Cape rallies to stun Yarmouth again, this time in triple OT

Cape Elizabeth junior Karli Chapin celebrates after scoring in the final minute of regulation in Friday’s Class B state final against Yarmouth. Chapin’s goal tied the score and in the third overtime, Chapin scored again, giving the Capers a 12-11 victory and their second consecutive championship.

Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Class B state final

Cape Elizabeth 12 Yarmouth 11 (3 OT)

CE- 5 6 0 0 1- 12
Y- 7 4 0 0 0- 11

First half
23:05 CE Chapin (unassisted)
20:19 CE Harvey (Chapin)
17:45 Y Lowenstein (unassisted)
15:39 Y Lowenstein (free position)
13:54 CE Lynch (Chapin)
13:08 Y Groothoff (Grant)
12:02 Y Lowenstein (D’Appolonia)
8:10 Y Teare (unassisted)
2:48 Y D’Appolonia (unassisted)
2:05 CE Harvey (unassisted)
45.3 CE Chapin (unassisted)
8.5 Y Groothoff (free position)

Second half
24:07 CE Chapin (unassisted)
22:58 Y Abi Thornton (unassisted)
21:41 CE McGrath (unassisted)
18:23 CE Harvey (unassisted)
16:25 CE Harvey (Chapin)
14:24 Y Abi Thornton (free position)
6:43 Y D’Appolonia (Groothoff)
4:41 Y Groothoff (Anna Thornton)
1:54 CE Harvey (unassisted)
39.7 CE Chapin (Harvey)

Overtime
No scoring

Second overtime
No scoring

Third overtime
2:25 CE Chapin (unassisted)

Goals:
CE- Chapin, Harvey 5, Lynch, McGrath 1
Y- Groothoff, Lowenstein 3, D’Appolonia, Abi Thornton 2, Teare 1

Assists:
CE- Chapin 3, Harvey 1
Y- D’Appolonia, Grant, Groothoff, Anna Thornton 1

Draws (Cape Elizabeth, 14-13)
CE- K. Chapin 13 of 25, Harvey 1 of 1, Thoreck 0 of 1
Y- Groothoff 12 of 23, D’Appolonia 1 of 2, Grondin 0 of 2

Ground balls:
CE- 37
Y- 28

Turnovers:
CE- 11
Y- 17

Shots on goal:
CE- 33
Y- 19

Shots on cage
CE- 27
Y- 19

Saves:
CE (Foley) 8
Y (Serrano) 15

PORTLAND—How do you improve upon an epic, overtime game for the ages?

You do it again, that’s how.

And this time, you take three overtimes to get the job done.

Friday evening at Fitzpatrick Stadium, the Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth girls’ lacrosse teams produced another instant classic Class B state final, one full of twists, turns, phenomenal performances and clutch plays and one that culminated with the latest chapter of the Legend of Karli Chapin, who entered her name into program lore.

The Capers, the defending state champions and second seed, who shocked the Clippers a year ago by rallying late to force overtime before prevailing, got off to a fast start, as Chapin and senior Brooke Harvey scored quick goals.

Top-ranked Yarmouth, sparked by a couple key saves from senior goalie Izzy Serrano, who played the game of her life, settled down and roared back, as sophomore Annie Lowenstein scored twice to tie the score, then, after junior Allie Lynch put Cape Elizabeth back on top, junior Ehryn Groothoff tied the game before Lowenstein’s third goal gave the Clippers their first lead.

Yarmouth then got goals from sophomore Natalie Teare and fabulous freshman Katelyn D’Appolonia, but the Capers answered behind goals from Harvey and Chapin.

Groothoff then scored with 8.5 seconds on the clock to give the Clippers a 7-5 halftime advantage.

After Chapin and Yarmouth senior Abi Thornton traded goals to start the second half, senior Tori McGrath and Harvey scored to tie the game, then with 16:25 to play, Harvey struck again to put Cape Elizabeth back on top.

Then the Clippers rallied, as Thornton tied the game with a free position, D’Appolonia put Yarmouth ahead with 6:43 on the clock and with 4:41 to go, Groothoff scored to seemingly put it away, but as they did a year ago, the Capers saved their best for last.

