The Wisdom High School Pioneers from St. Agatha and Penobscot Valley High School are likely on a collision course to meet in the Class D North schoolgirl soccer final for the second straight year.
They are two of the seven teams in all classes in the North who finished the regular season undefeated, to go with six teams from the South.
The other North teams are Brunswick in Class A, Hermon in B and Bucksport, Maine Central Institute from Pittsfield and Houlton in Class C.
If defending champ Wisdom and PVHS do meet again in the regional final, there will be a fascinating match-up between Penobscot Valley’s forwards and the Wisdom defense.
Penobscot Valley’s leading scorers are three freshmen and a sophomore, and three of Wisdom’s defenders are a freshman and a pair of eighth graders.
Ava Lerman is a freshman and Madi Cyr and Emma Soucy are eighth graders for the Pioneers but they don’t play like it, according to Wisdom coach Peter Clavette.
The eighth graders were strikers in middle school.
“They have sacrificed their attack mindset to defend. They are very poised and very comfortable with the ball at their feet,” Clavette said.
If Wisdom does play the 13-0-1 Howlers, it will be facing a team that has received 44 of its 89 goals from its freshmen.
Lila Cummings, Rylee Moulton and Savannah Durost are the freshmen scorers for PVHS and Ellis Austin is the sophomore.
They have been a big help in enabling the Howlers to overcome the loss of six starters off last year’s team, which lost to Wisdom 3-0 in the championship game.
“The girls have bought in. We really have good complementary pieces, girls who fit certain roles. And they are a really unselfish bunch,” Penobscot Valley coach Jeremy Durost said.
PVHS is led by the Loring twins, seniors Kaya and Holly. Freshman goalkeeper Lauryn has allowed only five goals and she has been ably protected by experienced backs Allie LeBlanc and Emma Potter.
Lauren Veino starts at left mid and Ashlyn St. Cyr is the right mid.
Wisdom, 14-0, is a high-scoring team led by Abbie Lerman’s 38 goals and 24 assists, Lily Roy’s 26 goals and 14 assists, Kamryn Clavette’s 10 & 16 and Olivia Ouellette’s 11 & 9. Lerman has scored more than 100 career goals.
“They have really come together and they are always working to get better,” Clavette said. “We have a very accomplished group of strikers.”
Wisdom has some players from Van Buren as part of their team and Elyssa Violette has been a valuable asset as the stopper. Goalie Colleen Thamsen has done an amazing job, according to Clavette.
Hermon will be seeking its third straight Class B North title and has won 56 in a row against opponents from the North. The team’s only losses were in the state title games to Cape Elizabeth.
The 14-0 Hawks have scored 87 goals and allowed only five, both of which are school records.
All-State striker Lyndsee Reed has 34 goals after notching 35 a year ago and now has 96 for her career.
She has been complemented by freshman Madison Stewart, who has 26 goals and 18 assists. Midfielders Michaela Saulter (7 & 10) and Allie Cameron (6 & 8) have also fueled the attack along with Natalie Tardie (11 & 10) and Meganm Dorr (5 & 12).
Bella Bowden has nine shutouts for M.J. Ball’s team.
Bucksport and MCI, both 14-0, have gone undefeated for the second straight regular season.
If Bucksport and MCI meet in the playoffs, it will feature a battle between two of the state’s most prolific goal scorers in Bucksport’s Ella Hosford and MCI’s Olivia Varney, who have both scored more than 30 goals in a season.
Hosford scored a state record 61 a year ago.
The Bucks have been spearheaded by their six seniors: striker Hosford, midfielders Meg Morrison, Alyx Frazell and Allie Pickering, and backs Lanie Stubbs and Rylee Coombs.
MCI and Bucksport are both 14-0.
Houlton, also 14-0, had to replace four starters but have a junior-senior laden team with a lot of experience.
Maddie Marino and Gabby Gentle have been the offensive catalysts and All-Penobscot Valley Conference Class C choice Natalie DeLucca anchors the defense.
Marina Cameron’s Shires have a gifted seven-member freshman class.
Martyn Davison’s defending regional champion Brunswick Dragons, 12-0-2, have a dynamic team in Alexis Morin and freshman Molly Tefft, an athletic midfield headed up by Shannon Flanagan and Kynli Van Leer, and an exceptional back in Ella Gustafson.
