Easton Bears prepare for State Class D Soccer Championship Game

EASTON, Maine (WAGM) - The Easton Bears have made history and they want to make more history on Saturday. The Bears won their first ever Regional Soccer title on Tuesday and now they are focused on trying to bring a State title back to the County.

(Augustus Bonner):” Feels great. It feels really good, this was a team goal. We had to win this one to get the game on Saturday it feels amazing.”

The Bears had a tremendous season losing just one game on the year and playing some of their best soccer once the playoffs began. Coach Ryan Shaw says the team set a goal at the beginning of the year and they stayed focused.

(Ryan Shaw):” We have been building on this for a few years, since these guys were in eighth grade. We talk about it ever year, we have come up short. We knew it was a building process over the last few years and we are very small school. We always have eighth graders and freshmen in the lineup. Just getting experience and doing things the right way.”

(Owen Sweeney):” It’s incredible. This is what we have been building since I was an eighth grader. It feels really good.”

Bonner:” This was our goal and what we wanted since day one.”

(Drew Lamoreau):”Great chemistry. We have built it up so much that I knew one of these years we would get something. I am pleased that we made it.”

The Bears have five seniors on the team, but Shaw said that people sometime forget how young they are at certain positions.

Shaw:” You look at our back line. We lost Blake King that was a huge hit to us. We had an eighth grader step in. and we didn’t miss a beat. You take that back line. We have a freshman keeper, freshman outside back and an eighth grade outside back.”

Shaw says the Seniors proved to be great leaders for the underclassmen and that was a big part of their success. Drew Lamoreau says the key all season was to be a team.

Lamoreau:” Really just talking to them every day. Making sure they still have their focus. We have had a really good connection with these guys. We have been playing with them since day and rec league. We have always had that kind of chemistry and connection on the field.”

The Bears haven’t let the pressure get to them yet and Coach Shaw says he is telling his players to enjoy the moment, but also not to change their pre game preparations they have used all season.

Shaw:” You have to treat it like any other game you played all year. You have to have that focus. You can’t focus on this is the State game because you tend to tighten up and make mistakes. You have to treat it like every other game”.

Bonner:” Enjoy the moment, we want to make it a good one.”

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