PORTLAND—Yarmouth’s girls’ soccer team has defied the doubters all season.
So when the top-ranked Clippers fell behind No. 2 Cape Elizabeth early in Wednesday afternoon’s Class B South Final at Memorial Field on the campus of Deering High School, it was just another reason to put a chip on their shoulders.
Yarmouth, which played from ahead virtually all year, was staggered in the ninth minute when Capers junior Heather Campbell finished off a feed from classmate Noelle Mallory.
But instead of getting down, the Clippers came to life and after being stymied on several great opportunities by Cape Elizabeth senior goalkeeper Ellis Piper and the Capers’ defense, Yarmouth drew even with 10:37 to go in the half, when senior standout Aine Powers scored in traffic.
The Clippers dominated the early portion of the second half, but remained flustered by Piper until 16:20 remained, when Powers again wouldn’t be denied, scoring for the lead.
Cape Elizabeth had chances down the stretch, but Yarmouth’s defense and senior goalkeeper Regan Sullivan stood tall, slamming the door on a 2-1 victory that will allow the Clippers one final opportunity to say, “I told you so.”
In the biggest game of all.
Yarmouth improved to 15-1-1, ended Cape Elizabeth’s fine season at 14-3 and advanced to take on Ellsworth (14-2-1) in the Class B state final Saturday at 3 p.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.
“It was a little bit of a shock to us since we hadn’t been in that position trailing in a big game, but it motivated us to play harder and play our game,” said Powers. “We responded really well. We knew what we needed to do. It took some time to readjust, but every single player stepped up.”
The way it should be
The Capers and Clippers have been on a collision course all season, which is no surprise considering that one or the other has captured the region in eight of the past nine postseasons.
Yarmouth won last year’s state title in memorable fashion and hasn’t missed a beat in 2023, proving itself to be the top team in Class B South yet again (see sidebar for links to previous stories).
The Clippers only stumbled once, at Greely in double-overtime in the season opener, and also settled for a tie at North Yarmouth Academy, but won their other 12 contests and earned the top seed in the region.
After advancing with a 2-0 victory over eighth-ranked Morse in the quarterfinals, Yarmouth took care of No. 4 Freeport, 3-1, in its semifinal last Wednesday.
Cape Elizabeth, under new coach Branden Noltkamper, lost twice to Yarmouth, but beat everyone else for its fifth consecutive double-digit regular season win total (in non-pandemic seasons).
After blanking No. 7 Wells, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, the Capers did the same to No. 3 Greely in last Friday’s semifinal round.
Yarmouth beat Cape Elizabeth twice this season, 1-0 at home Sept. 14 (on a goal from senior Sonja Bell) and 2-0 on the road Oct. 17 in the regular season finale (as Powers scored twice).
The Capers had won four of the previous six playoff encounters (see sidebar), with a 3-0 victory in the 2021 regional final the most recent.
Wednesday, on a chilly afternoon (41 degrees and dropping at the start), in front of a vocal gathering, Cape Elizabeth made a quick statement, but ultimately, the Clippers responded like the champions they are and hope to be again.
In the fourth minute, the Capers had the game’s first scoring chance off a corner kick, but sophomore Maisie Rayback headed the ball wide.
Two minutes later, Yarmouth went on the attack, but Cape Elizabeth junior back Libby Hooper broke up a rush from junior Taylor Oranellas.
With 31:42 left in the first half, the Capers struck first, as Mallory passed ahead to Campbell on the right and Campbell lofted a shot which Sullivan got a piece of, but the ball got behind her and bounced in.
“That goal, I got a hand on it,” said Sullivan, who bowed her head in disgust after the goal, then regathered herself for the battle ahead. “It was unlucky, but it didn’t deter us at all. If anything, it made us work even harder. I had so much confidence in my offense.”
The Clippers, who have rarely trailed this season, could have tightened up, but instead, roared back.
After Sullivan saved a shot from sophomore Hailey Gorman, Yarmouth got its offense going and nearly drew even in the 18th minute, when Powers sent a promising shot on frame, but Hooper swept it off the line and a rebound bid from senior captain Kadin Davoren was saved by Piper.
After Powers had a shot in transition saved, Piper booted away a feed from Powers to Bell.
Finally, with 10:37 on the clock, the Clippers were able to get on the board, as senior Maya Hagerty played the ball in, senior Isabel Peters deflected it to Powers and Powers fired it home to make it 1-1.
“There was a lot of game left to go,” said Yarmouth coach Andy Higgins. “We stayed positive and kept working. It felt like momentum shifted our way and something would come. Thankfully, Isabel played a good ball in and Aine had a classic Aine finish and the girls woke up.”
Late in the first half, Mallory was brought down in the box but no call was made, junior CC Duryee had two shots denied by Sullivan and a long free kick from senior Evelyn Agrodnia was cleared.
While the first half saw relatively even play, Yarmouth would dominate in the second half until it finally got the lead.
With 33:43 left, Davoren set up Powers for a great look, which was denied by Piper.
Two minutes later, the Clippers appeared primed for an easy goal when senior Brooke Boone crossed the ball to the far post where Bell was waiting, but Bell’s left-footed shot was somehow saved by Piper and senior Neena Panozzo’s rebound bid went wide.
With 26:34 to play, Hagerty appeared to put Yarmouth on top when she headed home a corner kick serve from Powers, but the goal was waved off due to goalie interference.
Finally, with 16:20 on the clock, Powers proved to be the difference maker.
Again.
