Sports Editor
ELLSWORTH — Fresh off a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory in the semifinals, the Presque Isle boys soccer team was optimistic it could rally from a 1-0 halftime deficit against Ellsworth in the regional championship.
Sadly, a Wildcat rally was not to be this time as No. 1 Ellsworth defeated No. 2 Presque Isle 2-1 last Wednesday to advance to the state championship game. Ellsworth improved to 16-0-1 on the season, while Presque Isle fell to 14-1-2. The one tie on Ellsworth’s record came in its game with Presque Isle Sept. 12 when the two squads battled to a 1-1 stalemate.
For Ellsworth, last Wednesday’s victory marked the third regional championship in the past six years. The Eagles fell to Western-titlist Falmouth 3-0 in the state championship Saturday.
Wilder York tallied the lone Presque Isle goal when he headed in a crossing pass from Nate Ackerson as time expired.
“Nobody really expected us to get this far,” Presque Isle senior Dillon Kingsbury said. “We persevered all year and I’m glad we got the opportunity to play [in the regional championship].”
Presque Isle coach Scott Young said he gave all the credit to Ellsworth for pressuring the Wildcats into a style of play they were not accustomed to.
“We were soft at first,” Young said. “We were a little tentative and reactionary. They [Ellsworth] stepped well to the ball and were first to the ball in the air and ground. They took us out of our style. The ball was in the air a little more than our liking, but that was their strength.”
Both coaches said the championship game was far different from the first time the two teams met on the pitch.
“They were first to the ball much more,” Young said. “In the regular season, it was more of a reactionary game as we both waited to see what the other would do. Tonight, they didn’t wait for anything. They were first to the ball in the air, on the ground. They were everywhere. They were quicker and faster than us tonight.”
Ellsworth coach Brian Higgins said he thought the Wildcats played a much tougher game than their first meeting.
“Oh my gosh, Presque Isle had more opportunities today than any team we’ve faced,” Higgins said. “I told our team that whoever scores off the throw-in first will have the edge. Our throws were long, but theirs were very accurate with deflections.”
Early in the game, both teams did an exceptional job keeping the ball out of the scoring area. Presque Isle had difficulty mounting consistent drives as Ellsworth’s defensive backfield and goalie Tom Sawyer did a remarkable job clearing the ball.
Presque Isle held a 24-17 advantage in shots, but could not parlay many of those shots into quality scoring opportunities. Wildcat goalie Kingsbury had six saves on the evening, including a number of sensational diving efforts. Ellsworth goalie Sawyer also had six saves.
Ellsworth’s first goal came with 25 second to play in the first half as the Wildcats suffered a momentary let-down. Eagle Andrew Austin delivered a deep throw-in, courtesy of his acrobatic flip throws, that skimmed off the head of a Wildcat defender and found its way to Kyle Haslam in front of the penalty area. Haslam one-timed the ball past Kingsbury for the 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Austin scored a goal of his own, this time on a corner play set up by teammate Matt Duhaime three minutes into the half. Duhaime scampered to the right corner of the field and sent a beautiful pass to Austin, who headed the ball into the far-side post for a 2-0 Ellsworth lead.
Still, the Wildcats remained undaunted. After all, Presque Isle rallied from a similar situation in its semifinal game with Mt. View just four days earlier. Trailing 2-0 at halftime to Mt. View, Presque Isle rallied for the 3-2 overtime victory.
Playing with increased intensity, the Wildcats waged a blistering attack on the Ellsworth defense, sending numerous shots at the Eagle goal.
Presque Isle nearly had a penalty kick situation with 27:00 to play when Josh Allen was tackled to the ground by an Ellsworth defender. The referee ruled that Allen was just outside the penalty area, thus a direct kick was awarded instead of a penalty kick. Nate Postell took the direct kick for Presque Isle, but was unable to convert his shot.
With 9:32 to play, Presque Isle appeared to score its first goal game off a corner kick, as Sawyer spun backwards in the net. Somehow, Sawyer managed to keep the ball from crossing the scoring plane to keep the Wildcats off the scoreboard.
With 5:20 to play Presque Isle nearly scored off an indirect kick, but goalie Sawyer made a sensational flick save to send the ball over the crossbar.
‘Cats 1
Eagles 2
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
ELEVATION — Wildcat Nathaniel Postell gets the upperhand over Ellsworth’s Jake Jordan in a battle for the ball during last Wednesday’s match, won by the Eagles, 2-1.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
GET THAT BALL — Wildcat Jacob Player, right, tries his best to kick the ball away from Ellsworth’s Drew Barkhouse during the Eastern Maine Class B finals, held last Wednesday in Ellsworth. The Wildcats fell short of their second consecutive title, losing 2-1.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
HEAD GAME — Wildcat Andrew Legassie, back, goes up for the ball over Ellsworth’s Mike Curtis. In the foreground is Presque Isle’s Wilder York. The action took place during last Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class B championship game held in Ellsworth. The Eagles scored a goal in each half and kept PI off the scoreboard until the very late going.
