HOWLAND, Maine — Of 131 schoolboy soccer teams statewide, just five remain unbeaten and untied this fall.
Perhaps the unlikeliest of the group is Penobscot Valley High School, which capped off the first undefeated regular season in team history Thursday with a 4-0 victory over Central of Corinth.
“Today sitting in school was the first day I’ve gotten nervous all year,” said PVHS striker Charlie Gardiner. “There were butterflies in my stomach all day because people were just like, ‘What happens if you lose, because you won’t be undefeated anymore.’”
“It was a bad feeling then, but we went out and got the win.”
Gardner scored once in each half against Central and added an assist as the 14-0 Howlers put the match away with three goals after intermission.
Derek Bellavance and Ryan Scopino also scored, with Scopino’s penalty kick the final goal with 8:34 left in the match. Sophomore Tom Millett added an assist on a nice centering pass that Gardner converted to give Penobscot Valley a 3-0 lead midway through the final half.
Penobscot Valley outshot Central 34-8, with senior goalie Jake Jones making six saves to preserve the shutout.
Cole Haskell made 20 saves for 1-11-1 Central.
“It feels great to have a challenge like [going undefeated] and then complete it,” said Jones. “Everybody works hard in practice and we’ve played hard in the games, trying to win every ball and leaving everything out on the field, and it’s worked out for us.”
While Thursday’s victory was not a surprise, Penobscot Valley’s run to a perfect season has not been not without its challenges.
Last May, coach Sonny Reed was diagnosed with cancer, but his subsequent battle against the disease has been a significant motivating force as the Howlers played this fall under Reed’s son, Ryan.
“He’s gone through treatment all summer and just finished his last chemo treatment two weeks ago,” said Ryan Reed, a former PVHS player who has been part of his father’s coaching staff in recent years. “He’s feeling good and he’s cancer-free.
“The guys are real close to him and he’s able to get to some of the games now, so it’s been a real good boost for them.”
The Howlers also had to rebuild their defense after losing several starters to graduation, but senior stopper and Adam Callender and sophomore sweeper Tyler Brzozowski have stepped in to lead a fullback corps that has teamed with Jones to allow just 11 goals and produce eight shutouts.
“It’s a great feeling, especially since we came into the year having a lot of positions to fill,” said Callender. “A lot of people have stepped up big time this year.”
That defense has complemented an explosive offense led by Gardner and Bellavance, seniors who have combined for 33 goals.
“It makes it a lot easier having both of us out there,” said Bellavance, “because when someone guards me mostly or guards Charlie mostly we’ve got the other person, or we’ve got a few other people who can score a lot.”
Penobscot Valley – perhaps the smallest Class C school statewide with a current enrollment of 187 – admittedly has faced a relatively weak schedule, one that doesn’t ensure the Howlers a top-four finish and an Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal home game despite their unblemished record.
“I told the guys that whether we go in fourth or we go in sixth, basically we’re undefeated and we’re going in No. 1,” said Reed. “We’ve got to win every game like we’re the best team because we want to be the best team.”
Penobscot Valley won the most recent of its four Eastern Maine titles in 1991, with its lone state championship coming in 1986.
The Howlers have fallen in the regional quarterfinals each of the last three seasons, a playoff frustration they hope to end when their playoff run begins Oct. 28.
“Coming into the season I thought we were going to be pretty bad,” said Gardner. “Our whole defense had graduated and I thought we were going to lose a lot — but we didn’t even lose at all.
“Now we’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We just have to go out and play our game.”
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