By Paula Roberts
Jackson Vail is pushed from behind on a header by Ellsworth’s Lucas Firestone. (Paula Roberts photo) |
Another upset was not in the making Friday night, as 12th ranked Medomak Valley Panthers boys soccer team traveled to Ellsworth to take on the number one seed in the East.
The physical and trash-talking Eagles could not intimidate the Panthers, but succeeded in beating the visitors 6-2 under the lights on their home turf.
Medomak upset Old Town and Erskine Academy to advance to the East B semifinal game against Ellsworth.
On Halloween night, Ellsworth lived up to their reputation of a hard-nosed, physical team. Their physical play paid off and led them to a 4-0 lead. The Eagles held a
3-0 advantage at the half. Medomak showed the Eagles they had some spunk when they scored back-to-back goals to pull within two with 21:30 to play.
The game got out of control in the first half, as players were allowed to trash talk, trip, and hold players down with no penalty.
When Zidane McMurrin and Eagle Kyle Golding went up to head the ball in the penalty area, McMurrin’s leg was hooked by Golding and McMurrin was dragged down, then
held on the ground.
McMurrin tried to push Golding off him, but was hit by Golding, which resulted in a slapping match that went uncalled by officials.
Golding gave Ellsworth a 1-0 lead with 23:41 to play on a direct kick from the right side. Lucas Firestone scored on a rebounded Eagle shot off the post. Two minutes
later, Zack Weeks made it 3-0 on a scramble in front of the Panthers’ net.
With 16 minutes to go in the half, Medomak keeper Noah Beck came out of the box and stopped Eagle Jeff Weeks on a breakaway. The two players collided in mid-air.
Weeks got in Beck’s face with some colorful trash talking, chest-bumped Beck, then pushed him. Beck pushed him back. Both teams swarmed down on them, which resulted
in a mass shoving match. After the firestorm was settled, Weeks was yellow carded and sent to the bench to cool off.
Officials had much better control of the game in the second half, forcing Ellsworth to play a much more dignified game. Ellsworth’s fourth goal was an exception to
that rule, as Beck blocked a shot, and as he grabbed the rebound was run over by a freight train in the form of Weeks, who knocked him flat on his back and the ball into the
back of the net with 23:38 to go.
The Panthers got their dander up over their keeper getting mauled, and took the ball down and scored within 26 seconds. Patrick Madden scored the goal on a pass from
Micah Williamson. Medomak struck again with 21:30 to go when Adam Eutsler collected a Williamson pass and banked it off the cross bar and in to pull the Panthers within two.
Conor Maguire found net with 17 minutes to play to put Ellsworth up 5-2. Matt Curtis made it 6-2 when he converted a rocket blocked by Beck.
Ellsworth held a 27-14 edge in shots. Beck made 16 stops in net for the Panthers, and Nick Bagley eight saves for the Eagles.
Medomak finished the season with an 8-8-1 record.
