It is getting down to crunch time for local boys and girls soccer squads as the regular season is rapidly coming to a close.
The playoffs begin Friday, Oct. 25 with preliminary round games and many local teams are in the mix for spots in the tournament.
In girls Class C North, Houlton (7-1) is ranked fifth as of Monday morning. If the standings hold true, the Shires would play at the No. 4 seed (currently Orono, 5-2-3) in the quarterfinals.
In Class D North, Hodgdon (8-3) is ranked fourth, Southern Aroostook (5-4) is seventh, Katahdin (6-2-1) is eighth and East Grand (0-9) is 17th. The top four seeds in this division earn a first-round bye, with seeds 5-12 playing preliminary playoffs.
In boys Class C North, Houlton (3-5-1) is ranked 10th, which is the final playoff spot in this region. If the seeds held, the Shires would play at the No. 7 seed (currently Fort Kent) in a prelim game.
For boys Class D North, Hodgdon (9-0-1) is fifth, Southern Aroostook (4-5-1) is 11th and Katahdin (2-6) is 16th. Only the top 14 teams make the playoffs in this region, so the Cougars will need to make up some ground over the final two weeks of the season.
The following is a recap of games played through Saturday, Oct. 5. Coaches are asked to report scores to jcyr@bangordailynews.com after each game.
Girls Soccer
Hodgdon 4, Southern Aroostook 3 — At Dyer Brook Sept. 30, Emma Drew, Sabra Scott, Mikyla Howland and Delaney Little all had solo goals to lead Hodgdon past SA. Serena Lufkin and Drew tallied assists in the contest. For the Warriors, Makaelyn Porter, Madison Russell and Jordyn Legassey each had solo goals. Emma Nadeau had an assist. In goal for the Hawks, Autumn Ganzel made 10 saves on 26 shots. For SA, Sydney Brewer had 15 saves on 20 shots.
Houlton 3, Mattanawcook Academy 0 — The Shires posted the shutout win over MA Oct. 2. Individual results were not reported.
Katahdin 4, Woodland 0 — At Stacyville Thursday, Oct. 3, the Cougars posted the shutout win. Individual results were not reported.
Hodgdon 4, Shead 0 — At Hodgdon Friday, the host Hawks soared to the 4-0 victory. Individual results were not reported.
Washburn 7, East Grand 0 — At Washburn Friday, the Beavers received four goals from Kyli Farley, two from Madison Miller and one from Tru Drost as Washburn rolled to the 7-0 victory.
Boys Soccer
Hodgdon 4, Southern Aroostook 3 — At Dyer Brook Monday, Josh Foster booted in all four goals to lead the Hawks past Southern Aroostook. Josh McGillicuddy had two assists, while Elijah Matheson and Drew Duttweiler each had one assist for the Hawks. Logan Swallow, Gavin Vining and Peyton Lawlor each had a goal for SA. Michael Sanders made five saves on 10 shots for Hodgdon and Jacob Brooks had nine saves on 16 shots for SA.
Washington Academy 4, Houlton 1 — The Shires fell to visiting Washington Academy Tuesday, Oct. 1. Individual results were not reported.
Woodland 3, Katahdin 2 — At Stacyville Thursday, Oct. 3, the Cougars fell to visiting Woodland. Individual results were not reported.
Southern Aroostook 5, MSSM 2 — At Limestone Thursday, Oct. 3, Swallow scored three goals, while Vining added two as the Warriors were victorious. Harrison Walters had both goals for MSSM. Brooks made six saves in goal for SA, while David Anderson had six saves for MSSM.
Houlton 7, Mattanawcook Academy 2 — At Lincoln Friday, Oct. 4, the Shires received three goals from Jadon Gentle, two from Keegan Gentle and one each from Cameron Callnan and Cody Johnston as Houlton rolled to the win. J. Gentle had two assists and K. Gentle had one in the game. Katahdin Javner and Kyle Carr each had a goal for MA. Drew Foley made one save on three shots for the Shires, while Griffin Coburn had 19 saves on 42 shots.
