On Wed., Oct. 12, the Boothbay Special Olympics soccer players traveled to Husson University to compete in the Central Maine Soccer Tourney. There were 15 adult teams represented. Boothbay adults played the BBAASO Bears. Boothbay lost 2-1.

Danny Miller played goalie and stopped six shots on goal. Defense was played exceptionally well by Matt Farnham and Donny Dunning. It was fantastic to watch this action. The front line of Joey Ranco, Brenda LeConte and Ronda LeConte did a great job, once everyone got the game rhythm going. Their ball handling skills were great with blocking, trapping, shooting, and tackling the ball back and forth. Ronda LeConte scored in this game.

In the final game battling for fourth and fifth places, Boothbay played the Navigators from Lewiston, that included many friends. Danny Miller once again played a great in goal where he teamed with Donny Dunning and Matt Farnham on defense. Danny stopped 11 shots on goal only allowing only one goal. Joey Ranco lead his team with one goal. With the help of the LeConte sisters, they kept the Navigators to one goal. Boothbay played a two minute tiebreaker and then a PG. Navigators goalie Della Lippencott caught all three goal attempts. Boothbay’s Danny Miller missed one high goal kick thus ending the tournament for the adults. Navigators 2 and Boothbay 1. The Boothbay team came home with a fifth place and the Navigators with a fourth.

The skills gang took to the field working against the clock. They needed to dribble, trap, score and pass. We were thrilled that Blake Chadwick and Kelsey Hoyle brought home the gold and Anthony Angelico and Coyle Lawler brought home fifth place. The improvement since last year is tremendous.

In the school age division, in the final game, Boothbay played rival and friends from Oceanside in Rockland. If they gave the most valuable player award, Matthew Hyson would have won. He was fantastic! He stopped 8 shots on goal with only one creeping in.

He was helped by the famous Vincent Giles. This was his first year in team play. Wow! “Piper’s Son,” John Rankin, and Grace Giles assisted each game learning and moving in the defense position as well. It was Piper’s and Grace’s first time in team play, too. In the front line we had Thomas Wilcox, a stand out athlete, who scored all three goals assisted by Isaac Pray, an up and coming athlete, Amber Hyson and Valerie Giles. Amber is a steady valuable player and Isaac and Valerie are working hard to become more aggressive. Boothbay won the final game thus giving them the gold for tournament action for 2016.

It was a very happy trip home. Many Boothbay athletes were interviewed for local Channel 6 news. Hopefully you caught it.