FA boys survive onslaught, edge Presque Isle

By Kevin Sjoberg
Star-Herald

PRESQUE ISLE — Senior goalkeeper Logan Butera and his Foxcroft Academy teammates may have been thoroughly dominated by the host Wildcats Saturday afternoon, but they still were able to pull out a win.

Star-Herald photo/Kevin Sjoberg

A GREAT TRIP TO AROOSTOOK COUNTY — Forward Nick Fortier of Foxcroft Academy, left, tries to prevent Presque Isle defender Nick Bartlett from gaining possession of the ball during Saturday’s soccer match played at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex in Presque Isle. Foxcroft won, 1-0.

Presque Isle outshot the Ponies 32-9, including a 20-1 margin in a second half which also included 15 Wildcat corner kicks, but Foxcroft still claimed a hard-fought 1-0 boys soccer victory at the Gehrig Johnson Athletic Complex in the mutual season opener for the Class B squads.

“It was a group effort and everyone did their job, and that’s what it takes,” Butera said. “It was great to see our guys come together like that.”

Just 2:25 in, Foxcroft’s Jae Park had a one-on-one with PI goalkeeper Patrick Cash, but his shot was deflected and trickled along the goal line. An opportunistic Chandler Rockwell pounced on the ball and directed it over the line for the game’s only goal.

After that, the Ponies played plenty of defense and withstood constant pressure by the Wildcats in earning a key win on the road.

Butera said brothers Esau Olson and Jacob Olson, who are prominently midfielders, had to assume positions on the back line due to player eligibility issues. They made some big plays and joined sweepers Jacob Diamond and Josh Reed, as well as Jacob Raynes and Levi Stedman, in fortifying the Ponies’ stout defense throughout.

“We worked on our conditioning a lot during the preseason,” said Foxcroft head coach Luis Ayala. “The guys complain about running so much, but this is the reason why. We are only 13 deep and I had to run people in and out. They all did a great job.”

Butera made several diving stops and kept his team organized while facing the flurry of corner kicks. He finished with 16 saves, 12 which came in the second half.

“Presque Isle outshot us and they outplayed us, but we got that one goal, went into defensive mode and relied on our phenomenal goalie,” Ayala said. “He kept the guys motivated and encouraged them … he’s a great leader.”

The Wildcats had three shots carom off the post, on blasts by Ryle Mortland, Khasen Lowe and Zachariah Morse, exemplifying their frustrating day.

“You’ve got to take care business early at home, but we let them score and the home-field advantage went away,” said PI coach Joe Greaves. “In the second half, we had all the opportunities we needed. We have a lot of offensive guys, but the ball hasn’t been finding the net in the preseason and that was the case today.”

Cash, who used his 6-foot-4 frame to punch a couple Ponies’ shots in the first half over the crossbar to keep it a one-goal game, ended up with seven saves in goal in the loss.