History could be made at Buckfield this week.

Senior forward Jon Randolph is closing in on the school’s all-time scoring record. He’s just three goals shy of the record of 56 goals.

The Bucks host Sacopee Valley on Tuesday and then play at Rangeley on Thursday. Buckfield plays the Hawks again Saturday on the road. The Bucks have a significant showdown with Richmond next week.

The hope is that Randolph could do it at home Tuesday, but the Hawks (1-1) are a  formidable club in Class C South. Sacopee beat Traip 3-0 to start the year but lost to NYA 4-2.

Randolph is coming off back-to-back 21-goal seasons for the Bucks. That gave him 49 goals coming into this fall. He picked up where he left off with three goals in an 8-1 win in the season opener. Then he added two more in a 7-0 win over Pine Tree last week. That has Randolph at 54 goals, two shy of tying the record and three from setting a new mark.

According to Buckfield coach Kyle Rines, the current record was set by Aaron Dewitt, who graduated in 2010.

Practicing patience

The early losses were expected. It’s inevitable for a young team trying to rebuild.

But the Oxford Hills girls’ soccer team has looked to the brighter side in the first few weeks of the season. The Vikings are trying to make progress despite a 0-4 start.

“I think we were pretty depressed after our first game,” said Oxford Hills coach Chad Truman of his team’s 6-0 loss against Bangor. “We told the girls in the preseason that we’re going to be a team that has to improve as the season goes.”

A 5-0 loss followed against Hampden. The Vikings played solid in a 4-1 loss to Edward Little before Saturday’s 9-0 loss to Camden. The Vikings graduated nine starters from last year’s club, including all-state midfielder Mikayla Morin. She’s now playing at the University of Maine. That’s a lot of experience the Vikings are trying to replace.

“Nine starters from last year are gone,” Truman said. “The complete defense is gone. The midfield is gone. I have freshmen starting. They’re just getting to know each other.”

One veteran back is keeper Samantha Bickford. She’s a talented goalie and leader for the Vikings. Oxford Hills has tried to shore up the defense in front of her and build from there. The offensive attack is slow to produce as a result. The Vikings have just one goal in four games.

“She always does great for us,” Truman said of Bickford. “It’s tough in goal because we’re giving up a lot of shots. It’s hard on her emotionally to not get down on herself.”

With an early schedule that includes the likes of Bangor, Edward Little, Brunswick and Mt. Ararat, the Vikings don’t expect to see teams it can be competitive with for another week or so. Still, Truman is pleased with the slow progress his team is making and is excited about what improvements he’ll see by the end of the year.

“This is the first season where I can honestly say that they’re all pushing in the same direction,” Truman said. “Do I have the skill level and talent I had in the past? No, but I have a group of girls that all want it really bad and they’re working together. I’m really happy with that. That was our goal at the beginning of the season.”

Back in the game

Aaron Rand is back on the soccer sidelines. The former Poland head coach is now an assistant with the Edward Little girls’ team.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Rand, who had taken some time off from coaching. “It’s really rewarding. It’s a great group of girls.”

Poland had seen some of its greatest success under Rand. The Knights made the playoffs three times in his six seasons and were usually competitive in a tough Western Maine Conference.

He stepped down from the soccer job and stayed with the hockey program at Poland/Gray-New Gloucester. He gave up that job after six seasons and took a year off. He returned to hockey last year as an assistant with Edward Little, his alma mater.

He missed coaching soccer and since EL had a spot for him, it was a great opportunity, especially since Rand doesn’t live far from the school.

“It’s a good role,” Rand said. “I don’t deal with all the issues. I just come help the athletes.”

kmills@sunjournal.com