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In his 28 years as Camden-Rockport boys soccer coach, Don Palmer has found early favorites and Heal-Point leaders are impressive, but the better team often is determined by how the ball bounces.
“I look back to two years ago, the one, two, three top teams all lost in the first round,” said Palmer, whose defending Eastern Maine champion Windjammers go into the playoffs seeded eighth.
“We were seeded four and hosted the Eastern Maine final. We played MDI and lost to them on a penalty kick. A lot of strange things happen with a soccer ball.”
Preliminary games for girls and boys will be today and Thursday. Quarterfinal matchups are set for Saturday, while semifinal games will be Oct. 30 and the Eastern Maine championships Nov. 2.
In boys Class B action, Fort Kent leads in the standing with 166.67 points, ahead of Ellsworth which has 141.07. But Palmer said random variables, not seeds, will determine the course of the playoffs.
Palmer pointed to Winslow, seeded third with an undefeated 13-0-1 record, as a team that could surprise people.
“It comes down to how focused a team is. Nothing scares me about being number eight,” Palmer said.
Brunswick coach Pete Gardner, whose Dragons are seeded first in Class A, also said variables, like schools playing unfamiliar teams, could cause upsets. Although, Gardiner said Brunswick, second-seeded Hampden, and third-seeded Waterville should stand out.
“The thing about soccer is there are all kinds of variables. A lower seed beating a top seed is very possible,” Gardner said. “I think you’ll see a lot of upsets.”
Gardner said the one consistent determinant will be defense. And, while the top three teams all boast good defense in Class A, there is uncertainty.
At Waterville’s Oct. 12 game against Brunswick, the Panthers lost their goalie to an injury and had to replace him, so the Panthers enter the playoffs with a new keeper.
In Class C, the top three seeds stand out as the ones to beat with George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill first, Piscataquis Community of Guilford second and Katahdin of Sherman Station third. In Class D, Shead of Eastport sits ahead of Ashland while Van Buren is seeded third.
In the girls Class A soccer battle, the philosophy of coaches in the hunt is much the same as Palmer’s. Bangor coach Jeff Ingalls, whose Rams are seeded second behind Waterville, is worried more about the third-seeded Brunswick Dragons than the top-seeded Panthers.
Waterville sits on top of the standings with 153.57 points, while Bangor follows with 144.77, and defending EM champion Brunswick sits third with 143.88.
“Brunswick went to the state championships,” Ingalls said. “They have a lot of kids who play basketball and they didn’t lose much. The best team doesn’t always win. A bounce or deflection and a team could be in trouble.”
Ingalls pointed out that teams that are seeded lower but have loses against tough teams have an advantage for the wide-range of play they have seen during the regular season.
“Take a team like Lawrence, they have played the Mount Ararats, which are ahead of them, and Watervilles. They have a harder chance of winning when they play teams with good records.”
Class B coaches said first-seeded Mount Desert Island and second-seeded Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield stand out. Class C could come down to a battle between Madawaska (12-0-2), George Stevens (12-1-1) and Katahdin (13-0-1). In Class D, top-seeded Greenville (12-1-1) looks to be the favorite.
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