BATH — Maranacook scored two first-half goals, including a score as time expired while keeping Morse off the scoreboard as the Black Bears shut out the Shipbuilders, 2-0 in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference boys high school soccer match at McMann Field.
Maranacook’s Coleman Watson (13) beat’s Morse’s Asa Hodgdon (9) and Gavin Hanna (4) to the ball in the first half of Thursday’s KVAC boys high school soccer game at McMann Field.
(Eric Maxim / The Time Record)
The Black Bears improved to 3-1 with the victory and will travel to face Erskine on Saturday at 10 a.m. Morse falls to 0-5 and squares off with Mt. Ararat Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Riverside Field in Topsham.
The Black Bears grabbed possession early and held it throughout most of the first 30 minutes. The visitors missed an early chance to score 14 minutes into the contest when Rojay Richards broke free on the right side of the net, but his soft tap to the far post went just wide.
At the 32-minute mark, Maranacook found the back of the net when Nick Florek grabbed a loose ball between the Morse defense and beat goalie Brenton Cahill for the score.
“Once we got that goal, we had the momentum from there,” Maranacook senior back Coleman Watson said.
The momentum Maranacook carried was evident on both sides of the ball. While the offense was busy firing 11 first-half shots on goal in the opening half, the midfield and defense of the Black Bears limited Morse’s scoring opportunities as the ‘Builders only managed one shot on goal in the first 40 minutes.
As the clock was winding down in the half, Maranacook pushed the ball up the field. With approximately five ticks left on the clock, Watson possessed the ball 35-yards out. With the Maranacook sidelines yelling at him to kick, the senior legged the ball to upper right side of the net. The ball tucked in under the crossbar and the whistle sounded as the ball hit the back of the net, good for a goal since the ball needs to only cross the goal line before the whistle.
“I heard everyone yelling to send it. I looked up and saw the were only a few seconds left,” Watson said. “I saw it go in as soon as the buzzer sounded.”
Morse’s Isaak Flaming (15) and Maranacook’s Brady Stockwell (11) race to the ball on the sidelines during in the first half of Thursday’s KVAC boys high school soccer game at McMann Field in Bath. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
“Maranacook’s always tough, they’re going to finish opportunities so you can’t give them an opportunity to look over the field like they did,” Morse coach Chuck Reece said. “And that’s why we got two goals scored on us, especially the last one, you have to press it.”
Even with a two-goal lead at the break, Beckwith wanted to see more from his team.
“We were pushing the ball too forward too quick and not possessing the ball enough,” the coach said. “I think we can possess the ball a lot more with a purpose, not be just satisfied with possessing. We need to take more quality shots than we did. We’re more dangerous from the 35 than the six.”
Maranacook’s defense continued to keep Morse away from the net. Despite aggressive play from Asa Hodgdon and Sam Fitzpatrick, the Shipbuilders were unable to mount any sort of threat in the second half.
“Our defense did really well today, stopped a lot of shots coming in,” Watson said of his defense allowing only two shots on goal against keeper Brayden St. Pierre.
“I thought we were pretty organized in the second half, much better as far as marking up,” Beckwith said. “They play hard and never quit, hats off to (Morse).
Although Morse was unable to find the back of the net for the third consecutive game, the defense tightened up and Cahill
Morse goalie Brenton Cahill kicks the ball to midfield during the second half of Thursday’s boy high school soccer game at McMann Field in Bath. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
stopped all six second-half shots he faced.
“He’s a field player I’ve put in net and he’s stepped up huge,” Reece said of his junior goalie. “He just took the role on and he’s working hard for us.”
Hodgdon agreed that the defense stepped it up in the second half.
“After the first half we realized that they were coming down the sides and cutting it back and swinging to the middle,” Hodgdon said. “That was they’re game plan and they didn’t change it so we made the adjustment.”
The Shipbuilders will look ahead for better things to come as Reece expects his starting center back, Maxon Brochu to return soon.
“We’re missing our big center back,” Reece said. “When we have him, he’s going to help us a lot. Having him changes us as Asa no longer sits in the back, he’ll be at the striker and that will give us more offense.”
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