BELFAST — The Mount View boys soccer team was one victory away from playing in the Class C championship game last fall.

This season, the Mustangs (7-0-0) are out to prove they are still a class contender.

Mount View is first in Class C North Heal points after defeating previous leader George Stevens Academy (8-2-0), the defending C North champion, 3-1 on Thursday. Mount View also defeated George Stevens 4-1 on Sept. 13 in Thorndike.

“It feels great (to be off to a strong start),” said junior captain Stuart Knowlton. “I know we put the work in during the preseason.”

“Despite our high expectations, we still came in and worked as hard as we could,” added junior captain Tanner Oathout. “More than just a team, we’re a family. We hang out with each other, outside of school. It’s a really great atmosphere.”

A year ago, the Mustangs finished 12-5-0 and reached the C North final with a young roster. Senior Noah Hurd, who was selected as a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B first team selection, led the attack up front. Hurd, a three-sport star at Mount View, is now on the baseball team at Husson University in Bangor.

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“We’re still pretty young (this season), we only have two seniors,” said second-year head coach Burn Farris. “(What stands out) is just the way the team is a team, and the effort level. We’re beating most teams with effort.”

The Mustangs return an experienced junior group.

“A lot of these juniors have played, and started, all three years,” Farris said. “They have a lot of experience and they’re really good soccer players. With those guys playing so much, they work together so well on the field, like Victor (Ahelefeld), Tanner (Oathout), Stuart (Knowlton), Brady (Bryant) on defense and Ben (Grassi). It’s fun to watch.”

Defense has been a strength in the early going — the team has allowed seven goals in its first seven games.

“I want to work more on our possession, we have trouble with our possession at times when we need it,” Farris said. “Our defense is so strong that we tend to recover from it. We’ve given up very few shots on goal. That’s something we’re focusing on.”

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Mount View has played strong offensively as well, scoring 34 goals in its first seven games. The Mustangs also seem to have found their breakout scorer in Oathout. He scored two goals in a 3-1 victory against Belfast on Tuesday night, showing good breakaway speed.

“(Oathout) has scored countless goals so far this season,” Knowlton said. “He’s just been outstanding all season.”

“Last year, we really relied on one offense,” added junior captain Ben Grassi. “We’ve got multiple guys this year attacking together. We’re able to feed Tanner, and he takes a lot of credit for that, and we can feed other guys up there (during a game).”

Farris has also been impressed with Oathout’s play so far.

“He’s come on a lot this year, I think he’s scored our last 12 goals,” Farris said. “He’s at a different level right now and he’s tough to defend. He can go either right foot or left foot. He’s a competitor.”

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