READFIELD — Maranacook was quicker to the ball, controlled the middle of the field and buried its best chances.

As a result, the Black Bears are in the Western Maine Class B boys soccer semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Defenders Nick Lacasse and Zach Elwell scored about 10 minutes apart in the first half, and No. 4 Maranacook made it stand in a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Morse in a regional quarterfinal game Wednesday night at Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams.

“We drained it all out of ourselves,” Maranacook senior captain striker Jon Varney said. “We definitely had to work for this one.”

The Black Bears (12-3-0) will play at top-seeded York (12-1-2) in a regional semifinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Shipbuilders, who rallied with a second-half goal but couldn’t push home the equalizer, finished their season 8-6-1.

“It was a good game,” Morse coach Tom Rackmales said. “They took advantage of their opportunities in the first half. I thought they carried the play to us in the first half, but we carried the play a little more in the second.”

Both Maranacook goals came on set plays.

Lacasse opened the scoring on a nice direct kick from about 24 yards out just 9 minutes, 56 seconds into the game. With Morse goalie Grady Madden setting up a wall of defenders in front of him, Lacasse quickly buried a well-placed shot to the far post.

“It was quick,” Lacasse said. “We tried to do it at the beginning of the season, but it didn’t work. It was a shot that goes in maybe one out of 10 times. They didn’t know it was coming. They didn’t even have their wall set up. It was a big goal.”

Added Rackmales: “It was a smart play. We weren’t ready for it.”

Elwell gave the Black Bears some breathing room when he converted a corner kick from Varney with 20:51 left in the half.

“We were pounding and pounding the strikers at the 12 (yard line) and then looking for me,” Elwell said. “The ball nicked my ear and went off my elbow. I looked back at the ref and was like, ‘Please don’t call hand ball, please don’t call hand ball.’ “

The refs didn’t, and Maranacook was in control.

“The first five minutes of the game were terrible, but after that we started moving the ball really well,” Varney said. “We were up and ready to go.”

Maranacook had momentum and a 2-0 lead at the half, but it didn’t take long for the Shipbuilders to cut into both.

They cut the deficit in half when senior midfielder Cody Snyder beat Maranacook keeper AJ Freeman from inside the box on a low shot through traffic just 2:25 into the second half.

The Shipbuilders had several chances at the equalizer late, but Freeman (nine saves) and the Black Bears held.

“We had a lot of chances, and in the playoffs you have to put them away,” Beckwith said. “We have a big challenge waiting for us. It might be the biggest one we’ve ever had.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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