With Chapin sidelined for two minutes with a yellow card, the Clippers couldn’t run out the clock and Cape Elizabeth made it a one-goal game with 1:54 remaining, as Harvey scored, then when Chapin returned, the Capers pulled even, as Harvey set up Chapin with 39.7 seconds to go.

And with that, for the second year in a row, the teams would have to go to overtime to determine a champion.

This time, it would take more than one OT.

Just seconds into overtime, Cape Elizabeth senior goalie Erin Foley came up with a huge save, denying D’Appolonia to extend the game.

In the second OT, Groothoff had a chance to give Yarmouth its first title since 2015 when she earned a free position, but again Foley came up huge.

The contest would go to a third overtime and there it would end, as 35 seconds in, Chapin fired a low shot that Serrano couldn’t save and when it tickled the twine, the Capers had a 12-11 victory and a repeat championship.

Chapin and Harvey each scored five goals as Cape Elizabeth finished 13-2, ended Yarmouth’s fine season at 13-2 and won the third title in program history.

“This is my sweetest victory in my career as a coach,” said Capers coach Alex Spark. “Both teams showed a lot of heart. It was incredible, fun to watch. I’m not normally vocal on the sidelines, but tonight, I started to lose my voice out of pure excitement over the level of play. My team fought so hard. I’ve never been so proud.”

Even better

Last June, Cape Elizabeth shot to a 7-4 halftime lead, but Yarmouth roared back and went up by a goal from Greta Elder and was on the verge of winning the championship, but the Capers forced a turnover in the final minute and Emily Healy scored to send the game to overtime. There, Healy scored again and Cape Elizabeth had an improbable title.

This spring, the Capers and Clippers have clearly been the top two teams in Class B.

Cape Elizabeth lost early at Kennebunk and at Yarmouth, but won its other 10 games. The Capers eliminated No. 10 Waynflete, 13-2, in the state quarterfinals, then ousted third-ranked Greely, 10-4, in Tuesday’s state semifinals.

Yarmouth, despite losing a ton of firepower to graduation, won 11 of 12 games, losing only by a goal at home to reigning Class A South champion Massabesic. The Clippers then advanced with a 12-1 win over No. 9 Mt. Ararat in the state quarterfinals and an 11-6 victory over fourth-seeded Biddeford in Tuesday’s semifinals.

In the teams’ regular season meeting May 8, Yarmouth prevailed at home, 14-11, as Lowenstein scored four times and Abi Thornton and Teare each had three goals. McGrath scored six goals, but it wasn’t enough.

In addition to last spring, the Capers and Clippers also did battle in a memorable Class B state final in 2014, as Yarmouth held off a furious late rally to prevail, 13-10, behind six goals from Grace O’Donnell (Abby McInerney set a new record for state game scoring with eight in a losing cause), and met in the 1998 state semifinals (an 8-7 Clippers’ victory).

Yarmouth was taking part in its 17th state final (dating to 1993, see sidebar, below, for previous results). The Clippers won state titles in 1996 (5-4 over Waynflete), 2001 (13-8 over Kennebunk), 2006 (12-5 over Waynflete), 2007 (7-5 over Kennebunk), 2011 (9-8 over Waynflete), 2014 (13-10 over Cape Elizabeth) and 2015 (11-10, in overtime over Kennebunk) and lost in 1993 (11-8 to Gould), 1994 (7-6 to Waynflete), 1995 (6-5 to Waynflete), 1998 (13-8 to Waynflete), 1999 (5-3 to Waynflete), 2013 (7-4 to Waynflete), 2016 (7-5 to Kennebunk), 2017 (5-4 to Kennebunk) and last year.

Cape Elizabeth, meanwhile, was taking part in just its third-ever state game in the MPA-sanctioned era (dating to 1998), all coming against Yarmouth.

The Capers also won a Division I crown in 1997, beating Back Bay, 11-8.

Friday, in front of a large crowd on a comfortable evening (65 degrees at the start), two talented teams embarked on a 56-plus minute journey that left everyone on hand breathless, exhausted and exhilarated by the time it finally concluded.

Chapin won the opening draw of the game and with 23:05 to go in the first half, Chapin started the scoring by finishing unassisted.

