As the month of October winds down, the short and sweet 2020 fall season is nearing the finish line as well.
Local cross country runners and field hockey and soccer players still have meets and games to look forward to, but not very many.
The limited action has been enjoyable to date and it’s safe to say there are some highlights still to come.
Here’s a glimpse:
Boys’ soccer
Portland’s Max Cheever chases a loose ball with Joey Ansel Mullen of Waynflete during the Flyers’ 2-1 win Monday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald
Waynflete’s two-time defending Class C champion boys’ soccer team returned to action Monday after not playing last week. The Flyers hosted traditional Class A South contender Portland in the first-ever countable contest between the city schools. The Bulldogs went on top early on a goal from Steve Matanga, but Waynflete drew even midway through the second half on a goal from Ben Adey, then went on top, 2-1, with 23 minutes to go when Gabe Gavino Ferrer scored.
“At halftime, Coach (Brandon Salway) talked about us how the top of the box was right open and on a lot of our corners, the ball popped out there,” said Savino Ferrer. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I was trying to keep the ball on frame. It felt good coming off my foot.”
The Flyers held on for dear life from there to improve to 5-0.
“It’s huge for us as a program,” said Waynflete senior Harry Millspaugh, who made a huge defensive save in the second half. “We love to play these huge Class A schools. (Portland) had some great players. You can definitely feel the competition increase. It’s more fun to have competitive games like this.”
“As I told the kids, this is a great team win and a great program win,” said Salway, who now has 297 victories in his tenure. “We’ve never even beaten every team before in the preseason City Cup. We certainly respect Portland and what they’ve done over the years. They have a lot of talent and dangerous players. We didn’t play a perfect game, but guys played really hard and find ways to win no matter the situation. That’s what makes this team special and the senior group special.”
Waynflete is back in action Saturday at home versus longtime rival North Yarmouth Academy. The Flyers go to Cheverus and Greely next week, then close with a home game versus Sacopee Valley Nov. 2.
Portland extended its win streak to three games last Thursday with a 1-0 home win over Deering on a show-stopping goal from Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Henry Flynn, whose 85-yard punt (with the wind at his back) landed in front of the Rams’ keeper, then bounced over his head and into the goal for the only tally.
Monday, at Waynflete, Portland had its chances, but couldn’t finish when it mattered and fell to 3-2.
“I’m happy with the effort,” longtime Bulldogs coach Rocco Frenzilli said. “When the energy was there, we got the most out of it. When we got a little complacent and laid back a little bit, they turned up the heat. Obviously, they’re a very good team. Well-skilled, well-coached. They’re just up the street from us and we hear about how good they are. It was good to face them today. We learned a lot.”
The Bulldogs go to Deering for a rematch Saturday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), then close with home games against Westbrook and South Portland.
Deering followed up its 1-0 loss at Portland by blanking visiting Westbrook, 7-0, Friday in the rain. Rivaldo Ramos-Sanchez scored twice in the win. The Rams then beat Westbrook again Monday, 6-1 at Westbrook, as Ben Chatterjee and Carlo DeMucci each had two goals. Deering (4-2) hosts Portland Saturday, then closes at Cheverus Oct. 29.
Cheverus snapped a three-game skid and improved to 2-3 Monday with a 1-0 home win over South Portland. Emmet Schuele scored the goal. The Stags (2-3) visit Gorham Thursday, welcome Waynflete Monday, then close at home versus Deering Oct. 29.
Girls’ soccer
Deering junior Ally Butts plays the ball as Portland sophomore Katie Martell gives chase during the Bulldogs’ 4-0 victory last week. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster.
On the girls’ side, Portland improved to 4-0 last Monday with a 4-0 win at Deering. Kate Martell scored twice, Toni Stevenson had a goal and two assists and Elizabeth Littel also tickled the twine.
“We’re becoming more unselfish as a whole and realizing when we do, everyone gets a little piece of happiness in the end from scoring goals or getting assists,” said Stevenson.
