KENNEBUNK—Speed kills.
And the unrivaled speed of Scarborough junior Emmie Flaker proved fatal for Gorham’s title hopes Tuesday afternoon in a terrific Class A South girls’ soccer final at Kennebunk High School.
The defending state champion and top-ranked Red Storm and perennial powerhouse and second-seeded Rams produced the latest chapter in their thrilling rivalry, one which featured twists and turns and ultimately, an unlikely hero.
Scarborough got the jump in the 25th minute, when senior sensation Lana Djuranovic scored her latest highlight reel goal on a header off a corner kick.
The Red Storm were able to take a seemingly safe 2-0 lead when freshman Maggie Booth finished with 14:27 to go, but Gorham, which has made a habit of coming from behind, especially in the postseason, got life 42 seconds later on a penalty kick goal from junior standout Ashley Connolly.
Then, with just 3:45 to go, the Rams tied it, as junior Lindy Moreland finished.
The game would go to overtime and just 57 seconds in, Scarborough junior Delia Fravert played a long ball ahead, Flaker, a track sprinting champion, ran it down, then fired it into the net to produce a 3-2 victory and give the Red Storm a chance to play another day.
Scarborough won its 13th game in a row, improved to 16-1, ended Gorham’s season at 13-2-2 and advanced to take on Bangor (16-1) in the Class A state final Saturday at 10 a.m., at Messalonskee High School in Oakland.
“We’re honored and happy to be here,” said longtime Red Storm coach Mike Farley. “It’s not easy to get through the South to go play in a state final. (Gorham) made us earn it and we earned it for sure.”
Another classic
Last November 1st in Sanford, undefeated Scarborough and undefeated Gorham met in the regional final and the Red Storm prevailed with surprising ease, 4-0, before going on to beat Brunswick in double-overtime, 1-0, to capture the Class A state title.
Both teams have remained dominant, albeit not perfect, this fall.
Scarborough suffered an early loss to Thornton Academy, but won its other 13 regular season games to earn the top seed in Class A South (see sidebar for links to previous stories).
The Red Storm then blanked No. 8 South Portland (5-0) in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Cheverus (2-0) in the semifinals.
Gorham, meanwhile, got taken to overtime on multiple occasions, but managed to finish with a record of 11-1-2, good for the No. 2 seed.
The Rams had to rally to knock off upset-minded No. 7 Sanford in the quarterfinals (3-2), then came from behind again before holding off No. 3 Windham in penalty kicks (2-1, 3-1 on PKs) in the semifinals last Thursday.
In the regular season meeting, the Red Storm won at Gorham, 1-0, Sept. 30, when Djuranovic buried a tough-angle free kick in the second half.
The rivals had met seven previous times in the postseason (see sidebar), with Scarborough holding a 4-3 edge thanks to last year’s triumph.
Tuesday, on a pleasant day (60 degrees at kickoff), in front of a large and vocal crowd, the Red Storm appeared to have the game in hand before the Rams countered and an 81st minute was required to punch a ticket to the state final.
Gorham had the better chances early, earning a corner kick in the second minute, then having senior Kaitlyn Nichols miss just wide in the fifth minute before Scarborough junior goalkeeper Sophia Rinaldi barely beat junior Piper Forgues to a feed from senior Giselle Doucette.
Djuranovic had her first look in the eighth minute, taking a pass from senior Talia Borelli, then missing just wide.
After Fravert had a couple shots saved by Rams sophomore goalkeeper Sawyer VonderHaar, Rinaldi had to dive to deny Forgues midway through the half.
In the 24th minute, Gorham junior defensive standout Bailey Hatch stretched out to break up a feed from junior Grace Carlista to Fravert.
With 15:50 to go, Djuranovic got free for a 30-yard blast which VonderHaar had to dive to knock out.
That play led to a corner kick and the game’s first goal.
Fravert served the ball in and Djuranovic, who has scored her share of headers off corners, none more dramatic than last year’s game-winner in the state final, did it again, this time with an extra degree of difficulty, from about 15-yards out. VonderHaar leaped and got a fingertip on the ball, but it got past her and in to put the Red Storm in front, 1-0, with 15:11 remaining.
“I saw the outswing of the ball because Delia’s a righty and I just wanted to get on it,’ said Djuranovic, who will play next year at the University of Miami.
“I can’t believe Lana headed that ball on goal because she was 15-yards wide of the goal since it was over-hit,” Farley said. “I don’t even want to think what life without Lana will be like next year.”
Moreland tried to answer for Gorham, but Rinaldi made the save.
With 7:15 on the clock, the Rams nearly drew even when Connolly ripped a rising shot from 30 yards, but Rinaldi was able to jump and tip the ball over the crossbar for a corner kick, which was cleared.
Late in the half, Djuranovic set up sophomore Maya Taylor for a shot which went just wide, then Djuranovic took a long shot which was saved by VonderHaar, keeping the score 1-0 at the break.
Scarborough hoped to add to its lead when the second half began and a minute in, Djuranovic came within inches of doing that very thing, as she took a pass from Fravert, dribbled around a defender, then bent a shot from 30-yards out that VonderHaar could only watch smack into the crossbar.
After Djuranovic showed off her defensive abilities by heading away a pair of Gorham corner kicks, Rinaldi saved a bid from Connolly.
With 23:40 to go, Djuranovic had a great look, but was robbed by a diving VonderHaar.
Fravert then served in another promising corner that found the head of senior Sanibel Shinners, who sent it just wide of the post.
