UMPI mens team off to strong start

    PRESQUE ISLE — The 2008 University of Maine at Presque Isle mens soccer team made school history last season recording a record 10 shutouts en route to a 12-5-1 record and the No. 2 seed in the Sunrise Conference playoffs. The Owls are looking to match that feat in 2009.     The Owls have bolted to an impressive 8-2-1 record thus far on the season and have been led by junior forward Devon Peaslee of Woolwich. Peaslee who has scored eight goals and three assists through the first nine games, was named the Sunrise Offensive player of the week for Sept. 29.
    Nineteenth-year head coach Alan Gordon is pleased with what he has seen so far.
    “We have an excellent group of returning players as well as a solid recruiting class who will make us a stronger team,” said Gordon.
    Leading the group of returning players is Peaslee, who led the Owls in scoring last season and was selected to the Association of NCAA DIII All Independent 2nd Team, a conference made up of 17 institutions throughout the United States. Peaslee has the athletic ability and skill to take over a game and will once again be the key to the Owls attack, according to the coach.
    Junior midfielder Craig Maffei of Readfield has added five goals and three assists while dominating the center of the field with his outstanding athletic ability and strength on the ball. Junior defender Matt Carrington (Nottingham, UK) has a team-high five assists with all but one assist going to Maffei on long directs. Carrington has stepped into his own this year playing the best soccer of his three-year career, according to the coach.
    The Owls defense has recorded five shutouts in their first 11 games.
    Maffei was the leader of the record-breaking Owls defense in 2008, but moves to the attacking midfield position this year to give UMPI a more explosive attack. Maffei can dominate the air with his size and strength and should team-up with Peaslee to create a tough match-up for opposing teams.
    Senior midfielder Corey Harding from Newport missed the second half of the 2008 season for health reasons and adds a strong presence to the Owls midfield. Harding has the ability to defend, distribute and score from his central midfield position. Junior outside midfielder Josh Peaslee, Devon’s twin brother who was also selected to the NCAA DIII All Independent team in 2008, benefits from Maffei’s move to midfield. Josh Peaslee has outstanding speed, quickness and foot skills and should be more involved in the Owls offense this year from the wing position.
    Senior defender Trevor Hews from Van Buren is a four-year starter and a major reason the Owls were one of the top teams in the nation last year in both goals against average and shutouts. Hews is excellent one-on-one defender and is a major threat with his long throw-ins into the box. Ben Corsello, a junior from Old Town; Dylan Harris, a senior from Patten; and Richard Felbaum, a sophomore keeper from Saco, also return to the Owls defense and are even more confident with a year of experience under their belts.
    Juniors Matt Carrington from Nottingham, United Kingdom; Chad Parker from Turo, Nova Scotia and Chris Smith from Phillips are all battling for time in the Owls’ defense. Carrington, Parker and Smith are all versatile players who can also step in at the midfield positions. Juniors Seth Dorr from Houlton and Corey Fournier from Milford, as well as sophomore Cody Closson from Fort Fairfield all have the explosive speed to step in at either the striker or outside midfield positions. Hanad Ashkir from Fairfax, Va. returns after a year off and will battle for playing time on a deep Owls squad with first-year players Bikram Shrestha and Anup Prasai from Nepal; Will Cole from Murray Siding, Nova Scotia; Sam Bacon from Easton; Austin Dufour from Fort Fairfield; Manny Martinez from Mars Hill, Jacob Paradis from Ashland; Stephen Sweatt from Scarborough; Ryan Van Buskirk from Houlton; and John-Douglas Haddad from Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.
    Former Owl standout player Trevor Parent is the Owls’ assistant coach this season while Joshua MacKinnon from Nova Scotia is the Owls’ student assistant coach.