SOUTH CHINA — The tournament season is all about second chances and the 12th-seeded Medomak Valley boys soccer team is making the most of its opportunities.

Tuesday, the Panthers pulled off their second straight upset in the Eastern Maine Class B tournament, defeating No. 4 Erskine 3-1 in a quarterfinal game. Last week, Medomak (8-7-1) knocked off No. 5 Old Town in penalty kicks in a tournament prelim.

Up next for the Panthers is a semifinal date Saturday against top-seeded Ellsworth. Erskine closes its season at 12-2-2.

This was a frustrating game for the host Eagles, who had beaten the Panthers twice during the regular season by 5-1 scores.

“We had our opportunities,” Erskine coach Phil Hubbard said. “We pounded the goal. The way I look at it, we take a shot on goal (and) it bounces off one of our players and right to their goalie, who is six yards in front of the goal. It wasn’t (meant) for us today.”

By that time, the Panthers led 3-1 on the strength of a second-half goal that took another fortunate bounce in their direction and was volleyed in by Cale Gee. Medomak got first-half goals from Patrick Madden and Zindane McMurrin while junior Luke Peabody scored for the Eagles. Erskine outshot Medomak 15-9, including 10-3 in the second half, but the outcome wasn’t all about lucky bounces for the Panthers.

“Earlier in the year we were trying to get our concepts together and move the ball on the ground,” Medomak coach Brian Campbell said. “It’s been a work in progress. The past couple of weeks it’s all come together.”

The Eagles came out aggressively and took control of midfield behind Ryan Rodrigue, Zach Isbell and Trevor Hubbard. But it was the Panthers who scored first, in fact on their first shot when Madden was uncovered on the left side of the goal following a throw-in from the right sideline.

Peabody answered with a fine solo move down the right side in which he beat a defender and sent a bullet into the left side of the goal past keeper Noah Beck (13 saves). Five minutes later McMurrin restored the lead when he beat Erskine keeper Denver Cullivan (six saves) with a direct kick from 20 yards that found the far corner of the goal.

“My coach said I could just rip it any time I wanted to,” the sophomore forward said. “So I just ripped it.”

Gee got the insurance goal midway through the second half after Jackson Nask dribbled down the left side and two Erskine defenders collided. The ball bounced back to Nash but Cullivan saved his point blank shot only to have it bounce to Gee who played it off his body into the goal.

“We haven’t had a ton of success in the past few years,” senior captain and center midfielder Micah Williamson said. “I think people are starting to realize this is a good chance. We’ve got senior leadership and we’ve got a lot of young talent.”