McClelland Miscellanea

November 2, 2013 · 11:15 pm

Penalty kicks get Windham past Scarborough 1-0 in Western Class A semifinals

Liz Mycock blocks the penalty kick of Sam Sparda.

Windham celebrating begins on the field and in the stands

(Windham ME) What a memorable day……..and I’m not just writing about the weather!

The Windham Lady Eagles used the penalty-kick route to get by nemesis Scarborough, 1-0, on a Saturday afternoon where both the weather and the girls’ soccer were terrific.

The win for the Eagles (15-0-1) pushes them into the Western Class A finals against Thornton Academy on Wednesday at Windham High School.

The last three times Windham has faced Scarborough (12-2-2), regulation and overtimes have not been enough to separate the two teams.

Today was the third time and since it was a state tournament game there was a step beyond regulation and overtimes………penalty kicks and they were needed in this Western Class A semifinal game.

backup Windham goalie Liz Mycock

The unlikely heroine for the Eagles in the penalty-kick part of this game was junior backup goalie Liz Mycock. WHS coach Deb Lebel opted to switch in Liz ahead of starting goalie Kate Kneeland because as Coach Lebel said afterwards, “she is a little taller.” Coach Lebel also added the Kate had no problem with the switch.

Sometimes a crucial decision like this one can backfire but it certainly didn’t this time for Windham.

In the first PK round, Liz gave up a goal to Katherine Kirk, but after that Scarborough was blanked on three straight attempts (Morgan Rodway, Hadlee Yescott, and Sam Sparda).

Meanwhile, Windham started with a goal by Jenna Soucy before Red Storm GK Sydney Martin turned back two straight Eagles attempts (Cassie Symonds and Jordan Sargent).

In the fourth round Emily Gilman put a grounder past Sydney into the right corner.

Liz Mycock watches the shot of Lauren Shoemaker go in the net to win the game for Windham

With Windham up two goals to one going into the fifth round, the stage was set for senior Lauren Shoemaker. Lauren put a bullet high into the left corner and the Lady Eagles earned a trip to the Western Class A finals as a result.

This game was decided with penalty kicks but the primary reason it got that far was because of the extraordinary goalkeeping of Scarborough’s Sydney Martin. No surprise that the senior was voted to the Western Class A All-Star team recently.

Sydney faced a ton of shots – 38 by one reporter’s estimate. Jenna Soucy (two goals when team’s met two weeks ago) dribbled her way into excellent looks several times. The most dangerous of Jenna’s attempts was midway through the second half.

There were several key moments in this game.

Scary moment as Cassie Symonds and Ainsley Jamieson go down from a collision.

One of them was in the last 1 1/2 minutes of the first half when Cassie Symonds and Ainsley Jamieson had a nasty collision near midfield. Both went down and walked off but Ainsley was done for the day with an injury to her left arm (wrist?). The Red Storm defense missed Ainsley’s height and strong leg.

Another key moment happened with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first overtime. Scarborough goalie Sydney Martin ran out from the goal and misfired on a goal kick. The very short kick went straight to Windham’s Ariana Davidson who quickly lobbed a return over Sydney’s head that fortunately for Scarborough bounced off the crossbar.

Coach Lebel said that it would have been a tough way to win the game after the Red Storm goalie had played so well during the game.

Ciera Berthiaume chased by Bridget Cange

One of the most dangerous scoring threats for Windham (sophomore Ciera Berthiaume) put several hard shots on net.

The Red Storm are the defending state Class A champions.

Windham has only lost twice in their last forty games, both times to Scarborough.

Scarborough has only lost five times in their last fifty-two games.

I was attracted to this game because of the terrific records these teams had going into this match. Another attraction was that the Portland Press Herald’s, “25 Players to Watch,” included four players (Ciera Berthiaume, Cassie Symonds, Ainsley Jamieson, and Sydney Martin) playing in this one.

Windham and Scarborough tied in 2012 & 2013. Scarborough won the previous four matches.

Cassie Symonds, Jenna Soucy, Jordan Sargent, and Emily Gilman made the 2013 Western Class A All-Star team for Windham.

Emily Gilman sets to take a direct kick

Ashley Gleason, Ainsley Jamieson, Sydney Martin, and Hadlee Yescott made the same team for Scarborough.