“We preach that if you do the right things, you’ll get the right result,” said Bulldogs coach Curtis Chapin. “Deering’s really good at frustrating you. They put a lot of people behind the ball and make you work for every chance you get. You just need that breakthrough. We worked on some things last week to make sure we were ready for it. We just had to stick to the plan and the plan finally worked. After knocking on the door awhile, things started coming for us.”
Portland welcomes Westbrook Wednesday, goes to Gorham for a makeup game next Monday, then closes at South Portland Oct. 30.
“We want to go undefeated and give up as few goals as possible,” said Stevenson. “We’re having fun. I’m loving every second of it. Gorham is our first game where we really have to be in the right mindset. We can’t start slow.”
Cheverus improved to 3-1 after a 4-0 win at South Portland Monday. Julia Kratzer had three goals and Kadynne Smith added another. The Stags welcomed Deering Tuesday, play host to Gorham Friday (see pressherald.com/forecaster-sports/ for game story), then close next week with games at Waynflete and Deering.
Deering fell to 0-3-1 after last week’s 4-0 home loss to Portland. The Rams were home with Westbrook Monday and at Cheverus Tuesday. then play at Westbrook and at home versus Cheverus to close out the campaign.
Waynflete will take a 2-2-1 mark into Friday’s home tilt versus NYA. The Flyers host Cheverus Monday, welcome Greely next Thursday, then close at Sacopee Valley Nov. 2.
Field hockey
Cheverus sophomore Madeline Fowler and Scarborough senior Avni Bhatnagar battle for possession during the Stags’ 3-2 overtime win last week. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster.
Cheverus’ field hockey team earned its second overtime win of the season over longtime nemesis Scarborough last week. The Stags again grabbed a 2-0 lead over the Red Storm, thanks to goals from Taylor Tory and Madisyn Durgin, but for the second time this fall, Scarborough rallied and the game went to overtime. After freshman Lily Johnson played the surprise hero in the teams’ first meeting, it was no surprise that senior standout Lucia Pompeo was the hero this time around, scoring 2 minutes, 12 seconds into the extra session to give Cheverus a 3-2 victory.
“I guess we just like routine,” said Pompeo. “It’s the same thing every time with (Scarborough). They’re a great team. It makes it hard. We got in a little bit of a lull and they took advantage. I saw the goalie come straight at me, so I knew shooting strong-side would be easiest. It’s a great feeling. Never gets old.”
“Lucia has so much confidence and we have so much confidence in her,” said Stags coach Theresa Hendrix. “She loves to be in those situations. You can see the fun she has out there.
“I think they wanted it to happen that way, I don’t know. We always know what’s coming with Scarborough. I talked to the girls and said, ‘How are you going to respond?’ Scarborough scored two and kept the pressure on, but the girls held on and rallied together. These girls have so much potential. We’ve worked on putting all the pieces together as fast as possible. In overtime, we really came together. Even the girls on the sidelines picked each other up. We’re excited to get to play Scarborough twice. You can’t ask for better competition.”
Cheverus (4-1) was at Westbrook Tuesday, welcomes Greely Saturday and closes at South Portland Wednesday of next week.
Portland/Deering fell to 0-4 last Thursday after a 6-1 setback at South Portland. The Bulldogs welcomed Falmouth Tuesday, host Cape Elizabeth next Monday, then close with a makeup game at Scarborough Oct. 29.
Cross country
In cross country action last week, Deering hosted Cheverus. The Rams were first in the boys’ competition, as Deering’s Alexey Seredin was the fastest individual (finishing the course in 17 minutes, 5 seconds). The Stags were paced by third-place finisher Anthony Zerillo (18:14). In the girls’ meet, won by Cheverus, Annabelle Brooks led the Stags to victory with a first-place individual finish (19:22). The Rams featured runner-up Megan Cunningham (20:14).
The Maine Principals’ Association announced last week that cross country won’t have regional championships this year, but there will be a state meet.
States will be held in Belfast at the Troy Howard Middle School, with the boys’ meets for Classes A, B and C on Nov. 11. The girls will race Nov. 14.
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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