Burdin goal lifts PCHS by Foxcroft Pirates commemorate coach Peter Nelson before start of game

GUILFORD – It took a while, but the Piscataquis boys soccer team persevered when it finally listened to what coach Bruce Priest said about getting into position on the field.

The Pirates missed out on several good chances in Wednesday’s matchup against Foxcroft Academy, but freshman Roy Burdin was there when it counted.

Burdin knocked in a rebound with 24:53 left in the second half to break a tie and lift Piscataquis to an exciting 3-2 victory over the rival Ponies at the high school field.

It was the first home game for the Pirates, who honored the memory of coach Peter Nelson after his death in an ATV accident July 25. The Pirates gave Nelson’s wife, Jennifer, a soccer ball and had a moment of silence in a short pre-game ceremony.

“We know we have to pick it up,” said goalie Josh Luellen, one of four Piscataquis senior captains. “We had our goals with him, we wanted to go to states and we want to give everything we had and this just makes it that much more important.”

Priest, who ran the team several years ago, took over the program just before the preseason started. He’s coached the Pirates to a 3-0 record.

The teams were tied at 2-2 after a close first half in which both Piscataquis and Foxcroft (0-3) had good chances on crosses and direct shots.

But the Pirates controlled play for most of the second half, hitting the post twice before Burdin finally knocked in the game-winner.

He was standing near the left post when Chase Burdin tried a shot. Foxcroft goalie Brad Bellemare (13 saves on 25 shots) came out to save the attempt, but the ball came loose and Roy Burdin kicked it past Bellemare.

It was a case in which the Pirates finally had a man in the right place at the right time.

“I was always told to stay wide, by my coaches and my dad and everyone,” said Roy Burdin, a 6-foot-4 wing. “So I just tried to stay wide, and it came out good. The coaches really wanted us to do that in this game, and I listened to it [in the second half].”

The score seemed to deflate Foxcroft, which had five shots in the second half after 12 in the first.

“We’re a very emotional team and they definitely get frustrated,” Ponies coach Luis Ayala said. “We had guys playing defense who don’t [usually] play defense because of injuries. There was some confusion on defense and people weren’t talking.”

Both teams looked strong early. The Pirates scored twice in a 1-minute, 23-second span, but the Ponies got those back in the final 15 minutes of the half.

“After we got those two goals I think we kind of sat back,” said Luellen, who finished with seven saves on 14 shots. “We were happy with what we had. And we can’t do that.”

Lee Wilson opened the scoring for PCHS when he headed in a direct kick by Dan Rockwell. Joe Jardine made it 2-0 when he combined with Wilson for a goal.

Derek Smith got the Ponies within a goal when he scored 41/2 minutes after Jardine. Mitch Sawyer assisted on Smith’s goal. Spanish exchange student Guillermo Ferrerre tied the game when he fielded a Ryan Edgerly throw-in, shielded the ball from Luellen, and pushed it into the net.

“The team played good today,” Ayala said. “We were in it the whole time.”