Five first-half goals help PCHS advance to regional final
GUILFORD — The Piscataquis Community High School boys scored five unanswered goals in the first half to defeat Bucksport High School 6-2 in an 8-player North semifinal between the top and fourth-seeded teams on the evening of Friday, Oct. 31.
The Pirates stayed undefeated at 16-0 and advanced to the regional final, where PCHS is set to face No. 2 Katahdin High School of Stacyville (also 16-0) for the North title. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5 on the turf at Brewer High School, following the conclusion of the girls 8-player North championship.
The North championship berth is the second in a row for PCHS since the program made the switch from the 11- to 8-player game in 2025. The Pirates won the North crown a year ago in what was the first state championship berth for a Pirate boys soccer team in 18 years.
FOUR GOALS — PCHS junior Chase Lander races Bucksport freshman Cooper Osgood to the ball during an 8-player North semifinal on Oct. 31. Lander scored four times as the No. 1 Pirates won 6-2 to advance to the regional championship against second seed Katahdin.
Bucksport (14-2) played its first 8-player season and the Golden Bucks entered the Halloween matchup having given no more than two goals in any games this season.
In the opening minutes PCHS was awarded a direct free kick with senior Brady Gaw getting the honors. Gaw sent the ball through a wall of Bucksport players and inside the right post to put the Pirates on the scoreboard just 1:29 in.
Just over seven minutes later senior keeper Noah Kain scooped up a loose ball and he punted it well beyond the center of the field to just outside the box by the Golden Bucks goal. Junior keeper Aven Laplant came out to play the ball but PCHS junior Chase Lander got to it first and bounced the ball in for the 2-0 advantage.
Lander was just getting started as he faked out a defender and got his low inside the left post for a 3-0 lead at the 11:59 mark. He would also score his team’s fifth and sixth goals for four in the game.
FRIGHTS UNDER THE LIGHTS — Senior Brady Ball looks to get around Bucksport junior Owen Smith during a semifinal played on Halloween night in Guilford. Host PCHS scored five times in the first half in a 6-2 victory, improving to 16-0.
Gaw picked up his second goal of the match on a corner kick from the right that he snuck inside the left post, a mere 16 seconds before Lander reached the hat trick threshold with 5:15 to go in the first half. The two accounted for all half dozen of their team’s goals.
Kain and freshman Abel Currier combined to make three saves with Currier’s coming on a penalty kick in the second half. The PCHS defense allowed 10 shots while the Pirates sent 23 at the Bucksport goal. Laplant made a game-high nine saves.
The Pirates now have a 110-6 goal differential across the 16 victories, including 18-3 in the two postseason contests.
RETURN TO THE REGIONAL FINAL — Freshman Nate Beckwith controls the ball against Bucksport freshman Cooper Osgood with Golden Bucks junior Brayan Tuctuc in the background. PCHS won 6-2 to advance to the 8-player North championship for the second consecutive season.
BOYS SOCCER
8-PLAYER NORTH
SEMIFINAL
No. 1 PCHS 6, No. 4 Bucksport 2
BUCK 1 1 – 2
PCHS 5 1 – 6
First: P – Gaw; P – Lander; P– Lander; P – Gaw; P – Lander; B – Goss
Second: B – Osgood; P – Lander (Luckovskis)
Saves: B – Laplant 9 , P – Kain, Currier 3
Corner kicks: B – 2, P – 7
Records: B 14-2, P 16-0