LEWISTON—The Capers proved that they’re way better than their seven seed.

But the Clippers are ranked number one for a reason.

Wednesday evening at Don Roux Field on the campus of Lewiston High School, Yarmouth and Cape Elizabeth produced a memorable Class B South boys’ soccer final that featured the Capers riding their recent surge of momentum to grab the early lead, but in the end, the Clippers’ championship heart and flair for the dramatic proved to be just enough to keep their season and title hopes alive.

Cape Elizabeth stunned Yarmouth 15 minutes in, when senior matchup nightmare Tiernan Lathrop managed to fight through two defenders and score for a 1-0 lead which held up into the second half.

In fact, it was still 1-0 with under 24 minutes to play when Clippers senior captain Steve Fulton put on a tremendous individual show, willing his way to the tying goal.

That lit a fire under Yarmouth’s feet and with 17:10 to go, off a corner kick, junior Stevie Walsh, the hero of Saturday’s overtime win over Freeport in the semifinals, buried a rebound and the Clippers had the lead.

The Capers nearly tied the score late, but junior Eddie Caldera’s bid hit the post, and Yarmouth was able to hold on and eke out a dramatic 2-1 victory.

The Clippers improved to 16-0-2, ended Cape Elizabeth’s fine season at 11-6-1 and advanced to take on Winslow (18-0) in the Class B state final Saturday at 5:30 p.m., at Massabesic High School in Waterboro.

“Cape’s good,” said longtime Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty, after winning his 11th regional title. “I thought they were fabulous tonight. It was tough to beat them three times (this year). I think we’re clearly the two best teams in Class B South and it was a justified final. I think they outplayed us in the first half. I’d like to think we were a little better in the second half. Whoever won tonight deserved it.”

Fight to the finish

Yarmouth was the preseason favorite and as the one seed, was expected to be in the regional final.

Cape Elizabeth, which was up-and-down for much of the year, went into the playoffs ranked seventh, meaning if seeds held, it shouldn’t have survived the quarterfinal round, but the Capers did much more than that.

Cape Elizabeth opened its 2021 season with a 2-0 home loss to reigning Class B champion Yarmouth and a 2-1 setback at rival Greely, then defeated visiting York (5-3) and Freeport (1-0) before snapping host Waynflete’s 19-game win streak, 3-1. The Capers then downed visiting Lake Region (5-1) and shut out host Wells (6-0), visiting Poland (9-0) and host Fryeburg Academy (2-0), before their seven-game win streak ended with a 2-0 loss at Yarmouth. A 3-1 home setback to Greely followed and after edging visiting Gray-New Gloucester late (2-1) and tying host York (1-1), Cape Elizabeth closed with a 1-0 setback at Freeport.

The Capers then got a break by earning the No. 7 seed, as the other top teams in the region, Yarmouth, Greely, Freeport and York, all found themselves on the same side of the bracket, the other side of the bracket, while Cape Elizabeth’s road to Lewiston was much easier.

The Capers took advantage, eliminating No. 10 Gray-New Gloucester (3-0) in the preliminary round, then upsetting second-ranked Erskine Academy (5-1) in the quarterfinals and eliminating third-seeded Gardiner (3-0) in the semifinals.

Yarmouth, meanwhile, started with a 2-0 win at Cape Elizabeth. After a 4-0 home victory over Freeport, the Clippers downed host York (4-0), visiting Greely (2-1), host North Yarmouth Academy (5-1) and visiting Poland (6-0). After settling for a scoreless draw at Freeport, Yarmouth bounced back with an 8-0 win at Wells, then downed visiting Gray-New Gloucester (7-1) and blanked visiting Cape Elizabeth (2-0), host Fryeburg Academy (5-0), visiting York (6-0) and host Greely (2-0), before settling for a 1-1 home tie against two-time reigning Class C champion Waynflete in the regular season finale.

