CAPE ELIZABETH — The Cape Elizabeth girls’ soccer team dominated defending Class B state champion Yarmouth in the first half but had nothing to show for it.
In the second half and first of the two five-minute overtime periods it was the visiting Clippers who took control of the game.
Cape players could have hung their heads, or even thought back to three losses to Yarmouth last year. But that didn’t happen, and Karli Chapin buried a cross from Prezli Piscopo with 36 seconds remaining in the second overtime for a 1-0 Western Maine Conference victory.
“We just had been working hard all game and was doing everything right but it didn’t feel like we were getting it done in the final third (of the field),” said Chapin, a senior forward. “We kept working and we finally got one in the end.”
Riley Dall picked up a loose ball at midfield and one-touched a short pass to Piscopo. The speedy wing blew past a defender down the left side and served a perfect pass to Chapin, who ran onto the ball and beat goalie Hope Olson with a one-timer.
“Honestly, that is was what we are trying to pride ourselves in – playing quick and fast attacking football,” first-year Cape Coach Graham Forsyth said. “And for large parts of that second half it wasn’t happening. And to be honest, the first seven or eight minutes of overtime periods we didn’t do it either.
“And then it takes a one-touch pass from our center back to our wing and she gets control and the space is there. Prezli blows past the defender and puts a great ball across and Karli and she does what she had been doing (all game) by running in the box late and she scores.”
In 2017 the Clippers beat the Capers in all three meetings – including 1-0 in the South finals – en route to a perfect record and a state title. They now are 0-2 after a 1-0 loss to York. Cape, 11-7 a year ago, improved to 2-0 with its 2-1 win over Greely.
“(With Yarmouth and Cape) it’s going to come down to who takes the chances (they are given) and who doesn’t,” said Yarmouth Coach Chris Coleman. “Unfortunately we didn’t take our chances on the night.
“This is a new season, a new era of girls, and I am damn proud of them for what they did tonight.”
The Capers wouldn’t have been in the position to win it if not for freshman goalie Elise Branch. She stopped all 14 shots on goal, including three huge Yarmouth opportunities in the second half.
With 14 minutes left, Abi Hinks took a through-pass and dribbled 20 yards down the middle before aiming for the right side of the net. Branch stuck out her left hand for the save from five yards out.
Three minutes later Branch came out and stopped Hinks from close range before she got a shot off from the 18-yard-line.
Finally, with 3:45 showing on the clock, Clippers star Ehryn Groothoff’s shot from 15 yards out glanced off the goalie’s fingers and off the near goal post.
“For a coach the main thing is you want to trust your players,” Forsyth added. “I don’t care that (the goalie) is a freshmen. We had three freshmen starting tonight. She proved to everyone tonight how valuable she was.”
The Cape defense of Tori McGrath, Grace Gillian, Abby Agrodnia and Dall limited the Yarmouth chances.
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