PORTLAND—Lucy Hart knew when she stepped on to the turf at Hall Field Tuesday afternoon that it would likely be the last time she ever played at home for Waynflete’s girls’ soccer team.
And Hart, the Flyers’ senior standout, made sure she put on an unforgettable show in a Class C South quarterfinal as third-ranked Waynflete hosted No. 7 Traip Academy.
Hart put the Flyers ahead to stay in the 18th minute, then struck again in the 34th before adding a third goal with seven seconds remaining in the first half for a commanding 3-0 lead.
After the Rangers got on the board early in the second half on a pretty free kick from sophomore Avery Bouffard, Hart one-upped her with an even longer blast three minutes later to end all doubt and Waynflete went on to a 4-1 victory.
The Flyers improved to 10-5, ended Traip Academy’s season at 3-10-2 and advanced to set up a semifinal round showdown at reigning regional champion Maranacook (14-0-1), the No. 2 seed, Friday at 6 p.m.
“This team means so much to me and this school means so much to me,” said Hart, one of the most prolific scorers in program history. “I knew this could have been the last time I played on this field and that’s why I put so much out there.”
High hopes
Waynflete got to the regional final in 2022 and has championship aspirations this season. While the Flyers’ campaign was up-and-down (see sidebar, below, for links to previous stories), they did enough to wind up third in a competitive region.
Traip Academy, meanwhile, won just three times and tied two other games this fall, but it was enough to earn the Rangers the No. 6 seed.
Waynflete won both regular season meetings, 2-1 at home in the season opener Aug. 31 and 5-0 in Kittery Oct. 10.
The teams split two prior playoff encounters (see sidebar).
Tuesday, on a seasonal (53 degrees at the start) and overcast afternoon that even saw an occasional drop of rain, the Flyers took control in the first half and never looked back.
Waynflete senior Lucy Hart races up the field with the ball with classmate Morgan Earls on the wing during the Flyers’ 4-1 win over Traip Academy Tuesday. Hoffer photos.
Hart’s first look came in the eighth minute, but she missed just wide after a turnover.
After Hart set up sophomore Liza Lawson for a shot which went wide, a Hart rush was broken up by Bouffard in the box.
With 29:06 to go, the hosts came within inches of taking the lead, when freshman Paige Alexander launched a floater from 25 yards out which forced Rangers junior goalkeeper Lily Stuart to tip the ball off the crossbar before securing possession.
Two minutes later, Stuart had to go sprawling to rob Hart, then she dove to rob senior Morgan Earls on the rebound.
After Bouffard blocked a promising Hart shot, Stuart beat Hart to an Earls pass, but with 22:48 to go before halftime, Waynflete broke through.
The goal was set up by junior Caleigh Hopkins, who got the ball to Hart for a one-timer that a diving Stuart couldn’t stop.
“Caleigh was in the box, took a nice touch back, I saw the ball in front of me and I hit it first time and luckily, it went past the keeper and into the net,” Hart said.
The Flyers couldn’t immediately build on the lead, as Stuart dove to rob Alexander, then she stopped Hart cold and again denied Earls on the rebound.
Traip Academy then looked to equalize, but junior Keira Alessi missed wide after taking a feed from junior Meredith McGonigle, Alessi had a rush broken up by senior Emma King and Alessi fired a rocket that Waynflete senior goalkeeper Leah Noone saved.
Hart then made it 2-0 with 6:39 left in the half, as she showed off her spectacular individual abilities, dribbling around a defender, then accelerating past several others before beating Stuart with her right foot on a shot into the right corner.
“If it gets stagnant on offense, sometimes I try to create space for myself and take little touches past defenders,” Hart said. “I got myself in a good position to shoot.”
“Teams look to mark (Lucy) up, so we talk about her movement off the ball and when she plays the ball to not stand still,” said Carrie Earls, who co-coaches Waynflete along with George Sherry.
The Rangers hoped to get to the half down just two, but with only seven seconds remaining, Hart got the ball on the right side of the box and with almost no angle, managed to rip a shot past Stuart and into the upper corner, just inside the near post, extending the lead to 3-0 and making several jaws drop in the process.
“The angle was a little tricky, but once I hit it, I saw it was going to go in,” said Hart.
Waynflete sophomore Liza Lawson plays the ball while Traip Academy junior Jacey Johnson looks on.
Hart nearly got a fourth goal two minutes into the second half, but Stuart dove and made the save.
After Stuart kept her team in it by saving a shot from sophomore Lucy Olson, Traip Academy got some life with 29:57 on the clock, as Bouffard took a free kick from about 30 yards out and lofted it over the head of Noone to cut the deficit to 3-1.
But instead of hanging their heads, the Flyers took momentum right back.
First, Morgan Earls nearly scored off the ensuing kickoff, but missed just wide.
Then, with 26:59 to go, Hart lined up a 35-yard free kick and struck it perfectly, beating Stuart to the upper right corner for her final goal of the day and a 4-1 advantage.
“I was trying to get the energy back up,” Hart said. “We didn’t want to let up. I’m happy that one went in. I struck it well.”
“When (Traip) got that goal, I always reiterate that the first five minutes after a goal either conceded or scored is the most important,” said Carrie Earls. “We almost got one off the kickoff, then Lucy scored a couple minutes later. She moved well and found the back of the net four times, what more can you ask for? I’ve watched her do it all since she was eight-years-old. She’s just gotten better and it’s been a pleasure to watch.”
The Rangers had one more chance to get closer, but after taking a pass from junior Sarah Carven, Bouffard missed wide and Waynflete went on to a 4-1 victory.
“We took (Traip) very seriously,” said Hart. “We never underestimate anyone. That was a good battle out there. We tried to keep our ball movement steady and we tried to have good communication the whole time and kept our energy up.”
“I won’t complain a 4-1 win ever, especially in a playoff game,” Carrie Earls said.
The Flyers finished with a 17-3 advantage in shots on frame and got one save apiece from Noone and sophomore Ayla Stutzman, who came on in the second half.
Waynflete also had a 5-1 edge in corner kicks.
Stuart made 13 saves for the Rangers.
Rematch
Waynflete and Maranacook don’t meet during the regular season.
Last fall, the Black Bears blanked the Flyers, 2-0, in the Class C South Final.
Waynflete is 0-2 all-time versus Maranacook in the playoffs (also dropping a 1-0 quarterfinal round decision in 2019), but believes it can get the job done this time around.
“We have to keep working hard during practice,” Hart said. “We’re looking forward to facing them Friday. We’re super-excited.”
“They’ll play a lot of kick-and-run,” said Carrie Earls, of Maranacook. “They won’t look to possess a lot, but they work really hard. They’re very physical and they want it. They battle for everything.
“We’ll look to get a little revenge this year. We just have to stay organized, cut down the mistakes in the back and I think we’ll be alright.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023
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