at 9-2, is in fourth place. Coach Kerrie Alley said even though her team hasn’t received the attention Washburn and Ashland has, the veteran Tigers have quietly put together a solid season.
“We are flying under the radar and we are OK with that,” Alley said. “I believe right now we are feeling good mentally and physically. We have a lot of playoff experience and believe that we will make a strong run by working together as a team.”
Central Aroostook has made a late-season run to move up to sixth place at 6-6. Easton (5-6) and Limestone-MSSM (5-7) are 10th and 11th, respectively, with the two teams set to battle at Easton Saturday afternoon in both squads’ regular season finales. Both should already have enough points to finish in the top 13 and make the playoffs.
In action this past week, Michaud achieved a personal milestone Saturday as with the team’s 1-0 home win over Old Town, he captured his 200th career coaching victory. Hannah Graham’s penalty kick with 30 seconds to play in regulation was the only goal of the match.
“I thought we played really well and deserved the win,” Michaud said.
Albert admires what Michaud has accomplished over the years.
“He has never really had a bad season,” said the Caribou coach, who has squared off against Michaud on several occasions, both in the regular season and the playoffs. “He has done a great job and is highly respected throughout the league.”
The Presque Isle boys saw their seven-match winning streak come to an end Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Old Town, with Ben Nickerson scoring the lone Wildcat goal, but bounced back Monday by besting Hermon, 1-0, thanks to Tyler Seeley’s goal.
“We matched their intensity and played much tougher,” Greaves said. “On Saturday, we had a hard time matching Old Town’s intensity. Teams are preparing hard for us since we are towards the top of the standings.”
The Central Aroostook girls blanked Katahdin Friday, 7-0, with Molly Anthony leading the offense with five goals. In the boys’ matchup between the two schools, the game finished in a 1-1 tie. Dane Kingsbury scored with 35 seconds to play in the first half before the Cougars knotted the score with 16:48 to play.
Marissa Chasse scored three times and Savannah Flint notched another as Ashland blanked Wisdom Thursday, 4-0. Macie Bellanceau needed to make only four saves to record the shutout, her sixth of the year.
The Ashland and Wisdom boys played to a 1-1 tie, with Cody Blair scoring the lone Hornet goal.
Last Tuesday, the Tiger soccer teams swept visiting Central Aroostook. In the girls’ 3-1 victory, Janae Libby headed in a corner kick from Logan Bubar with just over 11 minutes to play to put FF on top for good. Bubar and Abbey Player were Fort’s other goal scorers, while Anthony had given CA the early lead 10 minutes in.
In the Fort Fairfield boys’ 4-1 win, Ryan Player recorded a hat trick to lead the way. Johnny Theriault had the Tigers’ other goal, with Dustin Pryor tallying for the Panthers.
