Their remote school is at least a full day’s drive from the City of Brotherly Love, but Travis and Trevor Parent of Peru used their family connections to give the University of Maine at Presque Isle a leg up in the battle for Aroostook County men’s soccer supremacy this fall.
Saddled with a four-year losing streak against neighboring rival University of Maine at Fort Kent, Presque Isle clinched the annual series two-games-to-one with a 3-1 victory on Oct. 19.
Travis Parent scored the game-winning goal on a feed from the edge of the penalty area by Robert Allan. Trevor collaborated with senior defender Patrick Rogers of Farmington (Mt. Blue) to help keep UMFK off the scoreboard until the 65th minute.
The victory extended the Owls’ unbeaten streak to four games. Presque Isle dropped its final two contests of the regular season, but not without a goal by Travis Parent in each game. He provided UMPI’s only strike in a 5-1 loss to Maine Maritime and cashed in a Rogers assist in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of UMaine-Machias.
Both juniors, the Parent twins were MVC all-stars at Mountain Valley High School prior to heading north.
Another Western Maine product made significant contributions at both ends of the field for Presque Isle. Junior fullback Jared Dyar of Strong (Mt. Abram) scored his first collegiate goal in the third minute of overtime to give UMPI a 2-1 win over UMFK on Labor Day weekend. Parent also picked up the first of his five goals on the season as the Owls snapped their lengthy winless skein against Fort Kent.
In other UMPI news, Junior fullback Lanie Roy of Avon, also a Mt. Abram graduate, assisted the first goal as the women’s soccer team rolled to a recent 4-0 victory over the College of St. Joseph (Vt.)
Holding the fort
Staying in the north country and keeping with the twin theme, Billy and David Russo of Wilton (Mt. Blue) helped Fort Kent drop a double-whammy on the University of Maine at Augusta in its men’s basketball season-opener.
Billy, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward, led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds in the Bengals’ 91-47 mastery of the Moose. He was the nation’s leading rebounder in NAIA Division II last winter.
David didn’t see any time in 2004-05 due to injury, but the 6-6 redshirt freshman contributed 10 points in his college debut.
Two local athletes enjoyed a successful autumn with the Bengals. Sophomore Ashley Cihak of Rumford (Mountain Valley) was one of the leading offensive threats for the women’s soccer team, which finished the regular season with a six-game winning streak. On the men’s squad, Auburn’s Sean Favreau helped anchor the defense as a freshman fullback.
Class act
Elizabeth Ellis of Turner (Leavitt) has been named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic First Team. Ellis, a starter at midfield for the field hockey team at Franklin Pierce College, has earned a 3.97 GPA and logged a 4.0 last semester. She is a marketing major.
Ellis was one of five Franklin Pierce field hockey players earning either first or second team All-Academic status.
“I think it’s a really great accomplishment for our players,” said Franklin Pierce coach Judy Heddy. “We are the only school in the conference with five players honored.”
The Ravens allowed just over two goals per game with Ellis starting all 19 games. Two other Maine players, Amy McMullin of Belgrade and Corinne Goulet of Biddeford, were among the second-team achievers for Franklin Pierce.
Quick hits
Lauren LaRoche of Auburn (Edward Little) placed among the top 50 individuals in the America East women’s cross country championship meet on Oct. 29. LaRoche was the fourth-leading finisher for the University of Maine, which finished seventh overall … Beth Melanson of Lewiston logged her sixth shutout of the season for Wentworth Institute of Technology of Boston in a 6-0 victory over the University of New England in the Commonwealth Coast Conference women’s soccer semifinals. Wentworth lost to Gordon College in the final but was selected to its fourth consecutive ECAC Tournament berth. The Leopards play at Clark University on Wednesday.
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