Close games played in PI rec league
It was another busy week for teams competing in the Presque Isle Recreation Department’s youth soccer league.
Last Tuesday, the Rapids blanked the Express, 5-0. The Rapids’ flurry of offense include a hat trick by Griffin Guerrette and single goals by Isaac Devin and Ethan Clark, while Breanna Byrd notched the shutout in goal. Alex Brewer of the Express played a fantastic game in the losing effort.
Game two of the day ended up a tie between the Crew and the Sting. The Crew jumped on the board first with a goal from Denny Young. The Sting bounced right back with Randon Mortland knotting the game off a corner kick. Next was Jack Bonville attacking the Sting goalie until he snuck the ball into the net for the Crew. With five minutes left in the contest, Randon Mortland made a beautiful shot from the top of the 18-yard line to tie the match up again. Both goalies Adam Paterson of the Sting and Grant Stewart of the Crew, played outstanding in the net.
Tuesday’s finale was played in the cool fall rain and the Clash’s Ryle Mortland scored the only two goals of the game. The first goal was scored off a punt from goalie Max Bartley, while the second goal was scored on a throw-in from Jordan Bonville to Mortland. The Mutiny’s Gavin Kelley and Pat Cash played well, but their team came up short.
Thursday afternoon’s set of games were all very exciting matchups. In the first contest, the undefeated Rapids and Sting faced off and battled to a 1-1 deadlock. The game started with the Sting’s Randon Mortland crossing the ball to RJ Gross, who laced the ball into the back of the net to give their team the early advantage. As the game progressed, Griffen Guerrette of the Rapids was able to knot the score at 1-1 with a laser into the net. The goalies, Adam Paterson for the Sting and Breanna Byrd and Ethan Clark for the Rapids, played brilliant games.
The second game of the day saw the Clash earn a 4-1 decision over the Crew. In the first half, the Crew’s goalie Grant Stewart was a human vacuum stopping all 10 shots he faced. As for the Clash, Casey Lovely and Caleb Page were huge brick walls on defense by not allowing the ball inside the 18. In the second half, Ryle Mortland for the Clash had a hat trick and Amanda Wells added a fourth goal to the flurry. The Crew’s Emily Wheaton played with all guts and glory as she sent the ball into the 18 and Denny Young finished it off for the Crew’s only goal.
The final game Thursday was an instant classic. The Express hosted the Mutiny and the two teams ended up tied at a goal apiece. The Express’ Alex Brewer showed his leadership as he took over both defensively and offensively. Brewer booted the ball up field and Isaac Madore ran onto it and skipped it into the net. As the game started to wind down, the Mutiny’s Gavin Kelley who had also showed his team leadership throughout the contest, finally got a break and drilled the ball into the net to tie the match. With two seconds left on the clock Kelley unleashed a shot which rose just slightly over the goal as the tie was preserved.
The third and fourth-graders took to the pitch Friday. In game one, the Galaxy and the Tornados played and played to a 2-2 draw. The game started with Savannah Rodriguez scoring for the Galaxy. Shortly after, Amelia Theriault blasted the ball into the back of the net for the Tornados. The next goal was once again scored by Rodriguez and assisted by Taylor Hedrich. The game was tied again with five minutes left by Amelia Theriault, who was assisted by Libby Boone. The goalie play was great from Galaxy’s Rebecca Rider and Tornado’s Charlotte Carrier.
The Hurricane and the Blizzard squared off, with the Blizzard coming away with the 2-1 victory. The Hurricane struck first with Libby Moreau converting a pass from Miranda Drost. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the next two goals were scored by the Blizzard’s Eleanor St. Peter. One was assisted by the aggressive play of Kamyrn Gilmour.
The final game of the week was a battle between the Blast and Sounders. The Blast’s Rolen Mortland had two first-half goals in the contest. Mortland was assisted by Lance Garcia on one of the goals and on the other, Mortland dribbled through both teams from endline to endline and finished nicely. However, the Sounders came back in the second half with a pair of goals off the foot of Caleb Wheaton to allow his team to tie the match.
