Dirigo recovers from a slow start with six straight wins.
A few weeks ago, the Dirigo girls’ soccer team was wondering what it had to do to make the playoffs. Now the Cougars can’t wait for the second season to begin.
“They’re always looking forward to playing, and they’re just ready to go now,” said Cougars coach Art Chamberlin. “They’re anxious. We’re really feeling good.”
You’d feel swell, too, after winning six straight games and rising in the standings to fifth in Western C. After some struggles earlier in the year, the Cougars (9-5) are picking up steam.
“The girls were pretty upset with themselves, and they took matters into their own hands,” said Chamberlin, whose team was 3-5 just two weeks ago.
It wasn’t like the Cougars were short of talent. Even though they lost key players on defense to graduation, Dirigo had All-State midfielder Kassi Putnam and Alexa Kaubris as well as veteran keeper Jessica Blaisdell and a wealth of young skilled forwards up front. Katie Hutchinson, Brooke Weston and Dani Glover also have emerged, and the wins have followed.
Chamberlin has moved Putnam to the outside midfield at times to help open things up in the middle. He’s also found a substitute rotation that seems to be working well.
“We’re moving the ball a lot better, and we’re able to support better,” said Chamberlin. “Our game has always been to control the ball and keep the ball on the ground, and that just wasn’t working for us.”
Though the standings could change in the last week, the Cougars currently would be paired in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup at Winthrop, a team with which Dirigo split. After being a high seed and losing some heartbreakers in the tournament, maybe the Cougars have found a different route.
“I’ve always said one of these years we’re going to have a team that goes in low and surprises some teams along the way,” said Chamberlin. “Maybe this is it.”
Must win
It has been some time since the Edward Little boys’ soccer team sat out the postseason, but the Red Eddies are in danger of just that this fall.
EL was 5-7-1 after Tuesday’s 2-2 tie with Lewiston. The 14th-ranked Red Eddies play 10th-ranked Cony and have to win to have any chance of catching Oxford Hills in the 13th spot.
“We’ve got to win at Cony and then maybe,” said EL coach Dave Morin, whose team really needed a win over the Blue Devils Tuesday. “I don’t know if a tie will be enough. We have too many points to make up on Oxford Hills.”
EL has not missed the playoffs since going 5-5-4 in 1994. The seven losses is the most since going 5-8-1 in 1991.
Though EL has played better down the stretch, the Red Eddies have been struggling with inconsistency.
“Now we have to be consistent and if we have the same type of game (against Cony) then we’ll give ourselves a chance. That’s all we can hope for,” Morin said.
KVAC championship games in Lewiston
Lewiston High School will be hosting the KVAC championship games next Monday. The girls will play at 5 p.m., and the boys will play at 7 p.m. The games will feature the top two KVAC teams according to the final Heal Points. Going by the most recent standings, that would match the Lewiston girls with Morse and the unbeaten Brunswick boys with Lawrence.
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