Freeport sophomore Bobby Strong plays the ball while Waynflete senior Ben Adey looks to defend during the Flyers’ 4-1 victory Saturday.
PORTLAND—There will be no three-peat for Waynflete, but what a transcendent, triumphant season it was for the Fabulous Flyers.
Saturday afternoon, at Fore River Fields, where 70-plus degree temperatures suggested that the calendar should have read Sept. 7, not Nov. 7, Waynflete, the two-time reigning Class C champion, carried play most of the way against visiting Freeport and capped a perfect season in the process.
After multiple near-misses, the Flyers took the lead for good in the 29th minute, when senior Joey Ansel-Mullen set up classmate Alex Vest.
Vest then served a corner kick on to the head of senior Harry Millspaugh for a second goal in the 32nd minute and Waynflete was on its way.
Ansel-Mullen then put on a brilliant individual show with 1:34 remaining in the half and finished to make it a three-goal game at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half, junior Samir Sayed added to the lead and while the Falcons got a goal in waning seconds, on a penalty kick from sophomore Alex Graver, it wasn’t enough and the Flyers closed out their 4-1 victory.
Waynflete made it 10 wins without a loss this unorthodox fall season and dropped Freeport to 2-5-2 in the process.
“We’ve had a great year,” Ansel-Mullen said. “We’re a great team. We’re happy to end it with a win.”
Flying high
Waynflete started its 2020 campaign with a 5-1 victory at two-time Class D South champion North Yarmouth Academy and a 6-1 home win over Gray-New Gloucester. The Flyers then won a first-ever countable game at Deering (3-2) and knocked off visiting Cheverus (4-0), again, in a first-ever countable meeting. Next came a first-ever countable game against visiting Portland, a contest Waynflete captured, 2-1. After a 7-1 home victory over NYA, the Flyers held off host Cheverus, 3-2, before giving longtime coach Brandon Salway his 300th career victory, 6-0, over visiting Sacopee Valley. Thursday, Waynflete had to rally to down host Greely, 5-3.
“It’s been nice to play some different teams this year,” Vest said.
Freeport started with a 6-2 home loss to Brunswick, then defeated visiting Mt. Ararat (4-1). After a hard-fought 1-0 home loss to defending Class B champion Yarmouth, the Falcons tied host Mt. Ararat (1-1), lost at Greely (3-0), played host Yarmouth to a 1-1 draw, lost at home to Greely (2-1), then Saturday, got back in the win column with a 2-1 home victory over Gray-New Gloucester.
The teams hadn’t met since 2017 when Freeport held on for a 2-1 home victory.
Saturday, on a glorious 73-degree day, the Flyers left no doubt that they were a team for the ages.
For much of the first half, Waynflete was frustrated, as Vest had a shot blocked, Vest missed wide, then shot high, Millspaugh hit the side netting, junior Henry Hart had a shot saved and senior Patrick Shaw was also denied.
Finally, with 11:36 to go in the first half, Ansel Mullen got some room on the end line, dribbled in, then sent a low cross to Vest, who finished to put the Flyers ahead to stay.
“We missed a lot early, but I felt it would come,’ Vest said. “It normally does with this team.”
“That’s sort of the way things went all year,” said Salway. “We get plenty of chances, then we break through and score. We’ve scored a lot against quality teams. More than 40 goals.”
After taking nearly 29 minutes to break the ice, Waynflete needed just three minutes to get a second goal, as off a corner kick, Vest’s serve found the head of Millspaugh, whose shot bounced into the net for a 2-0 lead.
“Alex just put in a beautiful cross and I just had to put it in,” said Millspaugh. “It was a beautiful ball. I was just lucky to be in the right spot there and luck to get it in.”
“Any way we find the back of the net is a great finish in my book,” Salway said.
With 1:34 to go before halftime, Ansel-Mullen opned it up even more, completing a tremendous individual effort which saw him elude multiple defenders before rebounding his own shot into the goal for a commanding 3-0 advantage.
“That meant a lot, to score in my last game,” Ansel-Mullen said.
“Joey’s so good, so composed,” said Salway. “He’s improved so much through his high school career. He’s taken his game to a different level and played great against really good teams.”
Waynflete out-shot Freeport, 7-0, in the first half and had a 4-0 advantage on corner kicks.
The Flyers then essentially ended all doubt with 30:25 left in the second half, as Sayed got a pass from Millspaugh, then flicked a shot over Falcons’ sophomore keeper Rowan Bradford.
“”I was extremely calm and I saw the keeper was low, so I thought, ‘Why not chip it?’ and it worked,” Sayed said.
The Falcons then looked to get on the board and were initially flustered, as Graver was denied by Waynflete senior goalie Ben Curtis, Graver had a free kick blocked, junior Owen Howarth had a shot saved by Curtis, Graver had a shot saved as well, then a Graver shot that appeared to be a sure goal was swept off the line by Millspaugh.
“(Harry) does that every practice,” Ansel-Mullen said. “He’s one of the most agile players we have.”
Finally, inside of the final minute, after a Flyers’ hand ball in the box, Freeport was awarded a penalty kick and with 16 seconds to go, Graver did the honors, scoring by beating Curtis to the goalie’s left.
Waynflete closed it out from there and celebrated its 4-1 win, which culminated a perfect run.
“It’s pretty amazing honestly,” said Vest. “There’s not a team like this. It comes from the coach, it comes from the players.”
“It was really important to give the seniors a goodbye present and allow them to leave happy,” Sayed said.
“It’s a nice, silver lining, to go undefeated,” Ansel-Mullen said. “We got more recognition playing Class A schools, showing what kind of team we are.”
“I’m glad the guys finished it off,” Salway added. “There couldn’t be a more deserving group. The schedule was tough this season, but this group wanted to play at a high level. They made the commitment and it was important to get everyone in, because they worked hard.”
Waynflete finished with a 12-6 advantage in shots on frame, had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks and got five saves from Curtis.
Freeport got eight saves from Bradford and fought to the end.
“(Waynflete’s) one of the best teams,” said Falcons coach Bob Strong. “Front to back, they’re so solid. We’re definitely banged up, but even with a healthy team, we would have struggled. We had to modify how we played. Joey’s so dominant in the midfield. He finds seams. He’s a game-changer.”
Freeport wraps up its season of growth Monday at Brunswick.
“We take something away from each game with an eye on next year,” Strong said. “Every game is helpful for the younger players.”
What a year, what a career
Waynflete went 51-6-5 against a daunting schedule over the past four years, won two state titles and almost certainly would have captured a third.
The Flyers’ nonpareil senior class has left a legacy that will long be hailed.
“I’ve learned a lot from the seniors,” Sayed said. “Decision-making, how to be a better player. How to be a better teammate. Playing at Waynflete is something different. The seniors taught me a lot and I appreciate it.”
“I’ve played with a lot of these kids pretty much my whole life,” Millspaugh said. “It will be hard to take off this jersey.”
“The seniors are special and they were so accomplished,” Salway added. “They had a couple unbeaten seasons, a couple championships. I think this group had fun. We played a lot of good teams this year and we just wouldn’t be denied. They took the program to new heights. It will be tough to say goodbye.”
Some might be quick to overlook the Flyers in 2021, but that would be a huge mistake.
“I’m not worried about anything,” Sayed said. “We’ll be competitive again. The bench players have played really well.”
We lose good seniors every year, but this group was so competitive and composed,” Salway said. “There’s good players on the JV. In a normal year, they would have been varsity players. It will difficult to play at this level next year, but we think we’ll be in the hunt if it’s a normal season.”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
