Senior Jeremiah Scheff, at left, and Eric Mote race in to defend the GSA net against a Bucksport player September 20. By Anne Berleant
Blue Hill—What’s the best way to start the season? By winning, of course. The Eagles varsity boys soccer team, who won their opener against Dexter, kept up the momentum with a string of victories in their second week, beating Bucksport 9-1, Searsport 2-0 and Ellsworth 3-0 in a string of matches ending September 11.
“The team has been playing at a high level,” Coach Mark Ensworth said. “A big surprise has been how we are getting scoring from a lot of different people, which makes us difficult to defend.”
Case in point: against Ellsworth, Chris Bennet scored first, with an assist by Ricardo Sanchez, followed by a goal by Memphis Parker, with Austin Snow for the assist. The third goal in the second half was scored by Michael Moon, with Bennet on the assist.
The Eagles 4-0 record puts them in third place, sandwiched between Houlton, at second, and Orono, in fourth. The Eagles face both teams next week, hosting Houlton (3-0-1) on Saturday, and playing in Orono (3-1) the following Thursday.
Eagles and Red Riot games are always competitive: GSA knocked out Orono in the 2016 playoff quarterfinals, after falling to them twice during the regular season; in 2017, both regular season games ended in ties, with GSA snatching an overtime in the playoff semifinals.
“Orono has become a great rivalry over the years, which brings some added excitement,” Ensworth said. “We are entering the toughest part of our schedule, so will see how we look.”
The Saturday, September 15, the home match against Houlton begins at 2:30 p.m. In Orono on September 20, match time is 4 p.m.
Freshman Ben Hallett defends against Bucksport September 20. By Anne Berleant
Senior Jeremiah Scheff, at left, and Eric Mote race in to defend the GSA net against a Bucksport player September 20. By Anne Berleant