CUMBERLAND — The Yarmouth girls’ soccer team has a new coach, but that apparently doesn’t mean the Clippers are rebuilding.
The reigning Class B state champions looked like they will be tough to beat when they rolled to a 4-0 win Tuesday against Greely in a rematch of last season’s South regional final.
“They know they’re the team to beat this year, and they’re going to work twice as hard to make sure they’re not a one-hit wonder,” said Coach Chris Coleman, who took over when Josh Thornton left to become the assistant men’s soccer coach at Bates College after one season with the Clippers.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but this is an extremely talented group, one of the most talented teams I’ve worked with,” said the 26-year-old Coleman, a native of Liverpool, England, who is on the staff of the Portland-based Global Soccer Phoenix. “They want to improve and they take nothing for granted.”
The Clippers (2-0) dominated play during the first half in taking a 2-0 lead.
“We’re coming together nicely,” said Sara D’Appolonia, a senior captain and one of the top midfielders in the state. “We’ve got a lot of young talent (who are) filling the places of the seniors who graduated.”
Ella Purgavie opened the scoring during the 19th minute when she put in a wide-angled shot from the right side after getting past a defender along the end line. With 12 minutes left in the first half, Olivia Feeley slammed a direct kick from 35 yards out on the left off the fingertips of goalie Molly Mathews, who leaped to try to keep the ball from going in under the crossbar.
“(Yarmouth) played well, but when you give up two goals in the first half, it’s ridiculous,” said Greely Coach Josh Muscadin.
The best scoring opportunities for the Rangers (1-1) came early during the second half.
Less than five minutes in, Julia Martel went one-on-one against goalie Meredith Lane after breaking in alone on the left side, but sent the ball just over the crossbar. About five minutes later, Lane batted away Martel’s shot from the right side of the penalty area.
For much of the game Greely had difficulty sustaining an attack or maintaining possession.
“We could knock (the ball) around from the middle, but when we got to the top our first touch was our worst enemy,” Muscadin said. “Sometimes you need a little luck. Not only was luck not with us, but we did not play to our expectations.”
Hannah Corey anchored a very solid back four for Yarmouth.
“It’s a solid back line that not only looks to defend but looks to attack as well,” Coleman said. “That gives us a lot of attacking options in a wide area.”
With a little more than 20 minutes left in the second half, D’Appolonia rolled in a shot from near the left post into the far corner to make it 3-0. Adriana Whitlock had an assist.
With less than seven minutes left, Hannah Merrill put in a penalty kick after she was hauled down well inside the penalty area when she broke in alone.
Muscadin expects the Rangers to play better the two teams meet again Sept. 16 in Yarmouth.
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