The release of the final Heal Point standings should take place Thursday in anticipation of the preliminary round of the playoffs, which is scheduled to be held Friday and Saturday.
There was plenty of soccer action in the region over the past week as teams were getting in their final regular season contests.
One of the biggest games took place Monday in Caribou as the Viking and Wildcat girls met for a rematch after PI had won the first meeting on August 29, 6-4.
This game proved to be another close battle as the score was tied three times and the lead switched hands on four occasions. However, Jordi Legassie provided the game-winning goal with 9:31 to play as PI came away with a 4-3 triumph.
Karlee Bernier of the Wildcats opened the scoring 12:10 into the first half, but Caribou’s Olivia Sleeper scored off a Delaney Williams assist with 1:32 to play before intermission to tie the match.
The second half was also a back-and-forth affair, with Sarah Doak opening the scoring 9:28 in to give Caribou the edge. Chandler Guerrette of PI answered 1:15 later with an unassisted goal.
With 16:12 to play, Sleeper again connected off a Williams assist to make it 3-2 in favor of the Vikings, but Legassie tied the game by converting a Bernier assist with 12:35. Just 3:04 later, Legassie netted the game-winner, unassisted.
Presque Isle improved its record to 13-1 with the win. The Wildcats are in second place in the Eastern Maine Class B rankings, trailing first-place Hermon by 1.8 points heading into last night’s final regular season contests.
PI had blanked Hermon at home Saturday, 1-0, to avenge a 3-0 loss to the Hawks earlier in the season. Guerrette scored off an indirect kick, with Megan Ireland getting the assist, with six minutes remaining. The Wildcats’ Meredith Stewart posted her 29th career shutout to establish a school record in that department. She made 18 saves on 22 shots. Teammate Abbie Carrier made a big defensive play in the second half by clearing a ball off the line, which at the time preserved the scoreless game. The Wildcats used a defensive strategy to thwart the powerful attack of the Hawks and send them to only their second loss of the year.
In Class D, Washburn most likely sewed up the top seed with Monday’s 2-0 shutout victory over Fort Fairfield. The Beavers prevailed thanks to goals by Mackenzie Worcester and Carmen Bragg and the goaltending of Rayah Saucier, who saved nine of 12 shots.
Sarah Watt turned away 10 of 15 shots in goal for the Tigers,
Washburn’s record stands at 12-1-1. Easton is second with a 10-2-2 mark, while Fort Fairfield is fourth at 8-4-2. Central Aroostook (fifth, 8-4-2) and Ashland (sixth, 9-4) follow. The Hornets played at Fort Kent in their regular season finale last night, with the outcome not only affecting their final ranking but also that of the Wildcats, who own two regular-season wins over the Warriors and have a remote chance of moving into the top spot in Class B with a Fort Kent victory.
The Easton girls wrapped up their season Monday with a 3-1 triumph over Limestone-MSSM. Mariah Cyr, Taylor Brown and Carla Halvorson were the goal scorers for the Bears. Cyr and Kylee Carter had assists and goalie Hannah Ferris saved 11 of 18 shots. Mariah Williams scored the lone Eagle goal.
The Hornets bested Wisdom Friday in Presque Isle, 4-1, behind two Savannah Flint goals and one each by Laura Sturgeon and Kayla Cote. Lee Ann McNally recorded two assists and Marissa Chasse and Cassie Bolstridge added one each, with Macie Bellanceau saving two of three shots in goal. The wet field in Ashland caused the game to be moved to PI.
Central Aroostook’s final game was Thursday and resulted in a 2-2 tie against Easton in Mars Hill. Molly Anthony struck for both CA goals, while Halvorson had both Easton tallies, with each coming on penalty kicks in the second half. The Panthers’ Paige Garrison and Easton’s Ferris handled the goalkeeping duties.
The boys’ season concludes with tonight’s Caribou-Presque Isle match at CHS and the Ashland-Fort Kent tussle on the Warriors’ home field. Both have playoff implications, as the winner of the game between the Vikings and Wildcats most likely avoids having to play in the Class B preliminary round. An Ashland victory over the Warriors could have slid them as high as second place and a first-round bye in EM Class D, with a loss probably sending them into a preliminary playoff match.
The PI played its final regular season home game Saturday and the result was a 1-0 loss to Hermon. The Hawks broke a scoreless deadlock on a Hunter Clukey goal off a direct kick with 3:20 to play. Cody Lyford had eight saves on 12 shots in goal for the Wildcats.
Ashland and Wisdom played to a 1-1 tie Friday in Presque Isle. Cody Blair scored the Hornet goal, with Kevin Chamberlin tallying the goal for the Pioneers. Mark Chasse, the Hornets’ second-leading goal scorer, suffered a major ankle injury and could miss the playoffs.
Washburn, Central Aroostook and Easton all appear destined for road prelim contests. The Beavers are 6-6-2 and in ninth place, CA is 4-7-3 and in 10th and Easton is 8-5-1 and in 11th.
The Beavers closed out their season Monday with an 8-0 romp over Fort Fairfield, who will miss the playoffs with its 2-11-1 record. Washburn lost at home to Limestone-MSSM Saturday, 5-4.
Central Aroostook and Easton tied their match in Mars Hill Thursday, 2-2. Joe Stiles tied the game with 26 minutes remaining for the Panthers. Darrin Murray had CA’s other goal. Ian Sotomayor and Cody Halvorson scored for the Bears.
Easton was a 3-1 winner in its regular-season closing match at Limestone Monday. Cody Halvorson, Logan Halvorson and Jake Flewelling all had goals for the winners, with Drew Sotomayor recording an assist. Jared Hafford had six saves on seven shots in goal for the Bears.
