Season ends
for Presque Isle and Easton soccer teams
Following a stellar regular season, the Presque Isle girls’ soccer team played its final game Saturday as they fell in the semifinal round of the Eastern Maine Class B playoffs.
The Wildcats lost to Hermon, 3-1, at the Gehrig T. Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle. The two teams had split during the regular season, with both winning on their home field, but the Hawks proved to be too much in the latest battle.
Hermon advanced to the regional championship game against Waterville, to be played today. Presque Isle, the No. 2 seed, finished 12-3-1 overall.
Alex Allain, a freshman, knocked in a pair of first-half goals to put her third-ranked Hawks ahead 2-0. However, the Wildcats were able to cut the lead in half on a successful direct kick off the foot of senior Krystal Kingsbury midway through the second half.
PI continued to pressure Hermon’s defense in its bid to tie the game, but Allain clinched the win by completing the hat trick in the late going.
Wildcat goalkeeper Jillian Flynn saved 23 of 26 shots to help keep the game within reach. Hermon’s Hailey Perry had 10 saves on 11 shots.
In the quarterfinals last Tuesday, PI got past No. 10 Nokomis by the same 3-1 margin. The Wildcats struck first just 50 seconds in as Taylor Williams headed in Hannah Graham’s corner kick. Jordi Legassie and Regan Nelson scored goals to make it 3-0 before the Warriors’ Audrey Davis lofted the ball over the head of Flynn and into the net for the final goal of the contest.
The Easton girls were also eliminated in the semis as they lost to Penobscot Valley of Howland Friday, 2-0, in a game played on the Hampden Academy turf field as the PVHS field was too wet to play on.
Bear coach Rachel Tomlinson said switching to the turf surface did not benefit her squad.
“We only got to practice on turf [at Presque Isle] for one hour the previous night and we weren’t prepared for the speed and larger field,” she said.
Still, Easton held PVHS scoreless until 25 minutes remaining in regulation as Amy Hallett tallied to break the deadlock. Twelve minutes later, Hallett fed Logan Tozier to account for the final margin.
“We had our chances to score in the first half, but just couldn’t finish,” Tomlinson said. “That is crucial in the playoffs and we just didn’t capitalize when we needed to.”
Taylor Howe collected 12 saves in goal for the Bears, who finished at 11-4-1 as the No. 3 team in EM Class D, while Howler goalkeeper Sami Ireland had 18 saves.
Three days earlier, Easton advanced by doubling up on the visiting Schenck Wolverines of East Millinocket, 4-2. Kelsey Frank opened the scoring midway through the half by converting off a corner kick from Kylee Carter. Elise Allen fed Carter for a second goal three minutes before intermission.
It was Allen’s turn five minutes into the second half as she made it 3-0, but Schenck answered with a pair of goals to draw to within a goal. Carter put it away with her second goal with less than two minutes to play.
Tomlinson praised her four defenders for the work they did throughout in slowing down the Wolverines’ top scoring threats — Ann-Laure Kling and Emma Alley. Howe had 10 saves in the win and Schenck’s Taylor McLaughlin turned away 16.
Despite sweeping Mount Desert Island during the regular season, the Presque Isle boys were beaten by the No. 11 Trojans, 3-2, in last Tuesday’s quarterfinal match played at the Johnson Athletic Complex.
PI fell behind 1-0 before Chase Norton hit a blast past MDI goalkeeper Andrew Kendrew and into the net to tie it before intermission.
Chase McKim’s corner kick eluded Wildcat goalkeeper Andrew Paterson and went in to put the Trojans up five minutes into the second half and Joe Grubb made it 3-1 with less than six minutes remaining.
Griffin Guerrette scored a late goal for the ’Cats off a Norton assist, but MDI held on.
Paterson had eight saves on 12 shots and Kendrew stopped nine of 11 in the battle of the goalkeepers. PI, ranked No. 2, finished its season with an 11-2-2 record.
At Bangor that afternoon, the Easton boys were blanked by No. 1 Bangor Christian, 2-0. Tyler Welch had both Patriot goals.
The battle was a rematch of last year’s Eastern Maine championship game, also won by BC.
Jake Flewelling saved 12 of 16 shots in goal for the Bears, while Dennis Farnham of the Patriots had six saves on eight shots. Easton, the No. 8 seed, had a final record of 10-4-2.
