SOUTH PORTLAND – The lead changed hands more than once when No. 2 South Portland battled three-seed Kennebunk Saturday evening. Thomas Leddy’s game-tying goal midway through the final quarter regained the momentum for the Red Riots – but only temporarily. Two late-game notches edged the Rams ahead and secured their eventual victory, 11-9.
Kennebunk advances to the Class A West finals against top-ranked Scarborough. That bout is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12. South Portland ends the year 11-3.
“I think the big thing was we made a few too many mental mistakes down the end,” South Portland head coach Tom Fiorini said after the game. “Not getting back on defense, chasing sticks, subbing on the fly when we’re on defense – little things that we haven’t done all season.”
The Rams struck first, just over three minutes in, but the Red Riots’ Alec Neal answered not four minutes later. As the quarter unraveled into its last 60 seconds, South Portland junior Duncan Preston capitalized on a Kennebunk penalty to put his team on top, 2-1.
The Rams tied the tally halfway through the second, but Preston would have none of that and promptly scored again. The goal ignited a Red Riots run that extended well into the third quarter and gave South Portland a 7-3 advantage and all the confidence in the world.
“The ball was bouncing our way nicely,” Fiorini said. “The kids were playing hard.”
Kennebunk desperately needed a rally – and a rally is what they assembled, matching the Red Riots’ hot streak with one of their own, and tying the game at 7-7 to start the fourth.
Fiorini tried to quell his boys’ nerves when the action began to look completely out of their control. “Just calm down,” he said he told them. “Keep playing our game, keep working hard. Good things will happen.”
Now the ballgame was practically brand new, and the favorite entirely unclear. The Rams inched ahead, but Preston notched his third to even the score once more, this time at 8. Kennebunk then took another step forward, but Leddy said no and dumped the ball in the Rams’ net on a pass from Andrew Whipple. 9-9.
With 7:30 remaining, the stadium roared, the teams’ fan contingents struggling to out-shout one another while the teams themselves struggled to out-run, out-pass, and out-check one another. The tension cranked tighter still when Kennebunk scored on a shot that didn’t look much like a shot at all, but more like a pass gone awry, one that sailed over Red Riots’ goalie T-Moe Hellier then spasmed off the ground into the net.
Still, South Portland had time to work with. They launched into an aggressive attack, barraging the Rams’ goal with shots, some cleaner than others. Those that didn’t miss their target altogether ended up blocked, however, and eventually the Rams took possession again, ultimately scoring one final time to take the W, 11-9.
Preston had three goals for the Red Riots in the loss, while Leddy had two and Neal, Whipple, Colton Gervais and Jack Fiorini each had one.
“It’s like I’ve said a hundred times,” Coach Fiorini. “It’s still a young team. We’ve only got four seniors. Mental mistakes killed us today, and that was the difference.”
But Fiorni added that the team as a whole fought hard. “All my kids played well. T-Moe made some nice saves when he needed to, we got some ground balls when we needed to, our defense stepped up when we needed to. There [were] flashes of greatness throughout the whole day.”
South Portland’s Joey Babbidge on the field against Kennebunk Saturday evening.
The Red Riots’ Jordan Susi ducks around a Kennebunk defender.
Andrew Whipple of South Portland leans away from a Rams defender while looking for the pass.
Alec Neal carries the ball for South Portland Saturday evening.
South Portland’s Duncan Preston (6) and T-Moe Hellier, after the emotional loss.
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