PCHS tops Southern Aroostook to advance to regional final
GUILFORD — When the second-seeded Piscataquis Community High School boys and No. 6 Southern Aroostook High School 8-player soccer teams met in the regular season, the Pirates won both meetings with a 9-1 victory in Dyer Brook on Sept. 16 and coming out on top 4-1 in Guilford on Oct. 8 for a combined goal differential of 13-2.
When the two teams met in an 8-player North semifinal under the lights on the evening of Friday, Nov. 1, the visiting Warriors scored first and held the 1-0 advantage for more than 11 minutes. The Pirates (12-3-1) would tie the game in the first half and have two more goals in the second to win 3-1 to move on to the regional final set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 on the turf at Cameron Stadium in Bangor vs. top-seeded Calais High School (15-1).
The Blue Devil and PCHS split in the regular season with the Pirates handing Calais its only loss of the season, 4-1 on Sept. 12 in Guilford. The Blue Devils defeated the Pirates 4-3 in the team’s penultimate match on Oct. 18 in Washington County.
8-PLAYER NORTH SEMIFINAL — PCHS’ Brady Ball shields Bryce Bates of Southern Aroostook during an 8-player North semifinal on Nov. 1 in Guilford with Pirates Jacob Knowles (19) and Brady Gaw (5) looking on. The second-seeded Pirates won 3-1 to advance to the regional championship, the first such appearance for the program since the 2006 team won the Class C East title.
PCHS — who switched from the 11-player game and Class D North this season — was appearing in its first boys soccer semifinal since reaching this round in Class C East play 11 years ago in 2013. The berth in the regional final is the first in 18 years since 2006 when that edition of the Pirate boys won the Class C East championship.
Soon after a corner kick from the left, Southern Aroostook senior Ethan Collier’s shot from the same side of the field went into the PCHS net at the 19:57-mark to put the visitors ahead 1-0.
With just under nine minutes to go in the opening half, a shot by Pirate Chase Lander was stopped by Warrior sophomore keeper Bryden Peters — who would make a game-high seven saves. Peters could not control the loose ball as Gavyn Gilbert ran in and kicked it in to tie the game at a goal apiece.
SHOULDERING THE LOAD — Gavyn Gilbert, left, and Southern Aroostook’s Josh Crandall race to the ball, trailed by Caleb Littlefield during the semifinal game on Nov. 1. The second seed Pirates defeated the No. 6 Warriors 3-1 to advance to the final against top-seeded Calais.
In the early minutes of the second half PCHS’ Brady Ball passed to teammate Brady Gaw near the outside of the box. Gaw took a couple of steps to make a move on the defender and clear a path toward the goal. Gaw’s shot landed inside the left post to put the Pirates ahead 2-1 at the 26:27-mark.
Just under three minutes later Ball and Gaw connected again on an insurance goal. This time Gaw had possession in the right corner of the Southern Aroostook end of the field. He faked the defender to get the ball out as Ball ran in. Ball took the pass and sent a shot on net that went in for the 3-1 advantage with 23:55 remaining on the clock.
PCHS keeper Noah Kain stopped five shots, all in the first half, as the Pirate defense held Southern Aroostook without a shot in the second half. Thirteen shots on goal at the other end of the field helped limit the Warriors’ chances. PCHS also had four second-half corner kicks, compared to zero for the opposition.
AT ARM’S LENGTH — Chase Lander of PCHS tries to get through the reach of Southern Aroostook’s Trafton Russell.
BOYS SOCCER
8-player North semifinal
No. 2 PCHS 3,
No. 6 Southern Aroostook 1
SOAR 1 0 – 1
PCHS 1 2 – 3
First: So. Aroo — Collier; PCHS — Gilbert
Second: PCHS — Gaw (Ball); PCHS — Ball (Gaw)
Saves: So. Aroo — Peters 7; PCHS — Kain 5
Corner kicks: So. Aroo — 4; PCHS 6
Records: So. Aroo 8-7, PCHS 12-3-1
CORNER KICK — Brady Gaw looks to get the ball out of the right corner away from Southern Aroostook’s Richard Chambers. Gaw scored and assisted in the second half with teammate Brady Ball also having a second-half goal and assist.