Mt. Blue’s KK Daggett gets tripped by Mt. Ararat’s Islah Godo (4) during a girls soccer game Tuesday in Farmington. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
BRUNSWICK — The high school soccer and field hockey seasons have reached the midway point, and several Midcoast teams are primed for late-season playoff pushes.
The Mt. Ararat girls soccer team started out with four wins and a scoreless tie with Bangor before suffering setbacks to Camden Hills and Mt. Blue on Tuesday —‚ sandwiched around a win over Skowhegan.
“We’ve had to shift things around with our goalie situation,” said coach Chad Kirk. “Our senior, Kaleigh Lennon, has been out so we’ve moved a couple of other players in the last few games, taking them off the field where they normally make things happen.”
Freshman Kayleigh Wagg and sophomore Cali Pomerleau have stepped up in net for the Eagles.
Offensively, sophomore standout Islah Godo sets the pace. Freshman Julianna Allen leads the team in goals while senior forward Ella Bergeron has also found the back of the net for Mt. Ararat, which sits fourth in Class A North Heal points.
Mt. Blue’s Emma Dunn (8) takes a shot on Mt. Ararat goalie Kayleigh Wagg (00) during a girls soccer game Tuesday in Farmington. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Seniors Ariana Graybill and Alex Durant have helped anchor the defense while sophomore Tarynn Keleher returns to the field following an injury to help provide depth.
The Eagles face some tough competition down the stretch, including Camden Hills on Oct. 4, Oxford Hills on Oct. 15 and Brunswick on Oct. 18.
FIELD HOCKEY: Mt. Ararat enjoyed a six-game winning streak, before it dropped a 2-0 decision to Messalonskee on Monday. The Eagles (7-3) own impressive victories over Oxford Hills and Brewer this fall, putting it in good position for the Class A North playoffs.
They have outscored opponents 27-10 through 10 games. Junior Grace Keleher leads the team with nine goals, while Alex Graf, Audrey Marchildon and Rebekah St. Pierre follow.
Keleher, Marchildon and senior Belle Hemond are leading in assists, while senior Piper Cohen has been solid in the cage with 41 saves.
“We’ve had a lot thrown at us over the past few weeks, all while playing four games in every seven-day period throughout September,” said Mt. Ararat coach Krista Chase, whose team’s depth has been tested with injuries and illnesses. “But we are having fun and taking things one day at a time and will dig deep to have a strong finish to the regular season.”
Mt. Ararat hosts Morse on Oct. 5 and Oxford Hills on Oct. 7.
Mt. Blue’s Vivian Cormier battles for the ball with Mt. Ararat’s Ariana Graybill (7) during a girls soccer game Tuesday in Farmington. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
The Brunswick field hockey team is also positioned well to make some noise in the A North playoffs. The Dragons (6-3-1) entered Wednesday sitting fifth in Class A North Heal points.
“With each loss, we learn so much about ourselves that we can only get better from the experience,” said coach Carrie Sullivan. “Our girls never get down from those games; we learn and look forward.”
Brunswick’s defeats came to Skowhegan, Messalonskee and Oxford Hills — three of the top teams in A North.
The Dragons have had eight different players score this year.
“This shows that everyone’s able to do their jobs, get in the right position and be ready when the opportunity strikes,” Sullivan said.
Junior Kiki Dinsmore has scored six goals, while sophomore Ava Wolverton and senior Ellie Sullivan have scored four and six goals, respectively.
Mt. Ararat goalie Kayleigh Wagg (00) makes a save against Mt. Blue during a girls soccer game Tuesday in Farmington. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Sophomore keeper Ella Duchette has 41 saves in the cage and Coach Sullivan notes her strong defense, which is led by seniors Elly Burnham, Sarah Palmer, Hailie Lord, Lydia Blood and Lelia Bannon, along with junior Maddy Duchette.
GIRLS SOCCER: Brunswick (6-0-1) sits atop Class A North, out-scoring its foes 27-3 on the pitch this fall, including a 1-0 win over Camden last Saturday.
“Camden is a very good team and seeing them twice in seven days will always be a challenge,” said Brunswick coach Martyn Davison.
Brunswick hosts the Windjammers on Saturday.
Brunswick’s Elysia Palmer controls the ball during an Aug. 25 soccer scrimmage at Brunswick High School. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Sophomore Alexis Morin and freshman Molly Tefft have each scored seven goals, while netminder Sophia Morin has posted five shutouts.
Davison said the team is still looking to improve.
“Keeping the ball when in possession and the final ball into the opposition’s penalty box are areas we are working to improve,” he said.
Brunswick closes out the 14-game season with a trip to Hampden Academy on Oct. 13 before it hosts Mt. Ararat on Oct. 18.
BOYS SOCCER: The Brunswick boys soccer team has lofty expectations after it played in the Class A final last season.
So far, so good for the Dragons.
They started the season with five wins and a tie with Bangor, wrapped around a 3-2 loss to talented Edward Little. Other victories include a 1-0 win at Camden Hills on Saturday and then a 5-0 decision over Messalonskee, which gave coach Mark Roma his 100th career victory.
“We needed that win on Saturday. We had our confidence shaken with the loss to EL and the tie to Bangor,” said Roma. “We need to win every game left on our schedule to ensure that we are hosting at least one playoff game.”
Scoring has been spread out for the Dragons, with both Luke Patterson and Ibrahim Mwamba scoring some of the biggest goals this year, Roma said.
Roma is also pleased with the play of goalie Brady LaForge.
Mt. Ararat field hockey coach Krista Chase, center, talks with her team following their game against Messalonskee on Monday in Oakland. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
“(He) continues to show that he is one of the best keepers in our league,” said the coach. “EL was very good. They are going to be a very dangerous team come tournament time. There are at least five or six teams this year that have a legitimate chance to represent the north in the state championship game. There are going to be some really good teams sitting at home that first weekend in November.”
Mt. Ararat raced out to a 4-1-2 record with wins over Brewer, Messalonskee, Morse and a 7-0 rout of Mt. Blue on Tuesday behind a pair of goals each from Ben Chonko and Ewan Alexander.
Eleven different players have scored this season, giving the Eagles good balance.
“Starting the year not knowing who would score and having everyone step up has helped us a lot,” said coach Jack Rioux. “Our defense has been playing solid for us and keeping us in games. Guys are buying into our style and playing hard and improving everyday.”
“We’re off to a great start, but we have a lot of soccer left to play. Every game in our conference is a battle,” Rioux added. “We’re focused on the next game in front of us and just trying to stay healthy.”
The Eagles have tied Bangor and Camden Hills and lost a tough game to No. 1 EL.
GIRLS HOCKEY: Mt. Ararat High School hired David Hunter as its new varsity girls ice hockey head coach, Athletic Director Geoff Godo announced recently. The position was vacant following the resignation of Jeremy Saxton last spring.
“We are very pleased to have Coach Hunter leading our girls ice hockey program,” Godo said. “David has been a committed and valuable member of the Mt. Ararat High School girls ice hockey coaching staff for several years. He is well respected by the players and I know he will work extremely hard to continue to build and maintain the strong program that we have built in the last decade here at Mt. Ararat.”
The Eagles finished with a school-best 13-3-1 last season in Class A North. After beating Yarmouth/Freeport in the quarterfinals, they lost in the regional semifinals to Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland.
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