Monday Five and Five: Big Performances and Tournament Time
We’ve reached that point of the fall season where everything starts moving pretty quickly.
There are only a few regular-season soccer games left, the tournament picture is almost set, and our cross country teams are getting ready for regional championship weekend.
Before we get there, though, there were plenty of performances from the past week worth another look.
Here are my five from last week, followed by five things I’ll be keeping an eye on this week.
Five From Last Week
5. Drew Lamoreau Scores Four for Easton
Drew Lamoreau had himself an afternoon Saturday.
Lamoreau scored four times as Easton picked up a 7-1 win over Southern Aroostook. Mason Pelletier added two goals, Aaden Tibbetts scored once and Josiah Ellis finished with two assists.
Four goals in one game is more than enough to earn a spot in this week’s Five and Five.
4. Fort Kent Gets It Done in Overtime
Fort Kent and Madawaska needed a little extra time Thursday before the Warriors came away with a 2-1 overtime win.
Madawaska has been one of the strongest teams in Class D North throughout the fall, making this a particularly good late-season win for Fort Kent.
With tournament soccer right around the corner, it was also the kind of game both teams should benefit from having played.
3. Two Hat Tricks and an Overtime Winner
If you like offense and close soccer games, Van Buren and Ashland gave us a good one.
Emily Lapierre scored three times for Van Buren, including the game-winner just 2:35 into overtime, as the Lady Crusaders pulled out a 4-3 victory.
Ashland’s Sadie Trams matched her with a hat trick of her own.
Seven goals, two hat tricks and overtime. That one pretty much had everything.
2. Ava Ezell Passes 150 Career Goals
Another week, another major milestone for Houlton’s Ava Ezell.
Ezell scored five goals and added three assists in Houlton’s 9-1 win over Schenck/Stearns, pushing her past 150 career goals.
Five goals and three assists would have been a huge afternoon by itself. Adding another career milestone makes it an easy choice for this week’s countdown.
1. Conor Schmidt Keeps Scoring
At this point, Conor Schmidt has become a regular part of the conversation.
The Katahdin standout scored five goals in a 6-1 win over Southern Aroostook, then scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over Wisdom.
Gage Phillips deserves some attention from that Wisdom game as well, finishing with 18 saves in the shutout.
For Schmidt, that’s seven more goals in two games after the huge numbers he put up the week before.
That earns him the No. 1 spot this week.
Five to Watch This Week
5. The Last Few Regular-Season Soccer Games
We’ve finally reached the end of the regular season.
There are still some important County matchups on the schedule Monday through Wednesday, and at this point every goal and every result can have an effect on where teams land when tournament play begins.
Fort Fairfield and Madawaska, Southern Aroostook and Central Aroostook, Van Buren and Easton, Ashland and Schenck/Stearns, and Presque Isle and Fort Kent are among the matchups worth following as teams put the finishing touches on their regular seasons.
4. Van Buren and Katahdin Meet Again
Here’s another game that could be interesting heading into tournament time.
Van Buren and Katahdin meet Monday on the boys side, with both teams looking to finish strong.
Van Buren has spent the season hanging around the middle of the North 8-Person tournament picture, while Katahdin has put together an 11-win season despite sitting lower in the standings than that record might suggest.
And with Schmidt scoring the way he has lately, Katahdin certainly isn’t a team anyone will want to overlook.
3. Fort Fairfield and Madawaska Close Things Out
Fort Fairfield and Madawaska meet Monday in what should be another good Class D doubleheader.
Both programs have been part of the tournament conversation throughout the season, and this gives them one more good test before everything becomes win-or-go-home.
At this point in October, that makes games like this worth paying attention to.
2. The Soccer Brackets Are Almost Here
This might be what I’m looking forward to most once the final whistles blow Wednesday.
We’ve spent the entire fall watching teams move up and down the standings, and now we’re about to find out where everyone actually lands.
Seeds, prelim matchups and possible tournament paths should all become much clearer this week.
That also means we’re getting very close to the part of the season where one goal, one save or one overtime winner can keep a season alive.
1. County Runners Head to the North Regionals
Soccer might be winding down, but cross country is moving right into championship season.
County runners head to Belfast Saturday for the North Regional Championships after another big showing at the PVC Championships.
Caribou’s boys, Presque Isle’s girls and Houlton/GHCA’s boys all head into the weekend after winning PVC team championships.
Pierce Gorneault and Emma Graves also arrive after earning individual PVC titles for Caribou.
Saturday is the next big test, with spots at the state championships on the line.
Here We Go
This is one of my favorite parts of the fall season.
The regular season is almost behind us, the brackets are coming, and championship meets are here.
We’ll have plenty to follow over the next several days as teams and athletes from across The County start chasing postseason hardware.
