BANGOR, Maine — Grant Doane’s goal with 2:30 left in the game lifted the Penobscot Valley Howlers by the Bangor Christian boys soccer team 2-1 and ended the Patriots 64-game winning streak Saturday.
The streak includes five straight Class D state titles.
Doane took a long punt from Penobscot Valley goalie Joseph Higgins, made a move inside the 18-yard line and chipped the ball over the head of goalkeeper Dennis Farnham, who was coming out on the play.
After we scored, the last 2:30 seemed like it took an hour,” PVHS coach Jeremy Durost said. “Their crowd was awesome, as was ours.
“You could tell there was more riding on the game then just ‘game four’ of this early season. They desperately wanted to keep the streak going and we desperately wanted it to end,” he added.
After a scoreless first half, the Howlers’ Thomas Spencer scored the first goal from a Jacob Whitten assist with 18:33 left in the game.
The Patriots responded when Seth Pearson converted a penalty kick with seven minutes remaining.
The victory capped an emotional long week for the Howlers as one of their players, Jacob Bouchard, was injured in ATV accident. He was hospitalized but returned home midweek.
The Howlers also had not played a game in eight days before battling the Patriots and were aware of the streak.
“I think we did a good job matching up well with them on defense and at midfield, and I think that we capitalized on the chances we had on offense,” PVHS coach Jeremy Durost said.
“As usual Joseph Higgins was excellent in net. Our defense contested most of their shots so that they were difficult or a long ways out,” he added.
Higgins, one of two non-seniors on the All-Eastern-Maine Class D team last year and Penobscot Valley Conference first team, finished with 14 saves on 25 shots. Farnham made four saves on seven shots for BC, now 3-1. PVHS is 2-1-1.
Durost said his team was very excited after the victory.
“ We play them twice a year, and to see Bangor Christian jackets that have five straight state championships on it reminds us as to how good they have been and are,” he said. “They have a lot of young players this year, but I’m convinced they will be in the thick of things come playoff time. They have some extremely skilled players, and like usual, they are well coached.”