After junior Julia Reed twice just missed for the Rams, the Red Storm got what seemed to be an insurance goal.
With 14:27 to play, senior Avery Pettingill launched a long ball ahead up the left side to Booth, who settled it, then ripped a blast past VonderHaar and in for a seemingly safe 2-0 lead.
“I told Maggie at halftime when you get chances coming across the box, just rip the ball,” Farley said. “She ripped that ball and it almost went through the net.”
But Gorham is never, ever out of a game and a mere 42 seconds later, Connolly was taken down in the box, play was stopped and Connolly was awarded a penalty kick, which she blasted past a diving Rinaldi and into the left corner of the goal to cut the deficit in half and turn momentum in the Rams’ favor.
Gorham then pushed hard for the equalizer, but Nichols missed wide, Rinaldi saved a shot from Hatch, then stopped a bid in the box from Connolly.
But the Rams stayed with it and with 3:45 left, after Scarborough couldn’t clear the ball, Moreland was waiting to bang it home and just like that, the game was tied, 2-2.
“I didn’t think they’d come back,” said Djuranovic. “Our student section was chanting, ‘It’s all over,’ so kudos to them. They did an amazing job.”
“You have to hand it to Gorham for really putting the pressure on at the end,” Farley said. “Even when we made a change, it didn’t change the pressure they had on us.”
The Rams had a chance to improbably go on top with 2:52 left, but Nichols sent a free kick just wide.
Down the stretch in regulation, the Red Storm had their chances to win it as well, but VonderHaar came out to break a pass from Djuranovic to Booth, then VonderHaar saved a Djuranovic shot.
After Scarborough senior back Maeve Davis cleared a ball from the box in the waning seconds, the contest went to overtime.
During the five-minute break between the end of regulation and the start of the first of a possible two 15-minute, “sudden victory” overtime, the Red Storm settled themselves and they would bring about a quick end to the contest when play resumed.
Fravert won possession in the midfield and spotted Flaker making a run up the right side. While Flaker had several yards to go to reach the defender, Fravert played a long ball regardless and in the blink of an eye, Flaker raced past the defender, put a touch on the ball, then fired a perfectly placed shot into the net.
“I thought I could get to it, but I didn’t think the shot would go in,” said Flaker, the reigning SMAA outdoor track and field champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 300 hurdles. “I settled the ball a little bit, then shot it. It felt good off my foot.”
“I just saw Emmie go and when Emmie goes, she goes,” said Djuranovic. “I was just hoping she’d get her shot on frame and she did and it went in.”
“We got fortunate to get one of those plays where we channel the ball to a fast player on the wing and we have probably the fastest player in the state on the wing and she won the race and finished it,” Farley added. “It was a really good goal. This year, she’s really turned into a soccer player. I never thought I’d see Emmie running behind players, poking it by somebody , then slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.”
At 5:48 p.m., Scarborough had a 3-2 victory and the celebration began.
“It feels pretty good,” Flaker said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I just try to do the most I can when I play.”
“Emmie’s amazing,” said Djuranovic. “Her speed will kill any defender. There’s a reason she was out there during overtime. What she did was amazing. I’m so thankful for her.
“It was really hard at the end of the second half. Going into overtime, we had a new mindset that we had to keep fighting and that helped us. I’m really proud of us. It just shows that we’re still here.”
“We really had to work for this one,” added Farley. “It’s not usual that we get a two-goal lead and the other team comes back. (Gorham) did a good job of just playing balls forward. They supported each other, so when somebody got turned backwards, they’d lay it back and they’d drive a 40-yard ball. It’s tough to deal with that. They put us under a ton of pressure and we barely hung on. I’m really proud of the kids. We’ve had a challenging schedule and they’ve worked really hard.”
Scarborough finished with a 10-8 advantage in shots and got six saves from Rinaldi.
Gorham got seven saves from VonderHaar and had a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks, but a come-from-behind victory wasn’t to be.
“The fact that we can come back and fight, I’m extremely proud,” said longtime Rams coach Jeanne Zarrilli. “We’ve battled all season. Scarborough’s a phenomenal team. It took a lot to battle them. (The final goal) just happened so fast. Obviously, you’d love to get it back, but my kids played like champions.”
While six seniors depart, rest assured that Gorham will be playing deep into the postseason again in 2024.
“We don’t lose a lot,” Zarrilli said. “I think we’ll be alright.”
Eighty minutes to glory
Scarborough beat Bangor to win state championships in 2010 (3-0) and 2012 (2-1, in double-overtime). The Red Storm also lost to the Rams in the 2011 final (4-0).
Bangor edged Camden Hills, 2-1, in the Class A North Final Tuesday night.
A repeat title is within reach, but Scarborough knows that nothing will come easily Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to playing in the state game,” said Flaker. “We just have to come out, play intense and keep our energy up.”
“We’ll just play our game,” Djuranovic said. “When it’s a state final, it doesn’t matter what’s happened before, it’s about being in the moment. I’m so excited. Win or lose, I’m so glad we made it back there.”
“We scrimmaged Bangor in the summer,” said Farley. “They have a really good midfield. They have fast players up top and their backs are big, strong and physical. It’s always a battle in the state final. It doesn’t matter what anybody’s record is. When you get there, you want to put your best foot forward. I think we just need to play quickly, use our pace on the wings, then defend and make sure we don’t give up goals. Our hallmark is to make it really tough for teams to score on us.”
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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