After Foley preserved the lead by denying Abi Thornton and Teare missed wide on a free position shot, Chapin set up Harvey for her first goal with 20:19 on the clock and Cape Elizabeth had a quick 2-0 lead.

After Harvey hit the crossbar, Serrano robbed McGrath and that sparked a Yarmouth comeback.

With 17:45 to play in the half, Lowenstein got the Clippers on the board, finishing unassisted.

Lowenstein then tied the game with 15:39 left, scoring on a free position.

After Serrano twice robbed McGrath, the Capers retook the lead, 3-2, as Chapin set up Lynch with 13:54 to go in the half.

Yarmouth drew even again 46 seconds later, as senior Hannah Grant set up Groothoff in front for a goal.

Then, after a Cape Elizabeth turnover, on the fastbreak, D’Appolonia set up Lowenstein and the Clippers were on top for the first time.

After D’Appolonia was denied by Foley and Groothoff hit the crossbar, Teare added to the lead by scoring unassisted with 8:10 to go in the half.

After Serrano continued her terrific play by saving shots by McGrath and Harvey, D’Appolonia finished unassisted with 2:48 on the clock for a 6-3 lead.

The Capers would get some momentum back before the break, however.

With 2:05 showing, Harvey beat a defender on a crease roll, then finished unassisted.

Cape Elizabeth then nearly turned a beautiful long clearing pass to a breakaway goal, but after catching Foley’s toss, Harvey hit the crossbar.

The Capers kept possession and with 45.3 seconds left, Chapin finished unassisted.

Just when the Clippers watched momentum slip away, they got it back with 8.5 seconds remaining, as Groothoff finished a free position and Yarmouth held a 7-5 edge at halftime.

In the first 25 minutes, Cape Elizabeth had an edge in draws, ground balls and shots, but seven Serrano saves helped the Clippers hold the lead.

The second half would be palpitating as well.

Just 53 seconds in, after another Chapin draw win, Chapin scored unassisted to again cut the deficit to one.

Yarmouth answered again, as Abi Thornton weaved through the defense before beating Foley with 22:58 to play for an 8-6 advantage.

The Capers then got three straight goals to take the lead.

After a Clippers’ turnover, McGrath was able to spin past a defender, then beat Serrano to cut the deficit to one with 21:41 remaining.

After Serrano denied junior Julia Thoreck and sophomore Charlotte Graham, Cape Elizabeth drew even with 18:23 to go, as Harvey did the honors, unassisted.

After D’Appolonia was sent off for two minutes with a yellow card, the Capers went back ahead with 16:25 remaining, as Chapin set up Harvey to make it 9-8.

Chapin nearly doubled the lead 36 seconds later, but Serrano made the save.

Then with 14:24 on the clock, Abi Thornton scored on a free position to tie the score for the fifth time.

Thanks to key saves from Serrano (denying Graham) and Foley (who robbed Thornton), the score remained tied until 6:43 remained, when Groothoff set up D’Appolonia for a 10-9 Yarmouth lead.

After Groothoff won the ensuing draw, catching the ball with one hand, the Clippers ran the clock down to 4:41, where Groothoff scored from sophomore Anna Thornton and it appeared Yarmouth was on the brink of winning it.

Groothoff won the ensuing draw and with 2:54 to go, Chapin received a yellow card and had to sit and things looked grim for the Capers.

But Cape Elizabeth never, ever, ever gives up.

The Clippers turned the ball over, Teare was sent off with a yellow card and with 1:54 showing, Harvey kept the Capers’ hopes alive with an unassisted goal which cut the deficit to 11-10.

“We were able to focus and picked up the energy,” Harvey said. “We motivated each other to get steals and big shots. We knew we needed just one thing to turn it around. I was just going for it. I was going to leave it all out on the field. It was my last high school game. We knew we could pull it out.”

Groothoff won the ensuing draw again and D’Appolonia scooped up the ground ball, but with 1:04 to play, Yarmouth turned it over, giving Cape Elizabeth life.

“We’re young and we panicked a little bit,” said Clippers coach Dorothy Holt.

When Chapin returned to action 10 seconds later, there was little doubt where the ball would go.

