Sports Editor
BANGOR — Dreams of bringing home a championship were not to be for the Central Aroostook boys soccer team.
Still, the Panthers have much to be proud of as CAHS advanced deeper into the postseason than any boys soccer team in school history.
The No. 5 seeded Panthers of Mars Hill (13-4) fell 3-0 to No. 2 Bangor Christian (15-2), who went on to win the state Class D title with a 2-1 victory over Richmond Saturday.
In last Wednesday’s game, the Panthers had no answer for BC’s Brandon Wilcox. The speedy midfielder scored all three of the Patriots goals and nearly had a fourth.
Giving up early goals proved problematic for the Panthers as Wilcox scored his first of three goals less than three minutes into the game. He scored his other two goals in the opening minutes of the second half.
Brad Wilcox, Brandon’s brother, assisted on one of the Patriots’ goals.
Tyler Alexander had five saves on nine shots for Bangor Christian, while Ross Grass had nine saves on 21 shots for CAHS.
Playing on a less than desirable field, which was smaller than the Panthers home field and contained a partial baseball infield, CAHS had difficulty with its footing from the onset.
“I think mentally it was a factor,” Panther coach Wallace Endy said.
“It’s my own personal opinion, but I don’t think playoff games should be played on that type of field.”
Central Aroostook was also minus two starters for last Wednesday’s game, but coach Endy said his team had enough depth so that he could not use that as an excuse.
“We were not playing a good game,” Endy said. “There were a couple of different factors. You have to play soccer tough. Soccer is a passionate sport and you can’t let another team push you around. You have to be aggressive just to maintain.”
The Patriots’ first goal came on a direct kick by Brandon Wilcox.
“My goalie went one way first and then when he tried to make the correction back to where the shot was going, he slipped and fell,” coach Endy said.
“I think the kids were so overwhelmed with just getting that far [in the playoffs] that maybe they sold themselves short. It was not our typical game, but Bangor Christian was a real good team. It was just their turn to shine.”
Panthers 0
Patriots 3
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
BALL BATTLE — Fighting for the ball are CAHS’ Matt Amnott, left, and Bangor Christian’s Brandon Wilcox. In the EM championship match, held at Bangor last Wednesday, the host Patriots claimed a 3-0 victory.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
GLOVE SAVE — Snatching the ball out of the air is Panther goalie Ross Grass during last Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class D championship match against Bangor Christian. The Panthers lost, 3-0, in their first-ever regional title game appearance.
