ELLSWORTH, Maine — A three-match losing streak midway through its schedule left a senior-rich Erskine Academy boys soccer team uncertain in its pursuit of postseason success.
But those travails against some of the Eagles’ top Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference rivals provided a wake-up call that’s still being observed, as the South China school captured its first regional title Wednesday with a 2-1 victory over Ellsworth in the Class B North final at Del Luce Stadium.
“We had a midseason lull,” said senior defender Josh Reed, whose throw-in set up the first goal of the match. “We faced some really good competition in Oceanside and Winslow and Maranacook, but after those games we realized that we needed to step it up if we wanted to get to where we are today.”
Erskine entered the playoffs as the No. 10 seed, and after a prelim victory at No. 7 Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor remained on the road and knocked off No. 2 Winslow, No. 3 Presque Isle and finally top-ranked and defending champion Ellsworth to earn its first trip to the state final.
Coach Phil Hubbard’s club (11-4) will face defending state champion Yarmouth, a 3-2 double-overtime winner over Maranacook of Readfield in the Class B South final, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
“It’s amazing,” said senior forward Luke Peabody, who added the pivotal insurance goal for Erskine with 16:24 left in the match. “A bunch of us seniors have worked for nine years with coach Hubbard to get here. We’ve just worked our way up to this and it’s a relief that our work has paid off.”
Ellsworth ends its season with a 13-3-1 record.
“They were the best team we’ve faced this year, and the class that was shown on the field by both sides to me made both teams winners,” said 42nd-year Ellsworth coach Brian Higgins.
One key for Erskine was its ability to defend against long flip throw-ins made by Ellsworth senior Lukas Firestone into the goal box from virtually anywhere on the offensive end.
“He has an amazing talent, and trying to save that was definitely a problem,” said Erskine goalie Denver Cullivan. “We kept two guys on the goal line with me, and the biggest thing was just to try to get up and get a head on it.”
Cullivan also punched away several of Firestone’s throw-ins, which represented the bulk of Ellsworth’s scoring chances.
A long throw-in by Reed led to Erskine’s first goal of the match, as his entry from the left wing reached the near post where it bounced before teammate Tristan Hubbard — the coach’s son — was able to direct it into the net with 35:47 left in the first half,
Play remained largely even until Erskine doubled its lead midway through the second half when Peabody tracked down a long kick from the Eagles’ defensive end, eluded two defenders and scored from the right side with a sharp-angled shot that eluded Ellsworth goalie Bruce St. Peter and rolled inside the far post.
“It was just a missed kick by the defense and it happened to roll right where I wanted it to go,” said Peabody. “I scuffed it a little bit, I was lucky it got into a corner.”
Colby Clarke halved the deficit on a penalty kick with 12:19 left, but Ellsworth was unable to generate any subsequent chances in the final minutes.
Erskine outshot Ellsworth 12-10, with Cullivan making five stops and St. Peter four.