The Capers set up on offense and with 39.7 seconds showing, Harvey fed Chapin for a low shot which Serrano couldn’t stop and the contest was tied for the final time.

“Last year, I was in a similar position, getting a yellow card late in the game and I didn’t do a good job keeping my cool,” Chapin said. “This year, I went in knowing anything could happen. We were man-up and Brooke had a nice pass and I just shot for the corner.”

“There was a moment when a lot of things didn’t look good between Karli’s card and us being down, but we always say that tables can turn and we got a goal, we got Karli back in and we tied it back up,” Spark said.

Chapin won the ensuing draw and Cape Elizabeth had an opportunity to steal it in regulation, but the Capers instead opted to stretch out the drama, as they were unable to get a shot off before the horn and after 50 minutes, nothing separated the teams, who went to overtime deadlocked, 11-11.

In high school girls’ lacrosse, teams play three-minute, “sudden victory” overtimes to determine a winner. If one OT isn’t enough, a second, or even more are utilized.

And multiple OTs were necessary on this magical, memorable night.

Groothoff won the draw to start overtime and right away, Yarmouth had a great chance to win it, as D’Appolonia shook a defender and broke in one-on-one with Foley, but 44 seconds into OT, Foley made the save point blank to extend the game.

“It just kind of happened,” said Foley. “Just a reaction. I was surprised to make the save. It was a good feeling that we were still in it.”

“Erin is amazing,” Harvey said. “She’s been amazing since freshman year. She really helps us. She makes a save and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, yeah!’ She’s one of our best players.”

Cape Elizabeth then transitioned to offense and Chapin tried to end the game, but her shot was just wide.

The Capers kept possession and with 53.3 seconds left, Chapin shot again, just wide.

Chapin would have one more look 19 seconds later, but Serrano made the save and McGrath flicked the rebound just wide.

Neither team could produce a shot from there and after a short break to change sides, the contest went to a second overtime.

Again, Groothoff won possession for Yarmouth right away and after a timeout, Groothoff was knocked to the ground and earned a free position with 1:28 left.

Groothoff would race in on Foley, but again, Foley had icewater in her veins and made another critical save.

“I just try to stay focused and calm,” Foley said. “In those situations, all you can do is avoid getting in your head. I just focus on staying present.”

“Erin is amazing,” Chapin said. “She kept us in so many games. She came up big in the biggest games.”

“I’ve said since Erin was a freshman that we’re so lucky to have her,” Spark added. “She comes up big every game. The defense made a huge difference too with their crashing.”

After neither team could earn another shot, the clock ran out and the contest had to go to a third OT, something which last happened in a Maine girls’ lacrosse state final in 2014, when Massabesic outlasted Cheverus, 9-8, in a Class A final.

The third overtime would be the charm for the Capers and the curse for the Clippers.

Groothoff appeared to win the draw again, but she was called for a foul for reaching over Chapin’s body to one hand the ball and by rule, the ball went to Cape Elizabeth.

Which never relinquished it.

The Capers ran a little time off the clock, passing the ball around, then it came up top to Chapin.

Chapin made a quick move to her right, got a step on a defender, attempted another low shot and this time, bounced it on target, past Serrano.

At 9:55 p.m., the ball went into the net.

“It was really nice having a goal like that,” said Chapin. “I just tried to sidearm it. Their goalie made some great saves and Yarmouth has a great defense. I was just trying to get it on target. After I missed a couple, I knew I just needed one more chance.”

“Karli is such a key player,” Harvey said. “Once Karli turned the corner, she had it. She has a great shot. I knew it would go in. I was speechless and gave her a hug.”

“I believed in Karli,” Foley said. “I knew she would do it. I’m so proud of her.”

“(Karli) wanted it,” Spark added. “She wasn’t afraid. She missed a couple times, but she remained composed.”

Yarmouth had Chapin’s stick checked, but it was ruled legal and Cape Elizabeth had a 12-11 victory.

Exhilaration ensued.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Chapin. “I’m so glad our team got to feel it again. It’s kind of unbelievable. We gave it everything we had. We just stayed focused. It’s a great team to be a part of. My coaches and teammates had confidence in me to take that last shot and it’s nice to be part of a team like that. We’re so close. We have such great chemistry. I wanted to do it for the seniors.”

