2023 boys soccer wrap-up: Championship seasons abundant in central Maine this fall

Darren Allen, head coach of the Mt. Abram Regional High School boys’ soccer team, holds the state championship trophy after the Roadrunners’ 1-0 victory over George Stevens Academy in the Class C title game in Topsham. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

There was no lack of golden boys soccer moments in central Maine this season.

Central Maine All-Stars

Joey Richards, Winslow: A senior, Richards showed to be one of the most well-rounded players in the area, earning KVAC B Player of the Year honors for the Black Raiders.

Morgan Thibodeau, Mt. Abram: A senior, Thibodeau was the spark that lit the Roadrunners to their first Class C title. Was named MVC Player of the Year for his efforts.

Lucas Vicneire, Carrabec: Vicneire was a key to the Cobras capturing the first eight-person boys title, scoring 24 goals while adding 28 assists. Was named Eight-person South Player of the Year.

Brandon Smith, Monmouth Academy: Smith tied the single-season program record for goals, with 36, while leading the Mustangs to their first Gold Ball since 2000.

Noah Hurd, Mount View: A senior forward, Hurd led the offensive charge for a Mustangs team that overachieved and reached the Class C North title game. A KVAC B first-team selection.

Mt. Abram, a longtime contender in Class C, finally got over the hump to win the program’s first state championship.

“I don’t think there’s a word that describes the feeling (of a state title), in English or any language,” Mt. Abram head coach Darren Allen said. “It’s just unbelievable. It’s like a dream, looking back on it.”

Led by the play of Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year Morgan Thibodeau, along with fellow MVC first-team selections Payton Mitchell, Sam Cockerham and Logan Dube, the Roadrunners rolled to an 18-0 season. Mt. Abram cleared its biggest hurdle of years past when it secured a 3-0 victory over Waynflete in the regional semifinals Nov. 3. The Flyers over the years have routinely bounced the Roadrunners from championship contention.

“We worked so hard and so long for something like this,” Allen said. “It finally happens, and we’re just like, ‘wow.’ It was just incredible… It means a ton (to win), it means everything, it really does.”

Though Thibodeau was the offensive stalwart for the Roadrunners, who also were tough on the back end. Mt. Abram allowed three goals and had 15 shutouts.

Winthrop also had a successful season in Class C South, reaching the semifinals as a No. 6 seed before getting knocked out by Traip Academy.

In Class C North, Mount View (12-5-0) was a win away from making a state final appearance as a No. 6 seed. The Mustangs ultimately fell 4-0 to George Stevens Academy in the regional final. Led by the play of senior Noah Hurd, the Mustangs beat No. 3 Foxcroft Academy (by a 3-1 margin) and pulled an upset on the road in the semifinal against No. 2 Fort Kent (2-1) to reach the C North final.

“I’m proud (of the team) to be here,” Mount View head coach Burn Farris said after the loss to George Stevens. “We’re young. We start seven underclassmen, seven freshmen and sophomores. I’m really proud of them. Nobody expected us to get out of the (quarterfinals). They’re already talking about (doing well) next year, they’re ready. Our core group is sophomores, and we have a good group coming up from eighth grade. Our future looks bright.”

Monmouth Academy made a successful transition to the Class D ranks this fall, winning the program’s first state title since 2000 with a 5-3 victory over Easton on Nov. 11 at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Patrick Strout led the Mustangs (16-1-1) with a hat trick in the win, while Brandon Smith scored his 36th goal of the season, which tied Hayden Fletcher for single-season program record.

Andrew Rother (17) and his Mt. Abram teammates celebrate their Class C state championship following a 1-0 victory over George Stevens Academy in Topsham. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“When we knew we were moving down to D, we knew we had a legitimate chance to do something special, and the kids really embraced it,” Monmouth head coach Joe Fletcher said. “They welcomed the opportunity and the leadership was outstanding this year, as good as I’ve had.”

While Smith and his teammates had no trouble finding the back of the net, Fletcher was just as impressed by the play of his defense, led by MVC first-team selection Luke Harmon.

Though the Mustangs transitioned to Class D, they still kept an MVC schedule, playing a strong amount of Class C competition.

“It prepared us in a lot of ways,” Fletcher said. “The pace of the game, the level of the game. The competition was really good. We knew, if we could compete at a high level in C, the way we did, we knew going into the tournament that we would (do) fairly well.”

Monmouth, the No. 2 seed in D South, had to best a strong Richmond squad in the regional final. The Mustangs beat the Bobcats (14-2-0), 4-0. The Bobcats were an offensive juggernaut all season, scoring 79 goals. But both of their losses came to the Mustangs.

Winslow had another strong season in Class B North, reaching the semifinal round as a No. 3 seed before getting knocked out by a 3-2 score by No. 2 Ellsworth.

“I think, in a lot of respects, in some ways we overachieved (this season),” Winslow head coach Aaron Wolfe said. “We were right in the game (against Ellsworth) and could have easily moved on. We were one of the top teams (in B North), despite losing in the semis. I was happy with how our team played from the start of season to the end. We definitely improved a ton and really showed a lot of growth from a lot of players.”

The Black Raiders (12-3-1) had several standout performers, including senior midfielder Joey Richards, who was named the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year. Jacob Owen and Tyler Nadeau were also KVAC B first-team selections.

Gardiner (11-3-2), Waterville (7-7-1) and Erskine Academy (8-7-0) all made playoff appearances in B North, with the Tigers making an appearance in the quarterfinals.

Winslow’s Braden Rodrigue center, takes on Caribou defenders Edison Sleeper, right, and Landon Albair during a Class B North quarterfinal game at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

In Class A, Skowhegan (5-7-3) reached the playoffs for the first time in 23 years, making it to the quarterfinal round as a No. 7 seed before falling 3-0 to No. 2 Camden Hills. Mt. Blue (5-9-1) also reached the A North playoffs as a No. 8 seed, and played a tough match against eventual state champion Lewiston, falling 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

Carrabec made the most of the inaugural season of eight-person soccer, beating Stearns/Schenck 1-0 on Nov. 11 at Fuller Field in Augusta for the program’s first Gold Ball since winning the Class C championship back in 2004.

“Almost 20 years between titles, it’s crazy, isn’t it?” said Carrabec head coach Paul Vicneire. “I don’t even think (the word) proud could cover my feelings for the team and what they accomplished. That would probably be an understatement. They nailed it. Their work ethic was unbelievable. But the key was, they believed in the system.”

Using a possession-based attack that produced 114 goals, while allowing just five (posting 13 shutouts), the Cobras cruised to an 18-0-0 record. Carrabec was led by Lucas Vicneire, who scored 24 goals and had 28 assists and was named the eight-person South Player of the Year. Teammate Christopher Caruso was also clutch for the Cobras, scoring a goal in the regional final, and the title-clinching goal in the state final.

“This was just a group of unselfish players,” Paul Vicneire said. “We knew we needed a score from multiple positions. We knew we didn’t want to be a direct team. They were so confident that we could reset all the way to the back line and develop another (scoring) option. Once they realized the ball was the fastest thing on the field, we utilized that, created space and opportunity. The eight-person (league) was just what we were set up for.”