Off a free kick from senior Cate King, the ball came to Powers, who had an initial touch blocked, but she stayed with the play, got the ball back and beat Piper with her left foot, top corner, for a 2-1 advantage.
“It was a good ball from Cate and it got knocked around,” Powers said. “I just had to get my foot on it and place it in the net. I saw the net and I just put it in there.”
“Aine is the best athlete I’ve ever met and her goal scoring has been insane this year,” said Davoren. “Her athletic ability, her drive, everything. She pulls through for the team.”
“The second goal didn’t come easily,” Higgins added. “We had to grind for it. That’s what teams like Cape make you do. Aine’s got a nose for the goal. Good things happen when the ball’s at her feet. The kids find her and put her in good spots and she had good finishes. She’s a fantastic goal scorer and player and an even better person.”
Suddenly trailing, the Capers awakened and made the Clippers hold on for dear life down the stretch.
After junior back Eleanor Ting broke up a rush from Gorman, Cape Elizabeth earned two corner kicks, but the first was blocked and cleared, then Sullivan punched the ball out of harm’s way.
After Davoren cleared a ball, she broke up a rush from Mallory.
“We have a lot of veteran players on defense who have been in big games and I feel confident with them,” Higgins said. “Neena, Cate, Eleanor, Isabel, they’ve been here before. That’s a big strength for us.”
Yarmouth then transitioned to offense and had a chance to end all doubt when Bell set up Boone, but she missed just wide.
The Capers weren’t able to generate another chance and at 5:34 p.m., the final horn sounded and the Clippers prevailed, 2-1.
“It makes the victory even sweeter that we were down and got out of a hole,” said Sullivan. “Cape had momentum at the end, but we maintained composure and we ran the clock down.”
“There’s a lot of fight in this team and we know how to come back,” Davoren said. “We didn’t want to get down early, but it proves that we’re the hardest working team in the conference. There’s always some nerves and being down, the nerves were higher, but we will play to the very last second and that’s what we did. Being the reigning champs, of course there was pressure to do it again and there was a lot of doubt, but I think we knew from the start we could do it. We have so much heart.”
“The girls didn’t back down,” added Higgins. “We got just enough to push us through to Saturday and I’m so proud of the kids. We just took it play-by-play and did the best we could. These kids will never quit. There could be nine seconds to go and they wouldn’t stop fighting or competing our pulling for each other.
“There’s a little more motivation playing Cape. One of their social media feeds had them as the 2023 state champions and that bothered us and motivated us. We graduated an amazing class of young ladies last year and we brought in another class that’s an amazing class. This year’s team has a different set of strengths and they’ve really worked to capitalize on those strengths.”
Yarmouth enjoyed a 14-9 advantage in shots on frame and got eight clutch saves from Sullivan, a big-game goalie if there ever was one, but one who is happy to defer credit to her teammates.
“Shout-out to my defense,” Sullivan said. “They make my job so easy. I feel so safe with them in front of me.”
“Regan’s tough,” said Higgins. “She’s been one of the best goalies all year. She’s our wall, our security blanket. She keeps us really confident. Cape’s dangerous on set pieces. We tried to limit that. Unfortunately, we didn’t, but Regan made some big punch saves and the girls cleared balls off the line.”
They’ll be back
Cape Elizabeth got a dozen saves from Piper, who was sensational all postseason.
“She’s really good,” Powers said, of Piper. “She made some amazing saves, I give credit to her.”
“Ellis, I’m running out of things to say about her,” said Noltkamper. “As unfortunate as the result is, I’m happy she got to end her career on a high note. She was fantastic.”
The Capers had a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, but ultimately fell a goal short.
“Tensions run high in a final,” said Noltkamper. “We got ahead, but the two previous results got in our heads a little bit maybe. We’re so young, we’re still learning every single time we step on the field. We have to learn about how to manage these games. I’m so proud of these guys for battling for 80 minutes today, Hats off to Yarmouth. I wish them the best of luck.
“It’s been a great ride. We’re obviously disappointed with the result, but it’s an experience we can learn from. We won’t forget this and we’ll use it as motivation for next year. The five seniors, Ellis, Evelyn, Zoe (Dinnerstein), Lucie (Boudreau) and Mimi (McEvoy), we’re so thankful for them. I wish I could have coached those five longer. Everything we do next year, we’ll make sure we do it for them. They had great leadership skills.”
Look for Cape Elizabeth to be very strong in 2024, even if there are some big holes to fill.
“We do return a lot,” Noltkamper said. “As disappointing as this is, we’re hopeful for next year.”
Gold Ball Saturday
Yarmouth and Ellsworth have never met in the tournament.
The Clippers will go after their sixth Gold Ball and second in a row with confidence, hoping to write the final chapter on an unforgettable and inspirational story.
“We’ve heard from day one this season that we wouldn’t be as good this year and that it would be a rebuilding season, but that really motivated us to come out and be even stronger,” Powers said. “I think we just need to keep our heads and keep playing how we’ve been playing. If we put our minds to it, we can do it. I’m excited for the challenge.”
“It feels a little unreal,” said Sullivan, who suffered a concussion in last year’s state game. “That was a situation that wasn’t great for me, but I’m excited to go back and play with my team. I hope to play a big role. I can’t wait.”
“We have to play the way we’ve been playing,” Davoren said. “Trust each and connect.”
“We just have to take care of us,” added Higgins, who oh by the way is an Ellsworth graduate. “We’ve taken it as far as we can and we’ll be ready Saturday.”
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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