Madawaska Heads to States as Northern Maine Soccer Championships Wrap Up
The Northern Maine regional soccer championships are complete, and five Aroostook County teams are heading to Saturday's state championship games.
Madawaska's boys added their name to that list Wednesday afternoon, defeating Fort Fairfield 2-0 in the Class D North championship at Presque Isle High School.
It was the third consecutive year the Owls and Tigers met for the regional title, and this time Madawaska took control early with two first-half goals.
Meanwhile, Presque Isle's girls saw their Class B championship hopes end against John Bapst, while Fort Fairfield's girls battled Penobscot Valley in a close Class D final before the Lady Howlers pulled away in the second half.
Here's how Wednesday's three championship games played out.
Girls Soccer
Class B North: John Bapst Ends Presque Isle's Championship Run
(1) John Bapst 3, (3) Presque Isle 0
Presque Isle's girls came into Wednesday's Class B North championship looking to knock off top-seeded John Bapst and earn a trip to the state finals.
But the Crusaders brought the Lady Wildcats' tournament run to an end with a 3-0 victory at Hampden Academy.
Presque Isle had put together an impressive postseason to reach the championship game.
The third-seeded Lady Wildcats defeated Skowhegan 3-1 in the quarterfinals before rolling past seventh-seeded Cony 4-0 in Saturday's semifinals.
Hailey Plant, Carrlyn Buck, Bridgid Schupbach and Willow Bugbee each scored in that semifinal victory, showing the offensive balance that helped Presque Isle reach the regional final.
Wednesday brought a tougher challenge against a John Bapst team that entered the game undefeated.
The Crusaders came away with the shutout and the Class B North championship, advancing to Saturday's state final.
For Presque Isle, the loss brings an end to a strong fall season that included a run to the Northern Maine championship game.
Class D North: Penobscot Valley Wins Fifth Straight Regional Championship
(1) Penobscot Valley 2, (2) Fort Fairfield 0
For the first 40 minutes Wednesday evening, there wasn't much separating Fort Fairfield and Penobscot Valley.
The top two seeds in Class D North battled through a scoreless first half at Presque Isle High School, with both teams making it difficult for the other to generate scoring opportunities.
But the Lady Howlers found the breakthrough in the 49th minute.
Charlotte Brochu scored to give Penobscot Valley a 1-0 lead, putting Fort Fairfield in a position where the Tigers needed to find an equalizer.
The game remained close until the 73rd minute, when McKenna Ireland added an insurance goal to make it 2-0.
Goalkeeper Brooklyn Raymond recorded another shutout for Penobscot Valley, securing the victory and the program's fifth consecutive Class D North regional championship.
Fort Fairfield entered Wednesday after consecutive tournament shutouts, defeating Washburn 4-0 in the quarterfinals and Central Aroostook 1-0 in the semifinals.
The Tigers had earned their place in the regional final with strong defensive performances of their own.
Although Wednesday's result didn't go their way, reaching the Class D North championship capped another successful postseason for Fort Fairfield.
For Penobscot Valley, the victory means another opportunity to compete for a state championship after five straight regional titles.
Boys Soccer
Class D North: Madawaska Scores Twice in First Half to Claim Regional Championship
(1) Madawaska 2, (3) Fort Fairfield 0
For the third consecutive season, Madawaska and Fort Fairfield met with the Class D North boys championship on the line.
And Wednesday afternoon, the top-seeded Owls made sure they would be the ones heading to states.
Madawaska scored twice in the opening 25 minutes and held Fort Fairfield scoreless the rest of the way, earning a 2-0 victory at Presque Isle High School.
Aiden Gagnon opened the scoring in the 13th minute, giving the Owls an early 1-0 advantage.
Just 12 minutes later, Josh Querze added another goal in the 25th minute to double Madawaska's lead.
Those two first-half goals would be all the Owls needed.
Goalkeeper Aleck Gendreau recorded the shutout, helping Madawaska secure the regional championship and a place in Saturday's Class D state final.
It was another strong postseason performance for the Owls, who reached Wednesday's championship after shutting out Hodgdon 2-0 in the semifinals.
Fort Fairfield had also earned its way into the final with a strong tournament run, including a 3-1 semifinal victory over second-seeded Central Aroostook.
But Madawaska's early scoring and defensive effort proved to be the difference Wednesday.
The Owls will now travel to Messalonskee High School on Saturday to face Class D South champion Monmouth.
The top-seeded Mustangs advanced with an 8-0 victory over Narraguagus in the Southern Maine regional championship.
That sets up a state championship matchup between two regional champions, with Madawaska looking to finish its season with one more victory.
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