Wonderful weather (high 60’s, sunny, light breeze) brought out a good crowd for both teams.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Liz Mycock chats with Sydney Martin before the penalty kicks begin

ball in the middle

GK Sydney Martin out to clear away a threat

action in front of Scarborough goal

Hadles Yescott (8) and Shannon Valente (1)

Scarborough team pre-game

Jenna Soucy

Morgan Rodway

Sam Sparda

Ainsley Jamieson

Jenna Soucy breaks between Elise OReilly and Sam Sparda

Windham GK Kate Kneeland, Ariana Davidson (11), and Katherine Kirk (21) in front of the Windham net

Hadlee Yescott sets to shoot as Emily Gilman closes in

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Filed under Scarborough, Windham

Tagged as Ainsley Jamieson, Cassie Symonds, Ciera Berthiaume, Coach Deb LeBel, Hadlee Yescott, Jenna Soucy, Kate Kneeland, Lauren Shoemaker, Liz Mycock, Morgan Rodway, Sydney Martin

October 26, 2013 · 6:30 pm

Gabe Perry penalty kick gets Fryeburg Academy to Class B West quarterfinals

Freeport goalie Brendan Qualls guesses left and Gabe Perry shoots the penalty kick right.

celebrating begins for Fryeburg Academy

Ryder Bennell clears a ball away from in front of the Freeport net.

(Fryeburg ME) These teams were evenly matched!

A 1-1 tie on September 20th set the stage for today’s boys soccer match between Fryeburg Academy and Freeport on gloomy Saturday afternoon.

The stakes were higher this time around (Class B Western Maine preliminary round) and a winner would be decided no matter how long it took.

And it took a while.

Finally, at 6:19 of the second overtime, senior Gabe Perry of Fryeburg Academy cashed a penalty kick, that he had drawn, to settle this one.

The #8 seeded Raiders (5-8-2) advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday against #1 seed Yarmouth (11-0-3) at Yarmouth. Freeport lost to Yarmouth, 5-1, in September.

The Fryeburg Academy combo of GK Blaine Andreoli (diving) and defender Sean Chase (headband kicking) prevent Freeport goal.

Both teams in today’s game had opportunities to score, although Fryeburg had the better chances. Joe Schrader, Ben Davis, and Tucker Hope had chances they’ll see in their sleep. Ben had a marvelous feed from Gabe Perry in the second half that was chipped just over the net.

#9 seed Freeport (4-8-3) had enough defense in the right place at the right time to frustrate the home team over and over again. If junior goalie Brendan Qualls wasn’t making the save, the core of defenders (starring Ryder Bennell) in front of him, were clearing dangerous intrusions out of harm’s way.

Nick Nelsonwood

One of the key saves in the game was by Falcons defender Nick Nelsonwood in the second half. The skillful senior saw GK Brendan Qualls away from the net unable to control a rebound. A Raiders shot headed toward the net but Nick was there to clear the scoring chance out. Big save, for sure!

A key matchup in this game involved seniors Gabe Perry and Harry Stivers. Harry had the task of trying to contain the high-scoring Gabe. If Gabe had stayed in one area the job might have been easier but Gabe is all over the field……..and so was Harry.

There were numerous entanglements between the two of them and a good assortment of pushes and shoves along the way.

Gabe went down a couple of times with Harry in the area. On at least one occasion, Gabe looked for a call and I heard the referee mention what you do on a springboard in a swimming pool.

However, with less than seven minutes left in the second overtime, Gabe broke in from the left sidelines along the baseline and Harry stuck his leg in front of Gabe in an attempt to hit the ball and over went Gabe in the penalty area.

Harry Shivers (adjusting shin guard) gets the bad news that Gabe Perry (#13) has drawn a penalty kick.

Penalty kicks are a guessing game for both players involved. There is no time for the goalie to react after the shot is taken. Freeport GK guessed that Gabe would shoot for the left side and dove in that direction. Gabe’s shot went into the wide-open right side at 6:19 of the second overtime.

While the entire Raiders team was rushing across the field to their student section, FA coach Bob Hodgman-Burns instead went to Freeport GK Brendan Qualls congratulating him and for good reason. Classy move, I thought.

