Easton girls battling, numbers hamper boys

14 years ago

Easton girls battling,

numbers hamper boys

By Joseph Cyr

Sports Editor

    EASTON — Like other Aroostook County soccer squads, the Easton boys and girls teams must somehow find a way to stay focused during the harvest recess. Unlike previous seasons, Easton has not completed its regular season schedule prior to the break.
    Both the boys and girls teams will have a lengthy layoff before they get back to meaningful games as the two squads are in the midst of a month of inactivity for harvest. Easton played its last regular season game on Monday, Sept. 13 and does not take to the pitch again until Tuesday, Oct. 12. The Bears have just three games remaining on their schedule.

 

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Staff photo/Gloria Austin
    EASTON’S Brooke Lunney (14) chases down a loose ball, while teammate Katie Cyr trails the play during a recent match.
 
Girls have balance

    The Easton girls have been solid for much of the season, outscoring the opposition 34-24 through the first 11 games. Easton secured wins over Central Aroostook, Wisdom (twice), Hodgdon, Limestone-MSSM and East Grand. The Bears’ losses were to Fort Fairfield, Washburn (twice), Ashland and Southern Aroostook.
    “The only senior that we lost last year was Taylor Burtt,” coach Rachel Tomlinson said. “She was our goalie, and that is such a huge position on the team to fill. I have Marissa Parlin who decided that she wanted to play this year, and since she hasn’t played in three years I thought we would try her in the goal. Haley Ambrose is also new to our team this year with no soccer experience, battling out the goalie position with Parlin.”
    Members of the Easton girls team include: seniors Sydney Trask (defense), Marissa Parlin (goalie), Brooke Lunney (defense), Brooke Hammond (midfield), Samantha Fuller (front line) and Katie Cyr (midfield); juniors Ariana Babineau (striker), Danielle Dudley (front line), Meghan Frank (font line), Sarah Plourde (sweeper) and Abigail Pool (stopper); sophomores Carla Halvorson (striker) and Mindy Desmond (front line); and freshmen Haley Ambrose (goalie), Cassandra Buck (midfield), Mariah Cyr (front line) and Stephanie Hammond (defense).
    Other newcomers to the team are freshmen Stephanie Hammond, Mariah Cyr, and Marissa Buck.  They will be playing a variety of positions on the field throughout the season.    
    “The rest are returning players from last year that saw a great deal of playing time,” Tomlinson said.
    Scoring threats for the Bears this year are Halvorson and Babineau.  
    “Carla averages two goals per game, while Ariana averages one” Tomlinson said. “Meghan Frank will also be another promising threat up in the front line.”
    With so many returning players, the coach has high aspirations for the team.
    “Although the ultimate goal for the team is to be playoff contenders, I hope to see the team and each individual player improve with each game,” Tomlinson said. “I think the majority of the Class D girls soccer teams will match up evenly and we will see some great competition. There is no game that is a given win this season, and in order for us to have any chance for playoffs, we need to stay healthy and continue to improve each week.”
    Tomlinson added the Bears needed to accumulate as many wins as possible before the recess.
    “It’s tough to keep everyone in shape when the majority of the team will be working harvest,” she said. “We have three games scheduled after harvest, which is a big change from last year.”

 
Boys struggle with numbers

    Numbers are the Bears’ biggest hurdle this year as the team has struggled to field enough players to be competitive. The boys have had an up and down season thus far. The Bears lost their first four games on the year and are 3-8.
    Easton has been outscored 47-37 by opponents, but only once have the Bears failed to record a goal in a game (a 5-0 shutout by Southern Aroostook Sept. 13).
    “The problem is we only have 11 guys on the roster,” Easton boys coach Ryan Shaw said. “That puts you in a hole to start. There are only 27 boys in Easton High School. Individually, we have improved with a number of players, but as a team, we still have a long way to go.”
    Members of the Easton boys team include seniors Zach Clark and Jacob Bacon; juniors Jonah Bacon, Holden Turner, Reid Clark and Cody Tompkins; sophomore Jared Hafford; and freshmen Derek Mendoza, Josh Salkind, Colby Pangburn, Ian Sotomayor and Hunter Turner.