Cameron Gordon maintains control of the ball. Photo by Tate Yoder
Blue Hill—They may have fallen 7-0 when faced with the speed of the Washington Academy Raiders at homecoming game on Saturday, September 26, but the George Stevens Academy boys varsity soccer team is doing just fine, Coach Mark Ensworth said from the practice field sideline on Monday.
John Larson controls the ball. Photo by Tate Yoder
“The season’s going through very well,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of kids we can rely on [to] play big minutes for us. We’re continuing to improve, which is good.”
Coming off a 3-1 victory over winless Bucksport on September 22, the Eagles may have failed to score against Washington but they are not alone. Only Mount Desert Island has managed to kick the soccer ball into the net against the Raiders, the same team that stopped the Eagles semifinals run in the playoffs last year.
But GSA got a second chance to face-off against Washington on September 28; they lost by a slimmer 5-3 margin.
At half-way through the varsity season, the Class C Eagles stand at 5-3, after an early season loss to Ellsworth. They play top-ranked Orono, on Friday, September 30, at home, for the first time since the Eagles vanquished them in last season’s playoffs.
Taylor Schildroth weighs his shot. Photo by Tate Yoder
While the Eagles still have areas to improve in, the team can rely on the strength of its depth, Ensworth said. With 12 seniors, and sweeper Cameron Gordon, striker John Larson and half-back Taylor Schildroth all playing well, “we have high goals and high expectations for ourselves. As long as we play our style of soccer and improve on the things we need to improve on, I don’t see why we can’t go as far as last year.”
And just what is the Eagles’ soccer style?
“We like to play a possession game,” Ensworth said. “We like to play with a lot of pressure defensively.”
Ben Cole races up field. Photo by Tate Yoder
Goalie Alec Witham kicks against Washington Academy. Photo by Tate Yoder