BATH — There were few secrets heading into Friday night’s Class A North boys high school soccer matchup between third-seeded Bangor and No. 2 Mt. Ararat at McMann Field.
In an early season encounter in Topsham, it took a Travis Nadeau double-overtime goal to lift the Eagles to a 1-0 win, and through 40 minutes of back-and-forth soccer, the Rams and Eagles were scoreless at the half once again.
This time around Nadeau decided he didn’t want to play overtime on a crisp, fall night, scoring two goals early in the second half in Mt. Ararat’s 3-2 win.
The Eagles will travel to top-seeded Lewiston, a 2-0 victor over No. 5 Mt. Blue on Friday, this upcoming Wedsday at 6 p.m., while Bangor finished 11-2-3 mark.
“I knew we had a special group, five of them with me all four years,” said Mt. Ararat (13-2-1) coach Jack Rioux, who remembers a conversation with outgoing Mt. Ararat coach Rick Renaud four years ago. “Rick’s last year, they graduated 19 seniors, then I took over. He told me about this group coming up, then Ethan (Rac) and Travis showed up as freshmen. We wanted to get to a championship game.”
For Nadeau, this win continued his comeback story. Last year, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was forced to watch his teammates the rest of the season. During the offseason, he rehabilitated his knee and came back for his senior year healthy and ready to lead.
“This means a lot to me. As soon as I tore my ACL, I knew that I wanted to get back. This feeling of winning with this team has driven me to get back to here. I would have never had the drive to do it without these guys,” Nadeau said.
“He’s worked so hard to get here,” Rioux added. “He is an all-around player who makes his teammates around him better. Just a joy to watch.”
Early save
The game began with a bang as Bangor had the first scoring opportunity just 90 seconds into the contest. Jacob Henry gathered a pass in front of Eagle netminder James Singleton, turned quickly and shot. Singleton went low and kicked the ball away.
“That was a huge save. James has been steady all season and has saved us time and time again when we needed it. When he is tested, he is always there,” said Rioux.
Both goaltenders were called upon to make saves in the opening 40 minutes. Bangor netminder Austin Conway challenged Nadeau, with a hard collision putting both of them on the cold turf. Singleton had five first-half saves, while Conway made four to send the teams to the half scoreless.
Before some in the crowd had returned with a cup of hot chocolate for the second half, the Eagles struck. Nadeau received a pass from Will San Pedro, sprinted past a Bangor defender and beat Conway to the far post for a 1-0 lead just 40 seconds into the frame.
Nadeau doubled the advantage just past the 10-minute mark, with Hayden Libby assisting.
“It was an unbelievable start to the second half, with Travis getting one 40 seconds in and another one. Just an unreal start and what we wanted. We knew chances would be limited, and we capitalized on it,” said Rioux.
“It comes down to who wanted it more and who puts in the effort. Those early goals felt good, and we just went harder,” Nadeau said.
Bangor refused to go away, with Conor O’Brien finishing less than two minutes after Nadeau’s second goal to get the Rams to 2-1.
The scoring settled down, with the defenses stepping up. Bangor’s Josh Sherwood, Kevin Fish and Will Hadden kept Eagle scorers to the outside, while Mt. Ararat’s Kody Noyes, Alex Bryant and Libby cut off most Ram advances.
Mt. Ararat regained a two-goal lead with 14:47 remaining. Max Spelke found his favorite target, Rac, with the striker finishing the Spelke cross for a 3-1 advantage.
This time, it only took the Rams 55 seconds to draw back within a goal, with Sherwood blasting a shot past Singleton.
“I wasn’t surprised Bangor came back,” said Nadeau. “They are good on set pieces, and they pushed back.”
“Momentum was on our side, but like a good team does, Bangor came right back. I can’t say enough about Bangor,” Rioux said.
The Rams tried in vain to find the tying goal, with Mt. Ararat midfielders Spelke, Maximo Varela, San Pedro, Nate Taylor and Mason Brigham cutting off Bangor advances. As the time ticked to zero, the large Mt. Ararat crowd rose as one, sending the Eagles to Wednesday’s regional final with momentum.
This will be the fourth meeting between the Blue Devils and Eagles. Lewiston defeated Mt. Ararat, 2-0, early in the regular season before the teams played to a 1-1 tie on Oct. 6 in Lewiston. Mt. Ararat captured the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference title with a penalty kick victory at Lewiston, with the deciding and most important contest set for Tuesday on Don Roux Field.
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