PORTLAND – Tucker Geoffroy scored the game’s only goal at 7:33 of the second half as the Waynflete boys’ soccer team remained unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Greely on Thursday.
It was the first meeting between the Class C Flyers (9-0-2) and the Class A Rangers (6-6-1), and there was little difference between the two squads.
Waynflete’s goal came off transition, as Paul Runyambo collected a loose ball on his side of the midfield stripe and sent it ahead to fellow sophomore Kevin Kanakan.
Kanakan passed to Geoffroy charging up the middle, and Geoffroy gained enough separation from his defender to rip a high shot from the 18 that went through the hands of leaping keeper Jonah Normandeau and into the back of the net.
“It was a bouncing ball, and I don’t think the goalie was ready for it,” said Geoffroy, a senior who played for Greely before transferring to Waynflete. “It’s always a team effort, and any win is big this time of year, but it always feels even better to beat the team you came from.”
Geoffroy nearly added an insurance goal about 10 minutes later when Omar Abdille sent him in on a breakaway down the right side, but Normandeau came out and Geoffroy shot wide of the far post.
“I should have touched it inside and gone for the short side,” Geoffroy said, “but you can’t always finish the way you want.”
Greely, which had few opportunities inside the box for most of the game, came alive on offense in the final five minutes, as Austin Spencer just missed the far post from deep in the left corner, Sean Ross shot high off a Chase Rochon corner (one of just two corners for the Rangers), and Spencer sent a promising cross from the end line that keeper Zander Majercik kicked out.
“When teams play urgent, they play better,” Greely Coach Mike Andreasen said. “But that’s been our theme all year. We haven’t made the one play that makes the difference. There was only one play made today, and Tucker made it.”
Waynflete Coach Brandon Salway said, “It was a great win. Our defense played a great game. Daniel (Wiener) did a heck of a job marking (Jonathan Coyne). He’s done that four or five games this year, taking on the other team’s big scorer.”
“We graduated eight of our starters from last year, and people might have counted us out. But the kids that came back took on new roles and handled them above and beyond expectations.”
Greely had a couple chances in the game’s opening 20 minutes, the best coming when Ross blasted a shot from 35 yards that hit the crossbar.
“You could say we’re unlucky, or what else could go wrong, and we have had some injuries,” said Andreasen. “But you make your own breaks, and we are what we are. But the kids have played hard. I have no complaints with that.”
Waynflete is ranked third in Western Class C.
“We probably had lower hopes after losing so many people from last year,” said Geoffrey. “But it’s turning out to be a great season.”
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