Defense will be key to PIHS soccer success
By Jon Gulliver
Special to the Star-Herald
PRESQUE ISLE — Stacked with juniors and seniors the Presque Isle Wildcat boys soccer team is poised to make a big run in the playoffs this year.
Last year Presque Isle finished the regular season 12-1-1 and lost a close game in the Eastern Maine semi-finals to Camden 1-0. Back from the 2010 squad are 13 players for first-year coach Joe Greaves.
Greaves says the biggest loss was practically the whole defense with only Logan Good returning. Senior Cole Richards has been moved to sweeper and so far Greaves says he has done an excellent job leading the defense. Andrew Kofstad is back in goal for his senior season. Mid-fielders Johan Stephenson, Jake Player and Jake Williams are all talented players according to Greaves. Wilder York and Isaac Lajoie will be called on to providing scoring up front.
“We have a very good team coming back. We have a very good core. We lost a few seniors, but the boys coming back should be able to fill those holes,” said Greaves.
Rounding out the roster are seniors, Riley Norton, Sam Clukey, Jay Getman, Dylan Michaud and Ben Sipe; juniors, Khyver Lowe, Michael Guerrette, Dakota Fox and Brandon LeBlance; sophomore, Tyler Seeley and freshman, Ben Nickerson.
If the preseason tournament in Presque Isle is any indication defense will be the calling card of the 2011 Wildcats. Presque Isle had seven shutouts over the two days of round robin play.
“We want to play tough, relentless defense,” claimed Greaves. “We want to control the ball out of the backfield and work the ball up the field up to our strikers and put the ball in a place for them to score goals.”
Greaves said the schedule this year should provide plenty of tests. Four of the games are against Fort Kent and Caribou, which the coach says are always tough. Washington Academy has been added this year for the first time. Eastern Maine Champion Ellsworth will also be a critical matchup on the road. John Bapst is also a road game. Games with Hermon and Old Town have also caught Greaves’ attention. “They both had solid years last year, so that is four tough games,” he said.
