There was little doubt that the Mt. Ararat High School boys soccer team and head coach Rick Renaud were a frustrated group.

Renaud argued a penalty kick call (resulting in a yellow card) that gave Edward Little a chance to tie the game midway through the first half, an opportunity the Eddies quickly cashed in on.

But, this is the 2012 Mt. Ararat Eagles, a team which seems to shake off adversity and battle back through each obstacle, something Renaud’s squad accomplished in a 3-1 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference victory in the Eagles’ season finale on Tuesday.

The win gives Mt. Ararat a 12-1-1 mark, the No. 1 seed in Eastern Maine Class A and an 11-game winning streak to boot.

“We didn’t give up, and just continued to fight, one of the big things about this team,” said Renaud, whose squad will host the No. 8/9 seed winner in the Eastern A quarterfinals at a date to be determined. “We believe and know we have to go into every game working hard. These kids know if they work harder than their opponents good things will happen.”

“The thing about Ararat is they’re consistent and play very hard,” said Edward Little (7-6-1) coach Matthew Andreasen, who joined Renaud with a yellow card late in the first half while arguing a call. “Today was a game of aggression given the field conditions. They were the aggressors. We played hard, but didn’t match how hard Ararat played. Just not hard enough to beat a team like Ararat.”

Small to the rescue

After Robbie Small staked Mt. Ararat to a 1-0 lead 5:42 into the game, the Eddies found rare room in the Eagles’ defense of Alex Lapierre, Dan Purinton and Dylan Michaud. Maslah Hassan was tripped up in the penalty area, and Corey Martin’s low penalty kick into the left corner of the net past the dive of Eagles goaltender Gabe Pelletier (four saves) tied the game with 21:59 remaining in the first half.

After the goal, the Eddies kept coming, getting a shot from Zach Tannenbaum that Pelletier gobbled up.

Mt. Ararat needed a spark and received it from Small. Nate Santeramo’s corner kick was headed toward the EL cage by Mike Crawford. Small was left unmarked and finished the play by firing a shot past the dive of Eddies netminder Llewellyn Jensen for a 2-1 Eagles lead.

“The goal was pretty important and seemed to get us all back into it,” said Small of his game-winning goal with 13:36 remaining until halftime.

“They have a bunch of kids that just want it,” said Martin.

After two days of rain made the EL field nearly unplayable, with several muddy patches making solid footwork impossible, Mt. Ararat used its skill to take control in the second half.

“It was tough to just stay on your feet, many times hustling back to play defense and slipping to the ground,” said Mt. Ararat midfielder Jason Tome. “We have been able to come into each game with a gameplan, and the coaches have prepared us.”

EL defenders Kaleb Main, Adam Lebrun, Michael Cote, Brandon Polisky and Brady Pleau faced an onslaught from Eagle forwards Will Hirnak, Eric Knight, Chris Pepin, Santeramo, Tome, Griffin Stockford and Ty Veno, firing the first seven shots of the second half.

Jensen made four good stops, but was unable to get to Isaac Bradshaw’s first varsity goal with 25:59 remaining for a 3- 1 Eagles lead.

Ararat finished with a 17-5 shot advantage and 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Jensen had seven saves for the Eddies, while Pelletier turned aside four shots in the win.

Mt. Ararat 3, Edward Little 1

At Auburn
Mt. Ararat — 2 1 — 3
Edward Little — 1 0 — 1
Goals — (MA) Robbie Small 2, Isaac Bradshaw; (EL)
Corey Martin.
Assists — (MA) Griffin Stockford, Mike Crawford, Tee
Chanchernaparich.
Shots — Mt. Ararat, 17-5.
Saves — (MA) Gabe Pelletier 4; (EL) Llewellyn Jensen
7.
Corner kicks — Mt. Ararat, 7-1.
Records — Mt. Ararat 12-1-1, Edward Little 7-6-1.
Next — Both teams will compete in the Eastern Maine
Class A postseason. Opponents, dates and times will be
announced.