PI loses overtime thriller to Hermon
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE — The Wildcat varsity girls soccer team’s formidable defense was on display during last Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class B championship match against the Hermon Hawks.
CHANDLER GUERRETTE of the Wildcats controls the ball, while Hermon’s Gabby Bryant, center, and Morgan Buck trail the play during last Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class B final. 
The Hawks broke a scoreless game with an overtime goal for the 1-0 victory.
However, it’s a difficult chore to contain high-scoring Hawk junior Kaitlin Saulter over the course of an entire game, and even though PI was able to through regulation, she was freed up for a goal 1:12 into the first overtime to lead Hermon to a 1-0 victory in the matchup between the top two teams in the region.
“I saw my teammate (Claire Peterson) with the ball and I just yelled that I was open,” Saulter said. “I went for it and shot it.”
Hermon coach Adam Leach said offensive chances were limited throughout the game and was thankful his squad was able to cash in.
“Each team really only had one good chance to score,” Leach said. “We got ours and they didn’t.”
Leach was referring to an opportunity by Wildcat senior Chandler Guerrette in the game’s first minute, which was knocked away by Hermon goalkeeper Bryanne Crouse.
But Guerrette also lined a shot from 25 yards out with 11:30 to play in regulation that banged off the crossbar and was cleared away by the Hawk defense.
Still, PI coach Ralph Michaud was proud of his team’s performance.
“We were the only team to hold Hermon scoreless for 80 minutes this season, and we did it twice,” Michaud said.
Presque Isle rebounded well after a convincing 3-0 loss to the Hawks on Sept. 8. The team blanked Hermon in the second meeting on Oct. 13, 1-0.
“They just put in 100 percent every time they play and they play us really hard,” Saulter said of the Wildcats. “They do not let down. They came out in the second half really hard, packed in the defense and made it tough, so they deserve congratulations.”
Michaud said he loved the way the Wildcats responded after that initial loss.
“They didn’t hang their heads,” he said. “They grew closer and more focused and won 13 games in a row.”
