Logan Brown of Brunswick follows through on a corner kick during Tuesday’s girls soccer game against Skowhegan at Brunswick High School. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
Brunswick girls soccer coach Martin Davison spent considerable time tinkering with his lineups this preseason after graduating seven seniors from last season’s squad.
The shuffling has paid off in a big way as the Dragons have outscored their opponents 16-0 in two games — an 11-0 victory over Skowhegan on Tuesday and a 5-0 season-opening victory over Oxford Hills on Sept. 2.
“A really entertaining first game of the season between two good teams,” said Davison, prior to the Skowhegan game. “As the game progressed we grew into the game and played some great soccer dominating the second half.”
Goalie Sophia Morin, starting in her first varsity game, made 14 saves in the shutout.
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The Freeport boys soccer team faced — and overcame — a little adversity in a season-opening 1-0 victory over York on Saturday.
The Falcons played without five starters, all of whom were coping with various injuries, coach Bob Strong said.
“We’ve had to go much deeper into our bench than we originally anticipated and the players have responded very favorably,” he said.
The Falcons were without Alek Gideon, Alex Graver, Owen Howarth, Bobby Strong and Gus Wing. Owen Rusiecki scored the game’s lone goal for Freeport.
“We will see some of the top four teams in our conference in the first two and a half weeks of the season,” Strong added. “These first five games will give us a good idea of where we stand from a competitive standpoint.”
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Mt. Ararat boys head coach Jack Rioux knew depth would be a strength this season, and it was on display in a season-opening 3-0 victory over Brewer on Thursday.
“Everyone that got into the game gave us something positive,” said Rioux, who returned 16 players with varsity experience this season. “We played a very strong preseason schedule which should help us in the long run.”
The Eagles got goals from Spencer LeClair, Nolen Timberlake and Seth Rethi in the victory.
“As for right now, we are focusing on improving every day and being the hardest working team on the field,” Rioux added. “I’m sure as the season goes on and we see other opponents and they see us we’ll have plenty of adjustments that need to be made.”
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Mt. Ararat girls head coach Chad Kirk knew he had a strong defensive team but admitted he had some concerns regarding the offense.
The Eagles, who start two freshmen and have 12 seniors in the program, had no issues scoring in an opening-day 5-2 win at Brewer.
“We were solid all night, we want to make sure we can stay consistent with that level of play,” said Kirk.
Amanda Pickens scored two goals to pace the Eagles. Isadora Thebarge, Morgan Ruff and Elena Willis also scored.
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Jack Banks has played defense for his entire time on the pitch, but the Brunswick boys soccer coach Mark Roma moved him to the midfield this fall. The move was one several Roma made to help keep the Dragons competitive across the field.
“It’s a definite work in progress, but we’re responding well,” said Roma. “We’ve moved a lot of guys around looking for the right combination.”
Banks responded with a goal in a 5-0 victory over Oxford Hills last Thursday.
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