Luke Patterson of Brunswick (5) looks to get away from Lewiston defender David Abdi during an Oct. 5 boys soccer game in Brunswick. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
When the high school soccer season rolled around in August, Brunswick head coach Mark Roma said that he thought he had the makings of what could be a special team.
“If things go our way, this team could be very good,” said Roma in August during the preseason before the Dragons played a game.
He wasn’t wrong.
Despite several injuries to key players throughout the season, the Dragons made a run to the Class A state championship game before falling to Marshwood 2-1 on a goal in the final two minutes.
“It still stings that we weren’t able to complete the mission, I wanted it so bad for them,” Roma said. “With that being said, I’m so proud of what we accomplished and the adversity we played through.”
The Dragons were without top goal scorer David Nzuzi for much of the season with a leg injury. They were also without senior co-captain Jack Banks for much of the season with a quad injury, one that Roma thought would hold Banks out the entire season. Both were able to return in the postseason and their impact was obvious.
“This means so much to us,” said Banks following the Class A North regional title game, a 2-1 win over Camden Hills. “For me to be hurt and come back to enjoy a moment like this with my boys, it’s just awesome.”
The Dragons went through a gauntlet of teams to reach the Class A state championship game. They eliminated No. 4 Bangor in the regional quarterfinals before stunning top-seeded Lewiston by a 3-2 score in the semifinals.
“It comes down to the character of the kids on this team,” Roma said. “They were always there for each other and refused to let this season get away from them. It helped to reaffirm that you win with character. This was on full display when we went down 2-0 to Lewiston in the playoffs. Nobody got down or started sniping at each other. Possibly the proudest moment of my coaching career was the way those kids responded to being down.”
Other Midcoast teams enjoyed successful seasons, too.
Mt. Ararat earned the No. 7 seed in Class A North and eliminated No. 10 Hampden Academy 1-0 in the preliminary round before falling to No. 2 Camden Hills on a rainy day in a game that was moved to the turf at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.
“This team always competed and worked hard until the final whistle, and it showed in our improvement,” said Mt. Ararat head coach Jack Rioux. “It was great to have a normal season.”
A return to traditional schedules was something area coaches took a strong liking to.
“It was fantastic (to return to a traditional schedule),” Roma said. “Don’t get me wrong, it was crazy last year and I appreciate the fact that those seniors got to compete, but it would have been nice to let them see what they could do in the tournament last season. To have the opportunity this season was fantastic.”
Added Rioux: “It was outstanding. To play a KVAC schedule and have meaningful games was something we all enjoyed together.”
In Class B, a young Morse team fell to top-seeded Yarmouth in the South preliminary round. No. 5 Freeport topped No. 12 Lake Region in the preliminary round before upsetting No. 4 Greely in the regional quarterfinals. The Falcons fell to top-seeded Yarmouth in the semifinals by a 2-1 score.
Class D Richmond earned the No. 2 seed in the South before falling to No. 3 and eventual regional champion North Yarmouth Academy at home.
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