Cony’s Yusuf Ibrahim, left, keeps Maranacook’s Mitch Maceda away during a boys soccer match Friday in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — Maranacook boys soccer coach Don Beckwith takes pride in his tough preseason camps, building endurance into his teams for the long season.
That fitness played a key role for the Black Bears on Friday. Hanging tough in 80-plus degree temperatures, Maranacook beat Cony 4-0 at Kennebec Savings Field.
Maranacook (3-0-0) maintained its intensity throughout the match, a difficult task with the heat. Up 2-0 at halftime, the Black Bears put the game away in the second half on a penalty kick from senior Jacob Nisby — who scored two goals — and a goal from sophomore Luke McLaughlin.
“They should be (fit),” Beckwith said. “(In preseason) you have to go through 22 (exercise) stations before you ever touch a ball. Lot of jump-roping, a lot of stuff. Lot of turning tires, we turn a lot of tires.”
Sam St. Germain tallied the first goal for Maranacook with 25 minutes remaining in the first half. Nisby added his first goal, on a breakaway opportunity, late in the half.
“I train with our goalie (Brayden St. Pierre) constantly on our 1-on-1’s,” Nisby said. “It’s finally paying off.”
“Jacob kind of solidifies us, taking the ball, taking control of it,” Beckwith said. “He’s a very good player, he’s just a really good player. If he isn’t one of the best in this league, I don’t know who in the hell is.”
Maranacook’s Mitch Maceda, left, and Cony’s John Ramage try to stop as Maranacook goalie Brayden St. Pierre makes a sliding stop during a boys soccer match Friday in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Maranacook kept the pressure on throughout the match. The Black Bears outshot the Rams by a 19-9 margin.
“I think we pressured them quite a bit,” Beckwith said. “We had more (scoring) opportunities than them. We obviously cashed in on them and I thought we did a great job. We still have a long ways to go, that shouldn’t be our best game yet.”
Cony (1-1-1) battled throughout the match and missed on a scoring opportunity that went off the post. But the Rams were forced to work on the defensive end for much of the contest.
St. Pierre earned the shutout for Maranacook, making six saves.
“I think everybody worked pretty well in the preseason,” Nisby said. “We wanted to get a Gold Ball this year and everybody is ready to get to that competitive level.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
