George Stevens Academy’s Austin Snow does a flip throw to put the ball in play during a game in Orono on September 20. Courtesy of Ryan Mitchell
Blue Hill—The Eagle varsity boys soccer team fell to Orono and Houlton last week, knocking the George Stevens team down to a 4-3 record with all losses off of home field. The Eagles bounced back with a 9-0 win over Deer Isle-Stonington before a home crowd on September 25.
Against the Orono Red Riots on September 20, GSA was first to score on a through ball from Ben Hallett to Chris Bennett but Orono answered quickly to even the score.
“They put a lot of pressure on us and got their second goal with 40 seconds to go in the [first] half on a crossed ball,” Coach Mark Ensworth said.
Orono scored early in the second half, and then again on a penalty kick for a 4-1 lead before the Eagles were able to strike the back of the net to make it a two-goal game. But, a fifth goal by Orono secured their the 5-2 win.
“We had chances but needed to do a better job controlling the midfield,” Ensworth said.
The Eagles did just that against Houlton, and kept the pressure on for most of the game, playing in a strong wind that made it difficult to defend at times, Ensworth said.
The Eagles were up 1-0 at the half, after Adrian Marsh crossed a ball into the box that Ricardo Sanchez deflected to the back post for Michael Moon to kick in for the goal. But Houlton scored twice in the second half, the first on a loose ball in the box and the second on a ball GSA was defending along the goal line, for a 2-1 win that kept them undefeated this season.
“In the end, [Houlton] did what we couldn’t and took advantage of their scoring opportunities,” Ensworth said.
With the regular season just past its mid-point mark, the Eagles are 5-3, with three home games next week, against Searsport September 27, Ellsworth October 1 and Mount Desert Island October 3.
Despite losing three in a row, Ensworth said he likes where the team is headed. “This group has a lot of potential and are starting to figure out what style of play will make them most successful. Every season is like a puzzle. It’s taken us longer than we would have liked but as long as we are playing our best soccer in October, we should be okay.”
George Stevens Academy’s Lars Hooper gets off the ground to head the ball. Courtesy of Ryan Mitchell