Area teams getting ready for postseason

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Yesterday was the last countable day for high school soccer, so teams awaited the final Heal Point standings and where they fell into the ranks. The preliminary playoffs begin on Friday and Saturday.
    As of Tuesday morning, both Houlton and Southern Aroostook girls and boys teams were in playoff contention.
    In girls Class C, Houlton finished their season with a pointworthy win over Madawaska in its final game on Monday for a 9-4-1 record (60.3571 points and a sixth-seed ranking). If Houlton remains in sixth place it will host a Friday preliminary game against No. 11 George Stevens Academy. The two teams did not meet on the regular season.
Lady Shires getting healthy
    Houlton girls coach Tim Tweedie said his team is getting healthy at the right time, as Jessy Dickison who had been sidelined with a surgically repaired broken wrist suffered in a game against Schenck on September 13 was back for Monday’s final regular-season game against Madawaska.
    “Having Jessy back is huge for us,” Tweedie said. “She went out in the fourth game of the year and at that time, we were playing some very good soccer.”
    With Dickison out, Tweedie chose to bring two girls back on defense to make up for her loss.
    “So, not only will her return help us in the back, but it will ultimately help the offense, too, because we can get some girls back to their original positions,” he said.
    With Houlton looking as if they may finish sixth, Tweedie doesn’t mind a preliminary game.
    “It will keep us fresh,” he said. “I’ve found in the past, that a week-long layoff  between the end of the regular season and the quarterfinals can make a team rusty. So,  we’re going to look at it as if the glass is half-full.  Besides, it is always fun having a home playoff game. Obviously, we wish we were hosting a quarterfinal, but we’ll take a prelim.  It should make for a fun atmosphere.”
    The top 11 teams will advance to the postseason, with Central leading Class C girls with a 13-0-1 record (106.3776 points); Fort Kent, 8-4-1 (95.9821 points); Orono, 10-3-1 (86.1607 points); Madawaska, 7-6-1 (76.9133 points); Calais 11-2 (67.2194 points; Houlton; Dexter 9-3-2 (48.3673 points); Bucksport 8-6 (43.3673 points); Lee Academy 5-8-1 (34.5663 points); PCHS 5-7-1 (32.6020 points) and George Stevens Academy 5-8 (30.4847).
    Hodgdon High School (0-14, have no points) is in last position.
    In boys Eastern Maine Class C, Houlton is third with a 11-2 record and played their final game of the season yesterday against Madawaska. If Houlton stays the third seed, the Shires would earn a first-round bye and host a quarterfinal game against the winner of the No. 6 and No. 11 matchup, currently Dexter and Sumner respectively.
    The top 11 teams in Class C make the playoffs in this region and they include: Penquis, No. 1 with a 12-0-2 record (126.4031 points); Madawaska, 11-0-1 (114.5604 points); Houlton; Lee Academy, 11-3 (75.000 points); Orono, 8-4-1 (73.7883 points); Dexter, 10-3-1 (73.0867 points); Calais, 8-4-1 (62.7551 points); PCHS, 7-6-1 (55.7398 points); George Stevens Academy, 7-7 (45.9184 points); Fort Kent, 6-6-1, (45.5259 points) and Sumner, 11-3 (44.6429 points).
    The Hodgdon/GHCA boys team 12th with a 7-7 record.
    In girls Eastern Class D, Southern Aroostook has a 9-3-2 record and is worth 66.6544 points. SACS is fourth behind No. 1, Washburn, 13-0-1 (101.6582 points); second, Penobscot Valley, 10-1-1 (82.4617 points) and third, Fort Fairfield, 8-4-2 (67.9847 points).
    Fifth is Van Buren, 9-5 (57.5255 points); sixth, Deer Isle-Stonington, 7-6-1 (45.1212 points); seventh, Easton, 7-5-1 (44.5675 points); eighth, Schenck 5-8-1 (38.3759 points); ninth, Central Aroostook, 5-6-3 (36.8240 points); 10th, Bangor Christian, 4-5-1 (34.7470 points) and 11th Calvary Chapel, 6-6-2 (24.9748 points).    
    East Grand landed in 12th with a 6-5 record and 24.1833 points. Number 4 SACS get a bye and will host the quarter final round game on October 25.
    Lady Warriors waiting
    Though nothing is set in stone, SACS girls coach Jon Porter noted that Fort Fairfield tying Washburn “kind of muddies the water.”
    Porter doesn’t believe his Lady Warriors will go no lower than fourth place, bypassing a prelim round.
 “If it stays the way it is today, we would match up with Van Buren, the defending Eastern Maine champs,” said Porter. “Parisse Rossignol is arguabley one of the best female soccer players in the state.  We would need to contain her.”
    But, if the team slides into third, they would meet Easton or Calvary Chapel, which the Lady Warriors know very little about.
    “We are playing the waiting game at this point to determine or opponent,” said Porter.
    But, no matter who it is, the Lady Warriors need to play their best soccer.
    “We need to pressure the ball all over the field,” said Porter. “Our energy needs to be high and we need to challenge every 50-50 ball. Defensively, we need to limit fouls and contain the ball and force teams to the outside.”
    In boys Eastern Class D, Southern Aroostook (9-4-1, 62.2704 points) is fourth, while Katahdin (1-11-1, 10.8418) is 16th and East Grand (0-10, no points) is last in the 21-team region.
    The top 14 squads make the postseason.
Warriors peaking at right time
    Leading the standings in Class D boys is Bangor Christian, 13-0 (77.8061 points); Central Aroostook 8-4-2 (77.1684 point); Washburn, 11-2-1 (70.2806 points) and SACS, followed by Easton, 11-2 (59.2092 points); Woodland, 9-4 (50.9184 points); Machias, 4-8-2 (38.8393 points); Jonesport-Beals, 6-6-1 (35.2041 points); Shead, 6-7 (27.5765 points); Van Buren, 6-8 (26.4031 points); Wisdom, 3-10-1 (23.5969 points); Ashland, 4-9 (21.4286 points); Fort Fairfield, 2-10-2 (12.8189 points) and Limestone/MSSM, 2-9-2 (12.8189 points).
    If the Warriors remain in fourth, they will host Easton in a quarter final game on October 26.
    “I think we are peaking at the right time,” said SACS boys coach Cliff Urquhart.
    The Warriors have won six of their last seven games to finish the regular season.
    “We made a few defensive adjustments that really helped us out switching from a diamond back to a flat three with a sweeper has allowed our fullbacks to be more aggressive in the middle third of the field,” Urquhart explained.
    The Warriors are looking at a preliminary game to start their postseason drive.
    “I anticipate going into playoffs as the fourth or fifth seed,” said Urquhart. “When you play as the higher seed it’s never a guaranteed (win), especially during the playoffs. The higher seed only means that you get to play a home game.”
    Urquhart noted he has seen higher seeds get knocked off plenty of times.
    The Warriors are battling a few injuries to key players, but Urquhart said his players need to be healthy to make a run.
    “If we are 100 percent healthy, I feel confident we can compete with any team in our division,” he said.
    The Warriors have quality wins over second-seeded Central Aroostook and number-six Woodland.
    “We are a young team, but the players who have a year or more experience have been deep into the playoffs every year they’ve played,” he added.
    Urquhart believes Bangor Christian is the odds on favorite for an Eastern Maine three-peat.
    “Aaron Wilcox does a good job year-in and year-out,” said Urquhart. “They are solid in every position. It sure doesn’t hurt being a private school in the greater Bangor area and on top of that, their neighboring Christian School, Calvary Chapel, who went 14-0 last year, dropped soccer allowing some of those players to transfer to BC.”