Deer Isle-Stonington High School senior Abby Stinson makes a move past a defender during a home game against Washington Academy on October 16. By Jack Scott
Deer Isle—The girls soccer team won their last game, beating Washington Academy 4-3 on October 16, just past the deadline for last week’s paper. Finally, a game with much to write about, and I could only put in a couple sentences. The offense finally took off, with first half goals from Jill McDonald, Kaylee Morey, and Lily Gray. Things looked good until WA dribbled past the defense and scored 2 quick goals 10 minutes into the second half. Lily Gray gave us a little breathing room with her second goal, but WA came back to make it 4-3. The ball went up and down the field, making for a lot of nail biting. I was hoping for a more defensive set, but we held on to gain the victory. Katie Hutchinson did a good job in goal.
So, after falling below the playoff cutoff, we vaulted up into the last position, giving us a preliminary game with Katahdin. Unfortunately, we couldn’t duplicate the magic and we lost 6-0 on October 19. Once again, the forwards were able to dribble through our defense and penetrate the goal. It was just our luck that one goal was a kick that bounced off one of our defenders. We did manage 6 quality shots, but Katahdin had many more.
So, it was a frustrating season in that we had a good start, and then injuries and sickness seemed to hobble us, so that we never reached our potential. We had all the pieces, but never really clicked on the offensive end. I liked what I saw in the Washington Academy game where we were aggressive around the goal mouth. We lose several quality starters to graduation next year, so the players who return will have to step up to solve the offensive puzzle.
The boys soccer team has nowhere to go but up. Most everyone is returning next year, and we have a lot of talent despite our record. It was frustrating to watch us struggle but now we have the experience to be competitive. We need everyone to be available throughout the season to have the numbers necessary for competing against our tough schedule. Though we have several players who give maximum effort, we need the opportunity to rest players. We need to challenge each other so that we can live up to our potential and have a better season.
Our cross-country runners ran in the regional tournament in Belfast last week, on October 19. Henry Penfold ran well, placing 34 out of 106 with a time of 20:11:60. Benjamin Penfold placed 70 out of 106 with a time of 22:21:10. Ariel Larrabee placed 44 out of 71 with a time of 26:21:10.
Deer Isle-Stoningon High School sophomore Andrew Wendell defends against a Jonesport-Beals attack during a home game earlier this season. By Jack Scott