The Clippers dominated No. 16 Morse, 8-0, in the quarterfinals, blanked visiting York, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, then needed a dramatic overtime win over No. 5 Freeport, 2-1, in Saturday’s unforgettable semifinal round to advance to the regional final for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons.

In the teams’ first game this fall, Sept. 2 in Cape Elizabeth, Fulton and junior Truman Peters scored the goals which propelled the Clippers to victory. In the second contest, Oct. 5 in Yarmouth, the Clippers won by the same score, as Walsh and senior Owen Gillan found the net.

Entering play Wednesday, Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth had met three previous times in the postseason. The Clippers prevailed in the 2013 Western B semifinals (5-0) and in the 2015 Class B South quarterfinals (2-0), but in the most recent meeting, the 2018 Class B South semifinals, the Capers sprung a 2-1 upset to end Yarmouth’s then-four-year title reign.

Wednesday, on a frigid evening (41 degrees at kickoff, plummeting into the mid-30s by game’s end), Cape Elizabeth nearly upset the Clippers again, but with the game, its season and its legacy on the line, Yarmouth roared back.

The Capers went on the attack immediately and earned a corner kick just 45 seconds in, but it didn’t result in a shot.

In the eighth minute, Cape Elizabeth senior midfielder Stewart Kelley had a look, but Yarmouth senior goalkeeper Cole Snyder made the save.

The Clippers then had a great chance to go on top in the 10th minute, as sophomore Will Caruso sent a beautiful through ball to senior Sutter Augur, who broke free, but Capers junior goalkeeper Dimitre Coupe came out and robbed Augur cold.

Then, with 25:29 to go in the first half, Cape Elizabeth struck, after a Yarmouth turnover, as junior Phillip Coupe played the ball ahead to Lathrop, who was double-teamed.

Normally, when a player is double-teamed, he’s at the disadvantage, but in this case, it was the Clippers who had no chance, as Lathrop, a man-child who is unstoppable regardless the sport, bulled his way through, then ripped a high shot past Snyder for a 1-0 lead.

“At the very beginning of the game, we possessed really well,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Ben Raymond. “We moved the ball easily through the midfield and had great movement. We got Tiernan in a good spot. Last time we played (Yarmouth), he played in the middle. Having him on the outside tonight gave him more freedom. He’s a big, strong athlete and he’s worked hard to become a very good soccer player.”

“I turned the ball over and they were quick in transition, then Lathrop out-strengthed everyone and he had a nice shot,” said Clippers senior back Kevin Kamm.

“That was a beautiful hit,” Hagerty said. “I love the way (Tiernan) plays. He plays so hard, but he’s tough and fair and strong. He’s one of the best sportsmen in our conference. He and Steve Fulton are identical in how they play.”

Yarmouth tried to answer, but sophomore Adam McLaughlin missed just high, Caruso had a shot which was deflected out, junior Liam Hickey’s long free kick was saved by Dimitre Coupe and McLaughlin shot high again.

In the 31st minute, Cape Elizabeth nearly doubled its lead, as Kelley took a pass from Lathrop in transition and shot, but Snyder stood tall and made the critical save.

Late in the half, junior Owen Redfield missed wide for the Clippers and Fulton shot just high and the Capers, who had a 3-2 shots advantage, were ahead at the break.

Yarmouth continued to be stymied for a good chunk of the second half as well and Cape Elizabeth’s upset dreams began to become a reality.

Until those dreams were suddenly dashed.

Early in the half, Fulton took a pass from Walsh and missed just wide and the Clippers failed to produce a shot on a corner kick.

With 32:14 to play, Caldera bid to extend the Capers’ lead, but he missed just high.

Yarmouth then tilted the field again and after a cross from Grondin was cleared at the last second, Hickey had two long shots collected by Coupe and Coupe denied Gillam, the Clippers finally tied it up with 23:33 to go.

It would be Fulton making a run not only down the field, but into program lore.

