BATH

The Richmond High School boys soccer team had been right here, protecting a second-half lead in the Class D South regional final, on the cusp of a State Class D Championship game berth.

Over the past two seasons, the Bobcats came up short, falling in penalty kicks to Buckfield (2015) and Greenville (2016).

On Thursday at McMann Field, Richmond goaltender Trystin Shea saw the ball off the head of Buckfield’s Dylan Harvey heading toward the right post, the potential tying goal with the Bobcats holding a 1-0 lead late in regulation. Shea dove, tipping the ball away from his post, and his defense did the rest in the waning seconds.

A Dakotah Gilpatric goal with 16.8-seconds remaining finished off the second-seeded Bucks, giving Richmond a 2-0 win and that elusive trip to the title match.

Richmond (16-1) will take on Bangor Christian on Saturday at Hampden Academy at 3 p.m., while Buckfield saw its season come to a close with a 15-2 record.

“It feels familiar to us seniors from three years ago. It means so much,” said Richmond striker Matt Rines of the win.

In a game where momentum swung often between the two squads, it was the Bobcats that struck first. Zach Small gained control of a loose ball 35 yards from the Buckfield goal. Instead of dribbling to get closer, he stepped into a shot, sending the ball high toward the Bucks goal. Netminder Rick Kraske (11 saves) tried in vain to get to the left post, but watched as the ball settled into the netting for the game’s first goal.

“I had one shot, and I knew the wind was coming in and knew the ball would come down somewhere,” said Small of his goal with 21:27 remaining in the first half. “It went in! It is my last year and the emotions all came out there.”

“I wasn’t sure where it was going. When it went in, I sprinted to him and gave him a big hug. What a goal!” said Rines.

“The first 6-9 minutes, it was a war in there,” said Richmond coach Peter Gardner.

“Zach Small had a great goal the first half, then it was 50/50 the rest of the way. We knocked on the door all night. It just didn’t happen,” said Buckfield coach Kyle Rines.

Buckfield continued to play defense, looking to adjust to the bigger field and playing on artificial turf.

“In the first half, we played more defensive just to get into the flow of playing on this big field,” Buckfield senior Ethan Jackson said.

The Bucks began pressing for the tying goal, firing five of the final eight shots toward the Richmond goal. Shea made a stop on Zack Grover, while Kraske turned away a low try from Rines to keep his team down just one goal at the break.

Bucks pressure

A switch in formation helped create more chances for Buckfield in the second half.

“We took away a little bit of defense, put a striker up top, and played more of our normal style,” Kyle Rines said.

Jackson set up Noah Wiley for a shot that Shea stopped, and Jackson’s flip throws caused problems in front of the Richmond cage.

“We were able to lock in and keep the ball away from our goal,” said Richmond senior defenseman Nate Kendrick, who teamed with fellow defenders Danny Stewart, Isaac Cappen and Adam Beaulieu in keeping Buckfield’s quality chances to a minimum.

“Buckfield is a bunch of determined kids. Buckfield pressured, but our defense did a good job finding their strengths,” Gardner said.

The rough play picked up in the second half, with two Buckfield players sent off with yellow cards. Richmond kept its cool and pushed for an insurance goal. Kraske made a pair of tough saves on Rines, while Justin Vachon sent two shots inches wide.

With 17:30 remaining in regulation, Shea stopped a pair of point-blank Buckfield shots, the first from Wiley, with Shea managing to smother the rebound try from Harvey.

As the time ticked down, Buckfield had a golden opportunity to tie the game. Jackson sent a long throw into the penalty area, with Harvey getting his head on the ball 15 yards from Shea’s cage. The ball hung up just a bit, giving Shea time to get there for the game-saving stop.

“ When the ball was heading toward the post, my stomach dropped. But I just knew Trystin was going to get there,” Kendrick said.

“That last save was very scary. It looked like it was going to go over me. It was luck,” said Shea, who had seven saves.

“ We knew they were going to go over the top, and they did, but we handled it well,” Gardner said.

With Buckfield continuing to press forward, Richmond managed to clear the ball out of danger. Gilpatric gained control and beat Kraske one- onone for the final goal, setting off a loud sigh of relief from the Bobcat bench and their legions of fans in the McMann Fields stands behind them.

“This means a lot. This is a big step for me and the Richmond boys soccer team,” said Shea, who will be in goal come Saturday against Bangor Christian (15-2), looking for a state title.

No. 1 Richmond 2, No. 2 Buckfield 0

Class D South Boys Soccer Regional Final At McMann Field in Bath

Buckfield		—	0	0	—	0
Richmond			— 1	1	—	2

Goals — (R) Zach Small, Dakotah Gilpatric. Shots — Richmond 21, Buckfield 15. Saves — (B) Rick Kraske 11; (R) Trystin Shea 7. Corner kicks — Richmond 8, Buckfield 2. Records — Richmond 16-1, Buckfield 15-2. Up next for the Bobcats — State Class D Championship, Saturday at Hampden Academy against Bangor Christian, 3 p.m.