Ellsworth Eagles top Old Town 2-1 Alert Mayo sets up Rich’s game-winner

ELLSWORTH – Sometimes everything slows down and the picture becomes crystal clear.

That was the case for Ellsworth soccer player Seth Mayo Tuesday in the Eagles’ Eastern Maine Class B semifinal match with Old Town. The senior stole the ball with 30 minutes to go in the game at the midfield stripe and turned toward goal.

After a couple of strides Mayo drove a low, hard pass that split two Old Town defenders and landed on teammate Jensen Rich’s right foot at the right edge of the penalty box. Rich turned inside past one defender and blasted a left-footed shot high just under the crossbar.

The goal gave No. 2 Ellsworth a 2-1 win over the third-seeded Indians. The 12-3-1 Eagles travel to Winslow on Saturday for the Eastern Maine finals. The Black Raiders were a 2-1 winner over John Bapst of Bangor on Tuesday. Old Town closes out the season at 11-5.

Mayo, a central midfielder for Eagles, said he saw the play unfold before him.

“I saw there was a hole and Jensen was running behind his man. So, I hit it right in the hole, it was a big hole. I went for it and luckily he got it and drove by his man. Great shot,” Mayo said.

The goal gave the Eagles the lead but the game was far from over. Although Ellsworth controlled much of the second half, the Indians made a run in the last minute of the game.

Andy Pease almost got the equalizer when he pushed the ball past the last Ellsworth defender and it appeared that he would have a shot. But Ellsworth goalie Noah Brown came off his line and dove, arriving at the ball a split-second before Pease.

“We had chance right at the very last, inside a minute. It just wasn’t meant to be,” Old Town coach Mark Graffam said.

Old Town took the lead less than two minutes into the match on a beautiful individual effort by Kevin Emerson. The senior collected the ball 25 yards from goal, beat one defender and from the left side of the penalty area flicked a shot off the outside of his right foot that clanged off the right post and into the goal.

The goal didn’t concern Ellsworth coach Brian Higgins.

“It didn’t because when we score early I hate it. Right? So put us down early. It got the kids focused in a hurry. ‘Holy cow we could lose this game.’ I wasn’t concerned that we wouldn’t score,” Higgins said.

The Eagles, in fact, came right back, scoring a little more than two minutes later when Rich floated a high cross from the right wing that eluded Old Town goalie Tyler Tracewski. The ball hit the ground and Ellsworth junior Alex Lyons struck a shot that when off an Old Town defender’s thigh and into the goal.

Brown made five saves on 10 Old Town shots, while Tracewski stopped seven of 18 shots for the Indians.