Forrest Stearns (14) chases a loose ball

I was impressed with the following Raiders: Jordan Kruguer, Ben Davis, Forrest Stearns, and Jared Schrader.

Freeport has five seniors on a roster of twenty players.

(All of the pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Jordan Kruguer

Fryeburg GK Blaine Andreoli eyes incoming shot

Antonio River Pinna (1), Tucker Hope (7), Jack Davenport (9)

Gabe Perry and Harry Stivers

FA coach Bob Hodgman-Burns congratulates Brendan Qualls after the game

GK Brendan Qualls caught in traffic

Jared Schrader

Harry Stivers and Gabe Perry

GK Brendan Qualls and Antonio River Pinna

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Filed under Freeport, Fryeburg

Tagged as Ben Davis, Forrest Stearns, Forrest Stearsn, Gabe Perry, Harry Stivers, Jared Schrader, Joe Schrader, Jordan Kruguer, Nick Nelsonwood

October 14, 2013 · 8:13 pm

Ipswich defeats Amesbury 2-1 in Cape Ann League girls soccer

Devin Smith about to kick game winner as freshman Molly Lynch (19) tries to catch up

Amanda Martin (12) and Katie Monahan (18) battle

(Amesbury MA) If the Ipswich girls soccer team scores at least a goal in a game, they have come away with points this season.

That formula held true once again as the Tigers defeated the Amesbury Indians, 2-1, on a splendid holiday morning contest at Cashman Elementary School in Cape Ann League action.

Ipswich (6-3-5) has not scored many goals (twenty-one) but they had made them count because their defense has been solid.

Ipswich senior Devin Smith collected the game-winner in the second half just three minutes after Jill Hadwen had tied the score for the home team.

Amesbury (4-8-1) is clearly in a rebuilding year after graduating eight starters off the 2012 squad that went 16-1-2.

Sarah Wallis (21) in close

Ipswich, on the other hand, has plenty of experienced players in place from 2012’s 11-5-7 team.

With the win over Amesbury, the Tigers now have 17 points and are closing in on qualifying for the state tournament (they’ve done it 4 straight seasons) with four games left.

The Tigers had the territorial edge in this one in my opinion. They were at their best in the middle of the field and forced Amesbury to use the outside lanes to get deep into the Ipswich end.

Cape Ann League All-Star Katie Monahan was part of most of the Ipswich threats. Her corner kick in the first half set up teammate Emily Evans for the first Tigers’ goal. In the second half, she was part of some Ipswich pressure deep in the Amesbury end that forced a turnover and led indirectly to Devin Smith’s game winner.

In the season opener (September 3rd) for both Ipswich and Amesbury, Katie tallied the winning goal in a 2-1 victory. Let’s just say that the Indians won’t miss having her around!

The first Ipswich goal came off a corner kick twenty minutes into the first half. The field at Cashman is definitely narrow so corner kicks can end up where trouble lurks for defenders, especially the goalie.

Katie Monahan’s CK went off the hands of Amesbury sophomore goalie Zoe Fitzgerald and into an area where several Tigers, including senior Emily Evans, were positioned. Emily put the loose ball into the net.

Ipswich corner kick sails over AHS goalie Zoe Fitzgerald

Emily Evans (2) celebrates her goal

Ipswich led 1-0 at the half and because of the positional domination I thought they would get the next goal. But it didn’t work that way.

Two minutes after a very dangerous second-half Ipswich scoring chance (Emily Evans headed a CK by Maria Balzer over the net), Amesbury’s Hayley Tagliente was fouled setting up a direct kick.

Senior Kelly DiFazio took the direct kick and put it on net. Ipswich GK Hannah Lynch and Amanda Martin collided as the ball reached the front of the net and a juicy rebound dropped to the ground. Junior Jill Hadwen, who never stopped running toward the net, collected the loose ball and drove it into the net to tie the score.

Jill Hadwen (14) never stops running and it will pay off in a goal

So after twenty-six minutes of the second half the score was tied. I started to think that maybe Amesbury might break its four-game losing streak. Wrong again.

Ipswich got Amesbury trapped in their own end three minutes later. The Indians had been successful most of the time in keeping the Tigers out of the middle………but not this time.

