To outsiders, a 2-9-3 finish to a soccer season might be the hallmark of a bad team.

For the Hermon boys, however, last season’s record seemed more like a bout of bad luck.

“Out of nine losses, I think seven of those were by one goal,” coach David Hamel said before practice Monday. “We were in every game, but we didn’t get any breaks.”

There’s been little of that this year as the Hawks have had a complete turnaround. Class B Hermon finished its regular season with a 9-3-2 record, including last week’s 1-0 victory over previously undefeated Class A Old Town.

The importance of beating the Indians can’t be overstated. The Hawks also beat a solid John Bapst of Bangor team earlier in the week, and even though they fell to Orono Saturday, Hermon went from No. 6 to No. 3 in the Eastern Maine Class B standings, assuring the team of a home quarterfinal game.

The Hawks will host a quarterfinal Saturday against the winner of Tuesday’s preliminary game between No. 6 Presque Isle and No. 11 Orono.

“I knew we were in a great position [last week],” Hamel said. “We beat Bapst and I knew we would jump up a couple of spots, and I knew we had to at least tie Old Town and beat Orono to finish third. We kind of did the opposite.”

The differences this fall can be attributed not only to better luck, but also improved finishing and stellar defense.

“We lost a lot of games because we couldn’t put the ball away. This year we are,” said senior Adam Gould, who has four goals and four assists as a defensive starter. “That was one of our big goals in preseason.”

Hermon was undefeated in an eight-game stretch during the season, including a 1-1 tie against Old Town.

The Hawks have two main offensive threats in Wyatt Sabo, a transfer from Pennsylvania, and Jason Shorey, who scored the winner against Old Town.

Sabo has a team-best 13 goals, while Shorey has scored seven. Both have three assists.

Sabo’s presence has relieved a lot of the pressure the Hawks felt when they struggled offensively last year.

“The confidence started with him,” Hamel said. “I think once the team realized we had a finisher, everyone else relaxed.”

The Hawks rely on six key defensive players.

Sophomore Brandon Hurd is in his second season as Hermon’s sweeper. Hamel rotates fullbacks Whitney Bryant, Chris Harding and Dustin Cyr. Gould is responsible for marking the opposition’s top player. Goalie Corey Archer, a senior who hadn’t played soccer in several years, has recorded six shutouts and has given up 12 goals (three of those were on penalty kicks).

“I worked with him quite a bit in preseason, getting angles and techniques, and the first game of the season he really looked like he knew what he was doing,” Hamel said. “He’s gained confidence in the defense, they’ve gained confidence in him, and that’s just snowballed.”

Gould marked Old Town standout Matt Petrie in last week’s game.

“We’re the first team to shut them out, and that says a lot on the defensive end,” Gould said.

Center midfielder Scott Riendeau has also been a key part of the team even though he doesn’t show up in the statistics.

“He doesn’t score a lot and doesn’t have a lot of assists,” Hamel said. “He’s so good at seeing the field and distributing to the appropriate guys, switching fields. He’s so strong on the ball.”

DSA players going on the road

Many of Caribou’s soccer players – indeed, soccer players from all over Aroostook County – have spent their summers at the Dutch Soccer Academy camps run by Robbie and Tammy Krul of Limestone. Robbie Krul is a native of Holland and a Dutch National Soccer Association-licensed coach.

“It’s a whole different type of soccer,” Vikings sophomore Eamonn Harrigan said before a recent game against Fort Kent. “It’s not just kicking [the ball] around. It’s more technique and passing.”

Next spring some of the top current and former County players, as well as high schoolers from other towns, will get an up-close look at that style as 20 boys and 19 girls are set for a trip to Holland and Germany for sightseeing, and of course some soccer.

The trip will take place during April vacation.

“I was really excited when I found out they going to have a team,” said Eamonn’s sister Lauren Harrigan, who plays for the Caribou girls.

The proposed itinerary includes training, trips to professional games, tours of professional stadiums, sightseeing excursions, and games against German and Dutch youth teams.

“The whole experience is going to be great,” said Caleb Swanberg, a Caribou freshman. “We want to see how they play the game. It’s not how they play it in the United States.”

Many of the team members have played against each other in the high school season, and some know each other from DSA camps. But there’s certainly room for more friends.

“I’m wicked excited because I don’t see the girls who are going every day,” Lauren Harrigan said. “Just being able to spend the week with them is going to be a lot of fun.”

The DSA held two tryouts last month, one in Caribou and another in the Bangor area.

The team plans to do some fundraising to offset the estimated cost of about $1,800-2,000 per student. There will also be practice sessions after winter sports season ends for the high schools.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.