Fulton started his rush from the Yarmouth end, got some space and when he was finally challenged by a defender, he quickly dished the ball off to Grondin, who immediately returned it and Fulton, alone behind the defense, fired a low shot past a helpless Coupe to tie the score, 1-1.

“I got a little bit of room in my own half and I took some space and drew a (defender) and Isaac Grondin did a great job of getting open and getting it back to me with a one-touch pass,” Fulton said. “It was nice to connect with him. He set me up pretty much for a tap-in. We definitely had momentum, but we weren’t done.”

“There was a little doubt (when we went behind), but I knew we could win,” Kamm said. “We’re often a second half team and we’re a strong team. I was thinking we’re back in it and we’re here to win it now.”

“You need your best players to be at their best in the biggest games and Steve Fulton was at his best again today,” Hagerty added. “I think he was the best player on the field again today. That run he had was so amazing. The other piece of that run that I want people to remember is that Isaac Grondin got to the right spot for a give-and-go. Steve laid it off and got it right back. To make that run at that point of the game when we needed it, we got a jolt and suddenly, we were on our front foot and not our back foot.”

Cape Elizabeth could only tip its cap to Fulton.

“Steve Fulton’s an unbelievable soccer player,” Raymond said. “You give him space like that and he turned the game around. At halftime, we did say the game probably won’t end 1-0. We hoped to score another goal and we had to keep competing. We talked about being a little more defensive, but not until a certain time in the second half. We couldn’t survive 40 minutes of just kicking the ball to the other end of the field. Their opportunities came from clearances that didn’t go in the right place or turnovers in the midfield.”

The Capers hoped to answer back and with 19 minutes to go, Lathrop got past a defender, but his shot sailed wide.

Then, with 17:10 remaining in regulation, Yarmouth earned a corner kick, which resulted in the winning tally.

Peters played the ball in and with an attacker and defender bearing down on him, Coupe managed to get a piece of the ball, but it deflected right out to Walsh up top and Walsh wouldn’t be denied, firing the ball into the net for a 2-1 advantage.

“That was an awesome feeling,” Walsh said. “The ball just found my foot and I just put it in. Right place, right time. I just happened to be there. We were playing very aggressively at the time. We brought a lot of people up. I was just sitting home. We got a good flick off the corner and it just came to me.”

“We talk a ton about winning second balls and Stevie was right in the perfect spot,” Kamm said.

“That’s what he’s done all season,” said Fulton. “I call him Stevie Wonder for a reason. He’s always in the right spot. That ball was perfectly struck and perfectly placed. I wouldn’t rather have anyone at the top of the box but Stevie Walsh. It probably looked easy, but I’m sure it was just the opposite.”

“Stevie came up big in the right spot,” Hagerty added. “We talk a lot about placement on set pieces and people off the ball reading the ball. One of Stevie’s gifts is he reads sports well, whether it’s soccer, basketball or baseball. He understands space. I’d been barking at him to play faster, but that time, he was calm and spot on. It was a great finish.”

“I think Dimitre got a hand on it, then there was a scrum after that,” said Raymond. “The ball got loose and I think our guys focused on the ball and not the man.”

Yarmouth was far from home free.

Just 40 seconds later, at the other end, Kelley missed just wide.

With 8:35 left, sophomore Sam Cochran’s left-footed bid was just off the mark.

Two minutes later, Cape Elizabeth earned a corner kick and the ball was batted around out front before being cleared.

The Capers came within inches of drawing even with 4 minutes remaining, when Caldera played a long ball in from the side and it got over Snyder’s hands, but smacked against the far post and rolled out of harm’s way.

With 2:55 on the clock, a free kick from senior Ben Altenburg was cleared.

With 1:26 remaining, to Yarmouth’s horror, a loose ball rolled past Snyder, but Caldera couldn’t quite run it down in time.

Then, with 31 seconds to go, play was stopped for a Cape Elizabeth free kick and the Capers brought everyone up, including the goalie, but Snyder was able to punch it away and the Clippers ran out the clock from there and celebrated their hard-fought 2-1 victory.

