Owls hustle to win Madawaska trips GSA for EM title

BLUE HILL – Ethan Welch could have hung his head after Adam Groves made a nifty move around him and bore in alone on goalie Nate Beaulieu.

Instead, as Madawaska’s Beaulieu charged out to contest the shot, Welch hustled back. He arrived just in time to clear the rolling shot off the goal line with a sliding kick.

The play preserved an early scoreless tie and helped the No. 4 Owls earn the Eastern Maine Class C boys soccer championship with a 2-1 victory over No. 2 George Stevens Academy.

“He beat me and then the ‘keeper came out, so I left the man and went to cover the goal,” said Welch, who explained the ball was “a few inches from the line.”

It was the second title in four seasons for 14-3 Madawaska, which plays West champ Saint Dominic of Auburn in the Nov. 3 state championship contest at a site to be determined. The Saints (13-4-1) defeated Sacopee Valley of South Hiram 3-0 Friday.

“Team chemistry is by far the No. 1 thing,” coach Ben Sirois said of Madawaska’s success. “These guys enjoy being with one another.”

Welch’s play loomed large, especially since Madawaska later seized the momentum on Shawn Parker’s goal with 10:02 left in the first half.

“He [Welch] never quit,” said GSA coach Dan Kane. “That could have been a difference-maker right there, if we could have got that first one.”

Sirois admitted he didn’t see Welch’s heroics.

“I actually turned my head because I thought it was in and then I heard the shouting and it was out,” Sirois said.

Madawaska utilized its team speed, tireless hustle and depth while forging a 2-0 advantage.

Parker scored off a crisp crossing pass from senior Chad Bechard when he punched a low, hard shot off the outside of his right foot past sprawling GSA ‘keeper Rashad Frazier.

Sophomore Michael Cannan made it 2-0 with 17:25 left in the second half. He controlled a blocked cross off the chest of Eagles back Josh Astbury and fired a low shot inside the far post from 10 yards out.

GSA (14-2-1) fought back. The Eagles were energized by sophomore Michael Senter-Zapata’s goal off a Ryan Kurtz assist with 9:23 remaining. The hosts applied relentless pressure in the Madawaska end the rest of the way, but the Owls fended off the late charge.

“We didn’t really play our game until the last 20 minutes,” said GSA back Lucas Marks, whose long throw-ins into the area gave the Owls problems. “It was just a little too late and Madawaska’s a great team. They were really fast.”

GSA nearly equalized with 7:38 left when Astbury found himself with some room outside the box. Beaulieu made a superb save on the 23-yard blast, diving to his right to punch the shot away.

“We thought they had us in the end, because they were coming back strong, but we stuck through it and our goalkeeper Nate Beaulieu just kept us alive. He’s an awesome goalkeeper,” Parker said.

Things got a little hairy for Madawaska, whose players sported a variety of wild haircuts including Mohawks, multicolored spikes, buzz cuts and even a Bozo the Clown motif.

“It’s a playoff thing. We do it every year,” Bechard said of the hairstyles.

Beaulieu finished with six saves as GSA took 14 of its 20 shots in the second half. He was supported by a swarming defense spearheaded by Welch, Aaron Marquis, Jordon Albert, Matt Deschene and Jacques Daigle, who made a chest save on a beautifully executed Groves corner kick late in the first half.

Frazier made four saves in the face of 23 shots. Astbury was a stalwart in the back, breaking up several potential scoring chances.