There are not enough acronyms in the dictionary to describe the horrid field conditions Wiscasset and North Yarmouth Academy boys’ soccer teams played upon Oct. 27, under the lights in Wiscasset in the West Class C quarterfinals.
The field looked in pretty good shape before the game, but a light rain started five minutes before game time. Once the game started the heavens erupted in a steady downpour that lasted most of the evening. By halftime there was standing water, mud slicks and gooey slime oozing up between the blades of grass on the field. Wiscasset’s bright white uniforms quickly turned to mud gray as they slipped and slid their way up and down the field.
Wiscasset and NYA battled through 88 scoreless minutes, before the game was decided in overtime. Forrest Milburn collected a Matt Michaud pass with seven minutes to play in overtime and shot to the far post to lift the visitors to a 1-0 victory. The loss was top ranked Wiscasset’s first of the year, and abruptly ended their season. Eighth seed NYA moved on to the West C semi finals.
Wiscasset had plenty of chances to score during the game, out shooting NYA 28-16. The Redskins got off 10 first-half shots, five were on target and five missed their mark, including two direct kicks just outside the penalty box with under eight minutes to play.
NYA’s keeper stopped shots from John McLeod, Ross Hanley and Ashton Benn. On the defensive end of the field, Mason Brewer made five saves. Wiscasset’s defensive foursome of Jason Weatherbee, Danny Murphy, Caleb Bryant and Devin Grover doubled up on NYA top scorer Michaud and effectively neutralized him.
Sloshing through mud depleted the energy of both teams in second-half action. An injury timeout for a cramp with two and a half minutes to play in regulation was a welcome break for both squads.
Players looked like mud-drenched rag dolls as they went to the sidelines to re-hydrate. The break re-vitalized Wiscasset, with Campbell missing wide and over the top, Murphy heading a shot wide and Ashton Benn missing just wide with 33 seconds to play.
Wiscasset missed a golden opportunity with a minute and a half to play on a direct kick outside the box called after Brian Campbell was taken down from behind on a breakaway. Benn chipped the DK over the defense to Murphy who headed a shot to the far post. No one was home on the corner for Wiscasset and the Redskins watched their effort tumble out of bounds.
Wiscasset out shot NYA 15-7 in the half, but came up empty. NYA opened the second period with two shots. Brewer blocked the first and Murphy cleared the rebound out of bounds, setting up a corner kick. Brewer blocked the shot off the CK, and Jason Weatherbee booted it out of the danger zone. NYA looked to take the lead late in the half, but they were offsides, negating the goal.
Overtime saw Benn miss wide on a mad scramble in the box, and Hanley miss wide with a header. On the defensive end, Weatherbee came up big on a corner kick, and Brewer stopped an NYA long ball, before Milburn scored the game winner eight minutes into OT.
Mason Brewer made 10 saves in the loss, and NYA’s Jordan Haskell 11.
“It’s always tough to lose. The boys played hard. We had our shots. They capitalized on theirs, and we did not,” Wiscasset coach Wayne Benn said. “We tried to do our combination passes and the mud hole held us up, but it was the same (conditions) for both. The whole team is a bunch of good boys. They brought a lot of pride to this community. We have another good bunch coming next year. We’ll give it another shot next year.”
