HAMPDEN — After his team got what he referred to as a “wake-up call,” Myles Culley took over – and delivered both history and a state championship for his team.
Culley scored five goals Saturday as the Waynflete boys soccer team earned a 6-1 win over Fort Kent in the Class C state championship game at Hampden Academy. Culley finished the season with 52 goals, tying the state record set by Sumner’s Damon Warren in 2018.
Fort Kent scored midway through the second half to cut Waynflete’s lead to 2-1. Culley then banged in four goals in a span of 14 minutes to turn the game into a rout and deliver the Flyers their fourth straight Gold Ball.
“What a way to go out,” said Culley, playing in his final game for Waynflete as a senior. “To win a Gold Ball with your teammates and do it like that in your last game, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Waynflete (16-1-1) quickly put Fort Kent on the back foot, and it took the Flyers just 1:12 to go in front 1-0. The goal came from Jacob Woodman, who curled a shot into the bottom left corner from the center of the box.
After a host of opportunities, including two that forced Fort Kent goalkeeper Drew Deschaine to make sprawling tip saves over the bar, Waynflete added a second goal with 12:18 left in the half. Maneuvering through three defenders and cutting inside, Culley sent a curling shot to the bottom left corner.
Deschaine then made two key saves early in the second half, and Fort Kent (16-2) scored against the run of play on an Ethan Daigle goal with 22:53 left. That ignited a fire in Waynflete, and a minute later, Culley restored the two-goal lead.
“Over the last few years, this team has really been able to answer goals when the other team scores, and we were ready to take it right back,” said Waynflete Coach Brandon Salway. “Myles was kind of measuring where to finish, and that first one got some momentum back on our side.
Two minutes later, Culley effectively put the game out of reach as he notched his third of the game to make it 4-1. He connected again with 8:00 left and rounded out the scoring with 7:08 to go – though he nearly broke the single-season record moments later with a shot that was inches wide of the post.
“I wanted it so bad, but at the end of the day, what matters is that we got the Gold Ball,” Culley said. “I’m really proud of the boys. It takes a team record to make a goal, and I owe it all to them.”
The state title was the fifth for Waynflete under Salway, who also led the Flyers to the championship in 2011 prior to the current streak. Yet of all his great teams, this one, Salway said, holds a special place.
“When you look at our schedule and who we’ve beaten this year, you have to say that this is a great team,” Salway said. “This is one of the best seasons we’ve ever had.”
Deschaine made seven saves for Fort Kent. Waynflete’s Nico Kirby recorded three saves.
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