WISCASSET — After a “flat” start to the contest against Lisbon, Wiscasset picked up the intensity, erasing a one-goal deficit while scoring three unanswered goals to beat the visiting Greyhounds, 3-1 in boys high school soccer action on Monday.
“We came out flat in the early minutes of the game, that’s been one of our problems,” Wiscasset coach Chris Cossette said. “Once they got into the groove, they got into it.”
The two Mountain Valley Conference schools both stand at 3-5 through eight games.
Ten minutes in, Cam Poisson put Lisbon on the scoreboard first. The senior tri-captain grabbed the ball at the 20-yard line and was able to blast the shot by Wiscasset goalie Caleb Gabriele.
“I picked up the ball and I saw that I had a chance and was able to touch it around the 18-yard line and punch it in,” Poisson said.
“I hesitated honestly,” Gabriele said of the goal. “It was a good goal by them, nothing really I did. I got a deflection on it, but it wasn’t enough.”
It didn’t take long for the Wolverines to answer. Less than three minutes after Lisbon’s tally, the home team evened the score when Chris Loyola drilled a shot that Lisbon goalie Sean Moore got a hand on, but the ball then deflected off the left post for the equalizer.
Lisbon continued putting shots on net, but Gabriele turned them away, making five first-half saves. Meanwhile, Wiscasset was making the most of its shots. At 9:33, Matt Chapman beat the Lisbon defenders to a loose ball and was able to get a foot on it to beat Moore and give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead that they carried into the halftime break.
Lisbon outshot Wiscasset 6-3 and had one corner kick to the Wolverines none in the opening frame.
“We had some looks, but I think we could have had more,” Lisbon coach Dan Sylvester said. “We didn’t get the ball wide enough like we were supposed to, we were really centralized and I think that allowed their defense to take some of those things away from us. It’s something we need to take care of.”
Lisbon nearly tied the game just over seven minutes into the second frame. Gabriele came out of the net for a loose ball only to have it get away from him, but Chapman was there to clear the ball and kill any threat.
“I’ve known two of my defenders for a very long time. One’s my brother (Josh) and Bayly (Gaughan-Carrasco), who’s come from Boothbay, whom I’ve known for awhile,” Gabriele said. “I have complete trust in my defense, if I see a ball I know I can get, they let me get it.”
Cossette sees the camaraderie his defense is developing.
“Three out of the four have been playing together for quite a while now. They seem to know where each other is going to be. And as soon as Bayly joined us, he fit right in,” the coach said. “They pass well, although sometimes it’s hard for the guys to play a passing game, because sometimes they don’t realize it’s time to get the ball out.”
Wiscasset registered an insurance goal with 4:24 on the clock. Chapman kicked a shot on goal that Moore stopped, but John Hodson was there to pick up the rebound for the game’s final score.
Wiscasset was able to run down the clock unscathed for the two-goal victory.
“I think we have speed down the side, but we didn’t use that to our advantage and they beat us,” Sylvester said of the loss.
“Lisbon’s always been lethal, patient and always a threat. We came out flat in the second half as well and they (Lisbon) put a lot of pressure on us,” Cossette said.. “We finally got the ball back to our side of the field.”
“They played very well today. They’re a tough team,” Gabriele said of his team’s opponent. “We came back and scored three on them so it worked out. If we can keep this momentum up, we can hopefully get into the playoffs.
Lisbon finished the game outshooting Wiscasset 12-6, while each team had a corner kick.
Wiscasset hosts Mt. Abram Tuesday at 6 p.m., while Lisbon travels to Monmouth for a 3:30 p.m. game.
Lisbon’s Darien Davis (8) shoots the ball on net between a pair of Wiscasset defenders during the first half of an MVC soccer game. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)Wiscasset’s Bayly Gaughan-Carrasco (3) beats Lisbon’s Elijah Fullerton (7) to the ball before he taps it back to his goalie. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
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