Losses helped Lee, Crusaders win East titles

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Both the Van Buren boys and Lee girls soccer teams have had more than their share of success in the last couple of years.

The Crusaders and Pandas have felt the sting of loss, too, but it’s how they rebounded from defeat that has helped each squad reach the Class D state championship games which will be played Saturday at Hampden Academy.

Both teams will face Western Maine boys and girls championship squads from Richmond. The Lee girls, who won their sixth straight EM title and are the defending state champ, will play at 10 a.m. while the Van Buren boys, who have won five EM titles and one state crown since 1999, will play at 1 p.m.

For Lee, losing twice in the regular season to Bangor Christian left the Pandas feeling low – especially because the first loss, a 4-2 defeat on Sept. 8, that snapped the program’s 87-game winning streak against Eastern Maine opponents. It was a run that dated back to the 2000 season.

“It was definitely a shock and a disappointment,” junior captain Kimmy Thurlow said.” But losing that game, and then the next, sparked something to come out strong in the semifinal game and then the final. We really came out determined.”

The Pandas made some changes to the defense in the playoff game, maybe most notably having Thurlow mark BC standout forward Morgan Chasse.

With Thurlow marking Fort Fairfield’s Kerri Cunningham, Chasse, and Van Buren’s Megan Lajoie in the EM final, the Pandas have only allowed one goal (scored by Cunningham) while scoring 14 in the postseason.

“We lost five of our defenders last season, including our goalie,” Thurlow said. “That’s where we felt we’d be a little weaker. But everyone has been doing a really good job.”

The win was especially sweet for junior captain Amanda Gifford, who was on the bench for the eventual game-winning goal in Bangor Christian’s second win. The midfielder had received a yellow card for encroachment during a Patriot free kick and was sitting out the required 10 minutes.

“That was devastating for me,” Gifford said. “It kind of felt like I let the team down, getting that card. … After that, I was like a woman possessed.”

Two days after the win over Bangor Christian, the Patriots traveled to Van Buren for a 4-0 win over the Crusaders.

Despite the satisfaction of cruising through the regional playoffs, the Pandas’ ultimate goal is a second straight state title and third since 2003.

“We know it’s not finished yet,” Thurlow said. “We’re hoping to finish by winning states. But Bangor Christian was kind of the stepping stone to Van Buren.”

Crusaders back from 2005 loss

The Van Buren boys’ rebuilding loss came in the 2005 Eastern Maine final in which the Crusaders lost to Bangor Christian 2-1.

With 11 players back from that squad, Van Buren coach Steve LaPierre said the loss proved to be motivation this season.

“Anytime you lose a game like that you’d like to get back in the same situation and have a win, no question,” he said. “The kids worked hard all year, set goals, and one of those goals was to be high enough in the standings to host a few games.”

On Saturday, the Crusaders will have to face a team that suffered a disappointing loss in last year’s state final.

After beating Van Buren in 2005, the Patriots went on to post a huge 5-0 win over Western Maine champ Richmond. It was the biggest state championship game blowout since Class D started in 1989.

The Bobcats are back this year and are likely still smarting from the loss.

“Richmond’s got a great tradition and they’ve had great teams,” LaPierre said. “We’ve played them in the past and they always play hard. They’re gonna be out to avenge what happened last year. But that’s what a state championship is. They’re gonna be out there giving it their best, too.”

LaPierre said his team, which avenged last year’s loss to Bangor Christian with a 4-2 victory in the quarterfinals, is peaking right now. Defense and solid play down the middle of the field have been key for the Crusaders.

Forwards Alex Martin, who has scored around 20 goals so far, and Ben Doucette have been Van Buren’s primary offensive weapons.

Center midfielder Riley Lizotte, stopper Jean-Pierre Dumont and sweeper Matt Parent have kept the opposition from getting off many good chances.

Senior goalie Andrew Taylor will be playing in his second state title game. Taylor became Van Buren’s starter midway through his sophomore year when then-starter Dustin Cyr suffered a broken foot.

“He’s a real tough goalie, plays hard, doesn’t make many mistakes,” LaPierre said.

Aldrich lone Panda runner

Lee will have a very small contingent at Saturday’s cross country state championship meet.

Actually, they’ll have just one runner in the Class C competition at Leavitt High in Turner.

That’s because most of the girls on the Lee cross country team also play soccer. With both events scheduled for Saturday – the soccer game starts at 10 a.m. and the cross country begins at 2:45 p.m. with a drive of about two hours between Hampden and Leavitt – it would likely be too close of a call to do both.

The state cross country meet was scheduled for last weekend which would have been fine – Lee played its EM final Friday afternoon – but bad weather postponed the cross country and pushed it to this weekend.

The Pandas’ lone cross country representative will be freshman Danielle Aldrich. The rest of the team, including Amanda Gifford, Aarika Ritchie, Booke Harris, Nikki Slevinsky, Becca Dow and Morgan McGaw are all soccer players.

Lee finished second to Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln in the Eastern Maine Class C cross country meet. Ritchie led the Panda pack with a 10th-place finish.

Lee spreads out scoring in final

Lee forward Aarika Ritchie and midfielder Amanda Gifford have scored or assisted on most of the Pandas goals this year, so it was helpful for the team that its first two goals – which both came in the first two minutes – against Van Buren were scored by two players who aren’t known for their offensive prowess.

Dana Houghton and Nikki Slevinsky each scored a goal early in the first half.

“It took some of the pressure off of us a little bit,” Gifford said. “The Van Buren defense had to focus on Dana, on Nikki, and some of the other people. That really opened up the middle of the field.

Gifford wound up with two goals in the 4-0 EM final win. But the early goals provided a spark.

“It was awesome,” stopper Kimmy Thurlow said. “It was so cool to see. That was Nikki’s first goal of the season, so we were all really, really excited.”