BANGOR, Maine — Postseason high school soccer in Maine brings on a whole new set of challenges for even the best teams.
Declining weather, deteriorating field conditions and, perhaps the most challenging prospect of all, the knowledge that the season — and many a high school career — is now at the mercy of a single-elimination obstacle course filled with the angst of its finality.
The second-ranked Bangor High School boys soccer team battled all those elements as well as an upset-minded Brunswick team to a stalemate well into the second half of their Class A North quarterfinal Wednesday night until Carson Atherley and Garth Berenyi teamed up for two late goals to give the Rams a 2-0 victory.
“I think there were a few jitters going into the first playoff game so it took us a little time to settle the game down,” said Atherley, the Brown University-bound senior midfielder. “We were really looking for that first goal and the fact it didn’t come in the first half just gave us incentive in the second half to come out hard and get that first goal.
“Any time you’re going into a second half 0-0 or in a one-goal game there’s a lot of pressure so I just think we felt the weight of time and played with more urgency.”
Bangor (13-1-1) faces No. 3 Mt. Ararat of Topsham (13-2) in Saturday’s semifinals. The Eagles rallied past No. 6 Messalonskee of Oakland 2-1 on Wednesday.
No. 7 Brunswick finished 6-7-3.
“Brunswick did a good job, they had a good game plan, a good strategy and executed it well and wouldn’t give us an opportunity to convert in the first half,” said Bangor coach Garth Berenyi. “In the second half we had to step it up and be a little bit quicker and more assertive and finish the opportunities that we did get.”
Bangor controlled play for most of the first half but had nothing to show for it at intermission except that determination to step up the attack after the break.
The Rams outshot Brunswick 16-3 in the second half, with Atherley narrowly missing on three headers among his team’s better chances.
That sustained pressure finally paid off with 16:57 left when Berenyi slipped a short pass ahead to Atherley, who never had to slow down while tipping the ball with his left foot into the lower left corner of the net for his 16th goal of the season.
“On that play I looked Garth in the eyes and he knew right away to send it through,” said Atherley. That’s just coordination over time.”
The same duo provided Bangor an insurance goal 5:03 later, this time with Atherley lofting a high centering pass from the left wing to Berenyi, who settled the ball and then struck a left-footed shot into the right corner of the goal.
“I was looking for a header back post and another defender stepped in,” said Berenyi, a junior forward. “So I just tried to chest it on the other side of him and dropped it to my feet and finished.”
The goal was Berenyi’s team-leading 17th of the season.
“All season we’ve been going back and forth playing tag and trying to catch each other on the goal-scoring list,” said Atherley, “but whenever he has an inch of space I’m giving it to him and instinctively we know to just give and go to each other.”