“We don’t go down very often, but when we do, we always fight back,” Fulton said. “This group never gives up. Being down 1-0 was nothing. We still had 40 minutes. I had faith in the boys. We’re a second half team. Cape was really good. They’re dangerous. They have some really good players. We knew it would be a battle. We just had to focus for a full 80 minutes. We had to put together a strong last 40 minutes and put our heads down at the end and close them down.”

“Obviously, they took us by surprise a little bit and we had to adapt and bring up our intensity,” Walsh said. “We didn’t want to be done tonight.”

“Playing team defense was the big thing,” Kamm said. “We always back each other up, so if someone messes up, someone else has their back. It was a little stressful at the end, but our defense held strong. It’s really great to win.”

“The clock stopped all of a sudden and I had visions of Freeport (which scored off a free kick with 44 seconds left to force overtime in the semifinals), but Cole played it wonderfully,” Hagerty added. “He came off his line strong and powerful. Kevin Kamm had a great second half, winning a bunch of balls in the air. We competed better in the second half. Sometimes you have find a way to win.

“It’s really sweet to win this one. It’s a special team and a special group of seniors. We’ve had some close games. We get everyone’s best effort all year. I thought Cape had the better of the night for a large part of the game. They played quicker and they put us under pressure. That’s what we like to do to other teams and they did that to us tonight.”

Tremendous effort

The Capers finished with a 5-4 edge in shots, got two saves from Coupe and had a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks, but wound up falling painfully shy.

By a single goal.

“One of the things about our kids is they’ll work hard right until the end,” Raymond said. “They don’t quit or give up on each other. They knew they were playing a really good, really well-coached team. I think (Yarmouth) felt a little pressure when we were up 1-0. If we went a little longer, the pressure would have built even more.

“I think that in every single game we played this season, at some point or another, we were the best team on the field and I think for long spans of this game tonight, we were the best team on the field. We tried to keep getting Tiernan or Eddie isolated and Stewart did a great job in the middle.

These kids worked hard every single day. I hope they’re happy with what they did accomplish and the growth they made. It’s a great group of seniors. They’re awesome leaders. The underclassmen have learned a ton.”

Cape Elizabeth will have a lot of holes to fill next year, but a strong young nucleus suggests the Capers will make another deep playoff return in 2022 and perhaps be the team that ends a quarter-century championship drought.

“We’re building toward where we want to be,” Raymond said. “We’ve played in this (regional final) game two of the last three (times). We know that 1997 was a long time ago, but we’re heading in the right direction. We have a great junior class, a great sophomore class and we have two freshmen. We’ll still be very talented next year. I think we’ll be starting from a good spot.”

Record setter

Yarmouth will seek its 14th championship Saturday. The Clippers beat Winslow in both the 2016 (5-2) and 2018 (2-1) state games.

Considering Hagerty’s never lost in a state final, it’s quite likely another shiny piece of hardware will be making its way back to Y-town.

Yarmouth will be bolstered Saturday by the return of senior Aiden Kamm, who missed Wednesday’s game after getting two yellow cards in the win over Freeport (which equates a red card and by rule, a one-game absence).

“I’m glad Aiden gets to play one more game,” Kevin Kamm, his brother, said. “We’ve worked hard all year. States has been our goal and I’m glad we made it and hopefully we can win. We just need to play our game and come in with a lot of intensity. As long as we do that, we should be fine.”

“We have to bring the same game plan we’ve had all year,” Walsh said. “I think if we play our best, we can beat anyone.”

“We have a great group of guys,” said Fulton. “We’ve worked hard since the summer to get to this point. We’re going to keep moving forward. I think we approach every game the same way, to win, and we know if we play our hardest, winning takes care of itself.”

“We have to play better in the state final than we did in the first half today because Winslow will come flying at us,” Hagerty added.

“We get 80 more minutes together and we’re excited about that.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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