Cape Elizabeth 1
Scarborough 3
Nate Gove scored the game-winning goal in the 49th minute and Brent Mayo added an insurance goal to lead the Red Storm to the regional finals in boys’ soccer with a 3-1 win over Cape Elizabeth.
The game was scoreless in the first half but not because the teams didn’t have opportunities. Most of the early minutes of the contest belonged to the Red Storm. They generated several good chances but were unable to get any quality shots on net.
As the time wore on, the Capers began to pressure the Scarborough defenders. They fired off a few shots but goalkeeper Adam Blanchard knocked them all away. Both keepers played well throughout.
“I thought we could have put a couple more in,” said Scarborough coach Mark Diaz. “Their keeper made some great saves, and the team played hard. We knew they would, they’re young and you’ve got to give them credit. They came out to play tonight. But our guys responded.”
With the stellar play of both defenses and both goaltenders, the game remained scoreless at the half. But once the second half started, that all changed in a hurry.
Cape’s Nate Thibeault took a long shot toward the net just 11 seconds into the second half. Blanchard dove at the ball but came up short and the ball rippled the net to put the Capers up, 1-0. That goal marked the first time Scarborough trailed in a game since they played Gorham back in September.
“That kind of got us going,” said Diaz. “You hate to say that, but they scored right away. The good thing is we’ve got almost 39 minutes to make a run at it. And if you can’t do it in 39 minutes you don’t deserve it, so the guys responded.”
The Cape lead was short lived.
Eddie Jones sent the ball in on a corner kick and Cody Powers used the pass and scored the tying goal.
“They had a quick corner we really weren’t ready for it,” said Cape coach Ben Raymond. “They were great in the box all night. In their defensive box they got to more balls than we did. In the offensive zone they had more goals.”
The Red Storm took the lead for good just four minutes after tying the game. Gove took a shot from in front of the net and the ball caromed off the cross bar and down. Russell wrapped the ball up and dove away from the goal line. After reviewing the play, the officials said the ball had indeed crossed the goal line and Scarborough moved ahead 2-1.
“I just thought we played a solid game,” said Mayo. “After we got down one we just knew we had to play our best and just come back.”
With just over 20 minutes to play, Blanchard made the save of the game. The Capers had an open shot and took it. The ball was headed for the upper corner of the net when Blanchard leaped and batted the ball away, preserving the lead.
“That was big,” said Diaz. “I was happy for him because the first shot was a tough shot but one he’d probably like to have back. Then he comes up and makes a big save like that. That’s impressive and he’s young so I was really happy with him on that. It was a big play.”
With 7:37 left in regulation, Powers fed Mayo in front of the net and he scored to give the Red Storm a big insurance goal and a little bit of breathing room.
The Capers were unable to answer.
Next year the Capers will likely be in the thick of it again. They are a young team and should have a returning core of quality players next fall.
“We’ve got a great group of sophomores and some juniors who play a bunch that we’ll have next year,” said Raymond.
The Red Storm went on to host Westbrook for the right to play for the Class A state title. Westbrook upset Gorham, 1-0, to reach the regional final. The last time the teams saw each other, Scarborough won by a 2-0 margin.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” said Diaz. “Westbrook’s a good team and we’ll have to be ready, no question. It’s nice to be home though I’m glad we’re going to be home.”
The Red Storm enjoy one of the best home field advantages in the state.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” said Mayo. “It’s going to be a huge advantage for us because we know we’ve got our fans behind us and we’ve got our field. So that will definitely help. The fans are always there to support us. We’ve got the greatest group in the whole state so they’ll always be there for us.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
