MADAWASKA, Maine — Madawaska defended its spot in the Class D North playoffs with a 4-1 victory over a short-handed Katahdin team at home in a girls soccer prelim Friday afternoon.
No. 4 Madawaska, which includes players from neighboring Van Buren, moves to 9-5 on the season and will face No. 5 Fort Fairfield (11-3-1) next Wednesday in a quarterfinal contest. The two squads split their regular season matchups, with Fort Fairfield winning 5-1 at its home field and the Owls securing a 3-0 victory in Madawaska.
No. 13 Katahdin, who fielded a team with only nine players Friday, finished the season with a 6-9 overall record.
The Owls broke open scoring in the first half with a shot from Van Buren’s Renee Lapointe, who scored off a cross from Chantal Ackley. With 13 seconds left in the half, Ackley scored a goal of her own, unassisted, from the top of Fort Fairfield’s penalty box.
Madawaska remained hot in the second half, with a charge from Taylor Pelletier into Katahdin’s penalty box for a goal, assisted by Peyton Cyr.
But as the clock wound down, the Cougars began to drive deeper into Madawaska’s defenses. With less than three minutes on the clock, Katahdin striker Hunter Hartsgrove fired off a shot to score her team’s only goal.
With only a minute and a half left on the clock, though, Ackley retaliated with the final goal of the game, assisted by Trista Dionne.
While Madawaska’s talented strikers shot to a win, the much smaller Katahdin team ran through the whole game, frequently beating the Owls to the ball, and facilitating the late game rally to avoid the shutout.
“We’ve been shorthanded the whole year,” Katahdin assistant coach Scarlet McAvoy said. “They’ve played tough… I’m happy with them.”
The Cougar’s lost a key player — center fullback Charlote Hartt — on Monday, and McAvoy said that loss was evident on the field. Katahdin was also without head coach Shaun McAvoy due to illness.
Madawaska played without its full roster too, but did have enough players for substitutions throughout the game. Starters Lilly Cox and Hailey Blanchette sat out with a concussion and an ACL tear respectively — both injuries earned in the final games of the regular season.
“It changes the chemistry of the team,” Madawaska head coach Tom Gerard said. “Coaches have to deal with that, but it’s hard.”
In preparation for the next game against Fort Fairfield, Gerard said he and the team will work on passing, as he wasn’t totally satisfied with the team’s handling on Friday. That said, he’s confident the Owls can handle Fort Fairfield, especially because the game is at home.
Gerard commended Katahdin’s performance, as well.
“They played with a lot of heart,” Gerard said. “They’re good athletes and a good team.”
MADAWASKA, Maine — Oct. 22, 2021 — Madawaska’s Renee Lapointe tips the ball into Katahdin’s net during the Owls’ 4-1 first round playoff win versus Katahdin on Friday at home. (Hannah Catlin | St. John Valley Times)