“I’m so proud of our team,” Harvey said. “I cried after the game, I was so exhausted and filled with joy. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d get back here. We had such a young team, but we did it and it’s so exciting. Most of us were confident going into overtime. We had great spirit.”

“Going into (overtime), we were feeling pretty confident because we’ve been in those situations before,” Foley said. “I’m proud of how the younger players handled the pressure. I was just really excited. Two really, really good teams fighting it out. It was such a fun game to watch. From the beginning of the season, we knew that people had to step it up. Everyone tonight brought their all. We had a lot of defensive injuries this season, but so many girls stepped it up.”

“I’m really happy for my seniors, especially,” Spark added. “They played in that game last year. To win it twice is great.”

Chapin, who back in November scored an overtime, championship game-winning goal in girls’ soccer, capped her transcendent game with her fifth goal. Chapin also had three assists, won 13 of 25 draw opportunities and led all players with 13 ground balls.

“I could hug Karli 20 times,” said Spark, of Chapin, who wears the uniform number 20. “She’s a special player. She’s so good and quick. She can take the pressure. She did a great job keeping her head in it and fighting until the end.”

Harvey was sensational as well in her swan song, scoring five goals and adding one assist.

Lynch and McGrath each had one goal.

Foley made eight saves in her final contest before taking her talents to Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

The Capers had a 14-13 edge in draws, a 37-28 advantage in ground balls (Harvey, McGrath and sophomore Hannah Johnson each collected four), a 33-19 shots advantage (27-19 on cage) and only turned the ball over 11 times in over 56 minutes of high-pressure action.

Snakebitten

Yarmouth got three goals apiece from Groothoff and Lowenstein. D’Appolonia and Abi Thornton each added two, while Teare finished with one.

D’Appolonia, Grant, Groothoff and Anna Thornton all had one assist.

Serrano was sensational with 15 saves.

“I take pride in being a goalie,” Serrano said. “It’s a tough position. I started as a freshman and went all the way through until senior year. It’s an amazing feeling when you make a huge save. I learned so much from (former Clippers goalie and current assistant coach) Mary Kate (Gunville). She’s a big inspiration for me. From stopping the ball, putting my stick down, she’s my idol.”

“Izzy was great from start to finish,” said Holt. ‘She’s worked really hard.”

Abi Thornton had a team-high six ground balls, while Groothoff collected five.

The Clippers committed 17 turnovers.

Yarmouth has now dropped four straight state games by a combined five goals with the last two requiring extra time.

But after the game, pride was more evident than heartache.

“It was fun,” Serrano said. “We played our hearts out. It was a tough loss, but it was a good game. It was just a good shot.”

“Cape’s an awesome team,” Holt said. “It was two evenly matched teams. We had our chances. To win would have been nice, but I couldn’t have asked for any more from these girls. It was a fun game to coach and a fun game to watch. The girls gave their all and left it on the field. That’s what a coach wants and I’m proud of them.

“I feel blessed. It’s hard work to get back here and this team worked hard. The younger kids got experience and were led by awesome senior leadership.”

Yarmouth, as always, loses multiple key contributors, but as always, will be on the short list of favorites when a new season commences next spring.

“Every year is a different year and we’ll see what next year brings,” Holt said.

A 2020 repeat?

Cape Elizabeth says goodbye to Foley, Harvey, McGrath and Morgan Stewart, but everyone else returns next spring.

With that in mind, it’s likely we’re witnessing the beginning of a dynasty, not the end of a title run.

“It’s a young team, so we have a lot coming back,” said Chapin. “We’re losing some key seniors, but that’s what we thought last year and we found out that anything can happen.”

“We lose some special seniors and last year, we lost special seniors too, but we have a big underclassman group and they stepped up and got it done,” Spark said. “The future looks bright.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Yarmouth senior Isabel Brennan tries to alter a shot from Cape Elizabeth senior Brooke Harvey.

Cape Elizabeth senior Tori McGrath loses the ball as she’s defended by Yarmouth junior Jane Fulton, left, junior Ehryn Groothoff and senior Abi Thornton.