Piscataquis, Central play to 2-2 OT tie Pirates erase early deficit

CORINTH – A goalie playing in his first season at the position and a fullback who looks like an offensive lineman (but doesn’t run like one) helped the Central boys soccer team withstand an offensive-minded Piscataquis of squad Thursday.

The Red Devils and Pirates played to a 2-2 tie at the high school field, a result that could be key for Central later in the season.

Central goes to 1-1-1, while defending Eastern Maine Class C champion Piscataquis was playing its season opener.

“It’s gonna get us a lot of points down the road, so that’s helpful,” said Central defender Craig Kozerow.

Piscataquis had to rally from a 2-0 deficit and tied the game on Josh Herrick’s 25-yard boot into the left side of the goal with two minutes, 12 seconds left in regulation.

Both teams had chances in the two five-minute overtime periods but neither squad could score.

“We just knew we had to keep getting shots off,” said Herrick, who is a senior. “We kept going right down the middle instead of going to the sides. … We had to come out [after halftime] and play like Eastern Maine champions, get our heads back into it.”

Center midfielder Kyle Pulkkinen cut into Central’s lead in the second half with a goal thanks to a Harper Hoffman assist.

Joe Allen had scored early in the first half to give the Devils a 1-0 advantage and Seth Strout made it 2-0 on a penalty kick with 23:19 left in the second half.

The Pirates came out firing away on offense but had a few obstacles in their way.

Kozerow, a 6-foot-3 bruiser with deceptive speed, seemed to swoop down on Herrick and Hoffman, win the ball, and boot it into midfield. The Devils needed Kozerow and the rest of the defense because they had trouble pressuring on offense.

“My kicks weren’t my best but when I did get them down there we needed to win more 50-50 balls,” said Kozerow, who is dealing with a leg injury and wasn’t at 100 percent. “We needed to work on passing and ball control.”

And when the PCHS offense got off a shot, Central goalie Adam Allen was there. He made 17 saves on 27 shots, diving and jumping to swat away balls.

“He basically kept us in the game because they kept shooting,” Kozerow said. “If it wasn’t for him we would have lost.”

Brandon Jones of Piscataquis made five saves on eight shots.