Wiscasset/Boothbay played hard but visiting Buckfield won 4-0 in Mountain Valley Conference Soccer action Saturday night.

The Wolverines held the Bucks scoreless through the first 20 minutes. Striker Caleb Hill then broke free, carried the ball inside the 18-yard line and fired, ringing the ball off the far post. Victor Verrill was there for the rebound, booting the ball into the net.

The goal came about three minutes after the Wolverines had driven deep. Aiden Foley fired a nice shot but the ball was pushed aside by Tyler Gammon, the Bucks’ goalkeeper. Gammon picked up a second save on a direct kick from Foley after the Bucks were whistled for roughing.  

Verrill’s unassisted goal just before the half made it a 2-0 ballgame. Buckfield held just a 7-3 shot edge through the first 40 minutes of play.

Six minutes into the second half, the Wolverines were whistled for a tripping infraction inside the penalty area. Goalie L J Travis then made the save of the game, diving to his left and pushing the penalty kick wide of the net. Two minutes later, at 34:14, the Bucks drove deep again. Zach Shields slipped behind two Wolverine defenders, lunged and scored with a shot off the side of his foot.  

With 25:32 left to play, Brian Foye of the Wolverines passed off to Jordan Espeut. Espeut cut to his left and fired from 30 yards away but missed wide.

The Wolverines had two more chances to avert the shutout. Their best opportunity came when Brian Foye fired just outside the 30. Gammon leaped and tipped the ball over the crossbar. Soon after, Espeut aimed for the far post and just missed wide left.

With 3:55 left, Verrill scored his second goal. Travis finished with a dozen saves. Gammon had six. Defensive standouts for WMHS were seniors Josh Jones and Billy Pinkham. John Hodson and Garrett Cossette played well on both sides of the field.

The Wolverines are still looking for their first win this season. They entered the game with an MVC record of 0-3-1.  The win improved Buckfield’s record to 4-4.

Coach Chris Cossette and the Wolverines have a 4 p.m. game Tuesday, Oct. 1 at home verses the Oak Hill Raiders. On Thursday Oct. 3, they’ll travel to Salem to play the Mt. Abram Roadrunners. Then on Saturday, Oct. 5, the team will be in Monmouth to face the Monmouth Academy Mustangs.

The Wolverines entered the Buckfield game ranked 15th in the MPA Class C South standings. The top 11 teams qualify for the postseason tournament.