To say that the 2023 Winslow boys soccer team was in a transitional phase would be an understatement.

The Black Raiders — who were 34-2-1 over the previous two seasons and won the Class B North title in 2021 — entered this fall with some big holes to fill. The team lost Andrew Poulin (83 goals combined in his last two seasons) and goalkeeper Jason Reynolds to graduation.

Then came an early wake-up call after it went 0-2-1 to start this season.

“The start was kind of a warning,” senior defender Brady Willette said.

The finish has been remarkable. The Black Raiders closed the regular season with 11 consecutive victories to secure the No. 3 seed in the B North playoffs. They have outscored opponents 71-7 in the streak.

Winslow (11-2-1) will play No. 6 Caribou (10-4-1) in a regional quarterfinal  game Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Messalonskee High School.

“Our team just doesn’t like losing, we’re a very competitive team,” said junior midfielder Tyler Nadeau.

“I feel like our midfield has been really holding it down this year,” added senior midfielder Joey Richards, a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference B North all-conference selection last season. “I think our midfield this year might actually be better than last year, so that’s a big thing that helps.”

Winslow faced a tough schedule to start the season. The Black Raiders dropped their first two games, a 3-2 to Erskine Academy and 2-0 to Morse. It then tied Gardiner 1-1 on Sept. 8.

“We didn’t play our best the first two games. I think we came (into the season) with a different mentality,” senior midfielder Jacob Owen said. “But we fixed it and changed it around.”

Winslow team captain Jacob Owen, center, plays the ball during an Oct. 19 boys soccer practice at Thomas College in Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“Every season is different,” added Winslow head coach Aaron Wolfe. “Two years ago (when Winslow won the regional title), I was expecting us to do what we did. I knew going in we would be the top team, it was just a matter of staying focused and improving. Last year, I wasn’t expecting us to be quite as good as our record said. I think we improved a lot from last season. But this season, comparing them, we have improved — from beginning to end — more than we have the last two years. The last two seasons, we were consistently good pretty much from start to finish. This year we’ve, by the nature of how things started out, had to improve, but we did it, and that’s why we ended up where we ended up.

“We definitely had a tougher schedule this year, but I’d much rather have a more challenging schedule more than one that doesn’t prepare you for the playoffs,” Wolfe continued. “I think (the schedule) makes the season even more of a success, in a sense. We played some higher quality teams and were right there with them in every game. I think it also helps to now, confidence-wise, to know that with the top teams, we’re going to be right there with them… That experience early (in the season) helped us later on.”

From that point forward, all cylinders clicked for Winslow. The Black Raiders have scored 10 or more goals in a game twice this season, and have not allowed more than two goals in any match during the win streak, which dates to Sept. 12.

Winslow avenged one of its early losses, beating Erskine 5-2 on Oct. 3.

“(The Erskine win) was definitely a good motivator to push us through and let us know that we’re going to do pretty well,” Richards said.

Winslow team captain Jacob Owen plays the ball during an Oct. 19 boys soccer practice at Thomas College in Waterville. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

“I think we’ve changed the way the way we play,” added Owen. “We keep the ball way more this year. We don’t always try to force the ball down the middle (of the field) as much. Our midfield tries to pass the ball more. It’s not just a one directional offense.”

While the offensive output has been notable, it’s been the play in the backfield that has been most impressive for Winslow.

“It’s almost an entirely new defense this season,” Nadeau said. “There’s three new players and just one starter from last season.”

The challenge of the Class B playoffs awaits the Black Raiders, but even with some roster turnover, there is still plenty of players who have that valued playoff experience. Winslow has made regional final appearances in each of the past two seasons.

“The first (playoff) game is always the hardest,” Wolfe said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s just different, being a playoff game, and you have to be ready to play. Within the first five to 10 minutes (of the game), it really shows what team is showing up, and you have to be ready to play… You just really have to make sure you’re mentally prepared to start the game at that level, and you can’t wait to get to that level halfway through the game.”

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