Kelly DiFazio (7) runs with Devin Smith (12)

Senior Devin Smith intercepted a pass and broke in clean from the left. Devin had AHS goalie Zoe Fitzgerald at her mercy and blasted a shot into the left side of the net with eleven minutes to go.

There were no “nearly scored” for either team the rest of the way and the Tigers left with a 2-1 win.

Ipswich next will travel to Rockport on Wednesday for a 7PM game. They tied the Vikings 0-0 last time.

Amesbury visits winless Manchester-Essex on Wednesday night (7:15PM).

I was impressed with the play of Amanda Martin and Kelly DiFazio of the Indians. Amanda was all over the field looking comfortable at either end. The junior had four goals in a game this season.

Kelly is an important defender for Amesbury. She plays with confidence and is not afraid to pull the ball back from a rushing attacker. The senior had the assist on the Amesbury goal.

corner kick

Junior JoAnna Perry of Ipswich caught my eye too. She’s not tall but she wasn’t shy about getting into the middle of things. She was a good passer and she also had the skills to pull the ball away from attackers.

The weather was simply stunning with plenty of October sun. Good turnout of friends and family, many still talking about the day before in which both the Patriots and Red Sox served up terrific memories.

Ipswich is 50-24-25 over the last 4+ seasons.

The Tigers have given up only 11 goals (four to Newburyport) in their fourteen games. The Indians have surrendered 34 goals during thirteen games.

Tigers goalie Hannah Lynch saved a penalty kick in the 2-1 win over the Indians in September.

(All of the pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

ball rolls to AHS goalie Zoe Fitzgerald

Jill Hadwen

Emily Evans

ball in the middle

Katie Monahan corner kick

Kelly DiFazio

Katie Monahan and Amanda Martin

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Filed under Amesbury, Ipswich

Tagged as Amanda Martin, Devin Smith, Emily Evans, Hannah Lynch, Jill Hadwen, Katie Monahan, Kelly DiFazio, Zoe Fitzgerald

September 27, 2013 · 8:43 pm

Bowdoin College JV’s get 2-1 win over Bridgton Academy in soccer

Eric Miller (#11) of Bridgton Academy contests a shot in front with Bowdoin GK Jake Muscato

(North Bridgton ME) Bridgton Academy absorbed a frustrating 2-1 loss on Friday afternoon to the Bowdoin College junior varsity in soccer.

Bowdoin GK Jake Muscato (#23) is down and out as Nico Kaiafas (#9) has the ball at his feet

Cameron deWet (#5) slides across to block the open-net shot of Nico Faiafas

The Wolverines (3-4-3) finally had a home game after eight straight on the road but, even with some of the Parents and Alumni Homecoming Weekend attendees on hand, couldn‘t get a win.

And trust me, it wasn’t from lack of opportunity!

Gabe Smith (#8) after scoring a goal for Bowdoin late in the first half

The visitors (1-2) scored early (39:48) and late (1:03) in the first half. BA’s tally came at 17:53 on a penalty kick in the first half.

In the second half, the Bowdoin JV’s elected to defend rather than take chances trying to get a third goal.

The Polar Bears did have a few long runs in the second half but their mission was to outnumber BA on defense. And they did a terrific job at it.

Despite the defensive mentality of the Polar Bears, BA was still able to dribble their way into scoring range. However, GK Jake Muscato had a good look at all of them.

The one time Jake was totally out of position, teammate Cameron deWit got his foot in front of Nico Kaiafas’s open-net attempt.

Pat Gass takes a penalty kick in the first half

The Wolverines had no luck getting the ball from one side to the other in front, where a well-directed header could produce a goal. That was where Bowdoin being so defense-minded paid off and frustrated the home team.

The Bowdoin JV’s were on the attack in the first half. Matt Friedland registered their first goal after a shot he took caromed right back to him. Matt’s well-struck shot on the rebound went past BA goalie Colin Ford to his left.

The Wolverines tied the score twenty-two minutes later. The ever-dangerous Connor Reagan dribbled into the penalty area and was dumped by Brendan Civale.

That foul gave Pat Gass a penalty kick. The left-footer hit a shot past Jake Muscato on his right tying the score at 1-1.

