Changes help Belfast stay on winning streak Lions have rolled to 42 straight

loading...

The Belfast field hockey team has a new look to it, in places, but with the same results.

The Lions are still winning. In fact, they’ve now won 42 games in a row, including six this season, and picked up a key 4-2 victory Thursday over previously undefeated Leavitt of Turner.

Two days later Belfast rebounded, so to speak – it’s not often the Lions give up two goals in a game – with a 10-0 win over Lincoln Academy of Newcastle.

“I just feel everybody’s trying to beat us,” said 34-year Belfast coach Allen Holmes. “We’re trying not to make the consecutive win streak a big deal. We’re just trying to play every game.”

The two-time defending Class B state champion Lions have had to fill in the holes left by graduated all-stars Heather Read, Jamie Flagg, and Miss Maine Field Hockey Kelsey Jackson.

“You can’t fill those shoes but … luckily we’ve been able to keep the speed and the intensity in those places,” Holmes said. “When we brought those new people in the veterans have said, we’re gonna make this work. That’s one of the key ingredients.”

Belfast also moved some players around. Senior tri-captain Britt Cummings, a wing last year, is now the right midfielder. Junior Briana Curry, who came off the bench last year to score the winning goal in the 2-1 state final over York, has taken Cummings’ spot up front. Curry joins scoring machine Jillian Ross, Skye Ellis and Brooke Reed on the front line.

All-state player Kallie Aldus, another tri-captain, has moved from defense to center mid. Seniors Helen Berry and Carrie Hart are starting this year and junior Claire Banks has turned into a top backup.

The result has been a change to more of a passing game and less reliance on the midfield.

“Last year the mids controlled the ball for us and this year it’s not so much that at all,” said senior goalie Liz Anderson, the third captain. Last year we counted on Jamie and Kelsey and Heather and Kallie, everybody counted on them.”

Now, everybody has to contribute.

“We each have to do a lot more,” Cummings said. “A lot of us are playing smaller parts instead of a few people playing big parts.”

Although Winslow scored twice on Anderson in the season opener, the Leavitt game was a bit tougher, she said.

The Lions led the entire game but Leavitt twice cut the lead to one. Jillian Ross scored Belfast’s third and fourth goals to put it away.

The Lions have plenty of tough games in the coming weeks, but with a matchup against Waterville set for Thursday, Sept. 28, Belfast could be in another battle of unbeatens.

The pressure’s on, the captains conceded.

“We don’t want to be the first ones to break the chain,” Anderson said.

EM Class C field tight

Meanwhile, five Eastern Maine Class C field hockey squads are once again in a fight for pole position as the season reaches its midpoint this week.

Piscataquis of Guilford and Stearns of Millinocket were leading the group as the teams met for a showdown Monday. The Minutemen came away with a 4-2 win for a 7-0 record, while the Pirates fall – but not by much – to 6-1. The Pirates picked up a pointworthy 2-0 win over Class B Foxcroft Saturday.

Defending Class C state champion Central of Corinth beat perennial powerhouse Dexter 1-0 Saturday. The Red Devils are now 4-1-2, while the Tigers go to 3-2-1. But Dexter did register a 2-1 win over Class B Nokomis of Newport last week.

Mattanawcook of Lincoln is 3-2-1 after a 3-0 win over Class A Bangor.

“I think things are close, as evidenced by that game,” Mattanawcook coach Dean Libbey said after a 1-0 loss to Stearns last week. “Class C’s pretty strong.”

Four of the Class C teams will meet Wednesday, with Mattanawcook at Piscataquis and Stearns at Central. Dexter is off Wednesday but hosts Foxcroft Tuesday and Class A Brewer Thursday.

DSA’s Spain trip tryouts on tap

The Caribou-based Dutch Soccer Academy is heading to Spain next spring, and tryouts for the trip will be held in the coming weeks in Aroostook County and the midcoast area.

The Aroostook County tryout will be Sunday, Sept. 24, at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

The central Maine tryout will be held Sunday, Oct. 8, at True Park in Hope, also from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

High school players ages 14-and-over, and college players younger than 21 are eligible to try out. Players only have to attend one tryout, the fee for which is $10.

There will be one boys team and one girls team with a combined maximum of 50 players. All participants who make the final teams must make a nonrefundable deposit by Sunday, Oct. 29.

The total cost of the trip, which includes all travel and lodging in a hotel, breakfasts and dinners, matches, training sessions, tourist activities and a uniform, is $2,500. Daily lunches and the cost of a passport are not included.

Cimino one of hot 100

McAuley of Portland basketball star Ashley Cimino is the No. 72-ranked player in the Class of 2007 according to the Hoopgurlz.com Hot 100 Rankings.

Cimino, who has made a verbal commitment to play for Stanford starting in the 2007-08 season, is a 6-foot-2 guard for the Lions.

She was the Gatorade Maine Player of the Year as well as a first-team All-Mainer and a member of the Southern Maine Activities Association first team.

She was also named to the 10-member USA Today Underclassmen All-USA girls team.

Cimino averaged 17.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game. She shot 63.2 percent from the floor and 72.6 percent from the line.

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