Yes, many of the players who helped Cheverus win the Class A boys soccer state championship last fall as a seventh seed are back for their senior year.

And, yes, the Stags once again drew the seventh seed in Class A South.

But don’t expect a repeat of that improbable five-game run, with each victory decided by a single goal.

Cheverus scored twice in a two-minute span of the second half Friday afternoon and then added two more goals to beat No. 10 Marshwood 4-0 in a preliminary-round playoff game.

The Stags (8-3-4) advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinal round at No. 2 Gorham (12-1-1). Marshwood, which tied Cheverus 1-1 in the second game of the season, finished 6-6-3.

“I think in the first half we had some good opportunities,” said Cheverus Coach Colin Minte. “We just lacked creativity in the final third. In the second half, I think pressing forward, putting them under a lot of pressure, we were working hard and moving the ball quickly and that made the difference.”

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Senior striker Brady Levesque put Cheverus on the board in the 53rd minute, beating Marshwood goalkeeper Sam Leathe to the rebound of a sizzling shot by Mackenzie Hoglund and kicking it inside the right post.

“Mack has one of the hardest shots I’ve seen, so you always have to gamble,” Levesque said. “The goalie happened to spill it and it just worked out. Especially with the wind making the ball move a little bit, Mack’s shot happened to bounce out.”

Less than two minutes later, Cheverus struck again when Hoglund looped a left-to-right cross and freshman Michael Nason redirected it with his head, back inside the left post for a 2-0 lead.

“Marshwood is a good team, so if they hang around and get that tying goal, it’s anybody’s game,” Minte said. “I thought it was critical for us to get that first goal and continue to pour it on after that.”

Pour it on they did. With the wind at their backs, the Stags played much of the second half in the Marshwood end. Nik Hase finished off a cross from Alex Nason to make it 3-0 and, with just under 14 minutes remaining, Hoglund headed in a corner kick from Luke Dionne to complete the scoring.

Jake Tomkinson needed seven saves for the shutout, with all but two coming before intermission.

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Marshwood’s best chance came shortly after the break with the game still scoreless, when Gus Leisentritt lofted a shot from 25 yards that struck the crossbar in the middle of the goal.

“It hit my hand and the crossbar at the same time,” Tomkinson said. “It floated, and the wind kind of held it up, and I figured it was going to be on goal, so I got my hand on it. There was not really much I could do with it.”

Leathe was much busier in the Marshwood net, finishing with 24 saves and keeping the Hawks competitive.

“He’s big for us, especially because we have a young defense,” said Marshwood Coach Ben Deschene. “He made some great saves.”


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