The game-winner for the Bowdoin JV’s came after BA had really upped the pressure in their scoring end. Gabe Smith broke free down the right side and got a hard shot off that whistled past Colin Ford with just over a minute left in the half.

Sam Anderson shoots point blank

As I mentioned earlier, Bowdoin went into a defensive shell in the second half and it worked. The home team was clever enough with the ball to get into great scoring position but no one could find the finishing touch.

I chose to stand near the goal Bowdoin was defending in the second half. I have plenty of pictures to prove that there was no shortage of glorious BA chances. There were corner kicks galore.

Bridgton Academy won three of their first four games and have been 0-3-3 since. They have scored two goals in their last five games. Granted, they have faced some strong competition but they have to be able to finish better in the schedule ahead.

GK Jake Moscato makes a save on Connor Reagan

BA’s next game will be on October 2nd (4PM) at Phillips Andover.

The Wolverines will get a second opportunity versus the Bowdoin JV’s at Brunswick on October 9th.

A foursome of planes with pontoons on flew over during the first half. Maybe they were part of the Homecoming celebration?

Nico Kaiafas of Bridgton Academy got a yellow card in the first half for a hard hit along the sidelines.

The foliage around Bridgton Academy is remarkable.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Brendan Civale fouls Connor Reagan

Cameron deWet

Brian Wheeler fires a shot

Qais Sidiqi

Matt Friedland gets a direct kick

eyeing a corner kick

Sam Park (#7) looks for an opening

Matt Friedland (scored first Bowdoin goal)

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Filed under Bowdoin, Bridgton Academy

Tagged as Cameron deWit, Connor Reagan, Gabe Smith, Jake Muscato, Matt Friedland, Pat Gass, Sam Anderson

September 24, 2013 · 10:55 pm

Orie Inirio stars as Fryeburg Academy ties Kennebunk 1-1 in girls soccer

Orie Inirio heads out a Kennebunk corner kick over Sarah Thill

Natasha Staples (#11) after scoring for Kennebunk

(Fryeburg ME) Both teams came in trying to end two-game losing streaks and both teams got the job done.

Fryeburg Academy and Kennebunk played to a 1-1 tie on Tuesday afternoon of girls soccer at Fryeburg.

Kennebunk (2-3-1) is likely to remember this game as one they should have won. They controlled the middle of the field and their short passing was outstanding.

But Orie Inirio was the difference maker for Fryeburg (1-3-1). The speedy sophomore helped the Raiders’ defense on occasion and was a threat several times racing down the right wing.

Orie Inirio (far right) sends a shot over Kennebunk goalie Kyra Schwartzman to tie the score.

Late in regulation (3:35), Orie broke down the wing past a Rams defender and got an open look. Orie’s shot from the left soared over GK Kyra Schwartzman’s head to tie the score.

The way the game was going up to that point that goal was a shocker. KHS senior Natasha Staples had given the visitors a 1-0 lead with 21:24 left in regulation. Natasha picked up a rebound from teammate Maddy Aromando’s shot and drove it past FA goalie Sydney Charles.

Kendall Dolan looks for a rebound on a direct kick that hit the post.

Kennebunk (Class A) turned up the heat on the Raiders (Class B) after getting ahead. Elizabeth Cain had a great chance with 8:25 remaining and Alyssa Weigle hit the post on a direct kick with 5:30 to go. Less than a minute later Alyssa set up teammate Ally Weaver for a hard shot that GK Sydney Charles bobbled but recovered on.

At that point the outcome wasn’t in doubt, it was whether or not the Rams could get a second goal. But then Orie Inirio broke free down the right side and suddenly FA surprised a bunch of folks as the score got tied.

Kennebunk had the better of the chances in the remaining minutes of regulation and throughout the two five-minute overtime periods. But the Raiders had enough defense, led by sophomore Lexi L’Heureux-Carland, to get the tie.

I was impressed with the dribbling/passing skills of the Rams Alyssa Weigle. The KHS junior took the corner kicks and direct kicks. Her direct kick late in the game caromed off the near post.

Caroline Hoch was a terrific defender for Kennebunk. She has a strong leg and she wasn’t shy about getting physical with Raiders contesting her for ball control.

Orie Inirio

The #1 star would have to go to Orie Inirio. She rescued the Raiders with her late goal. I have enough pictures of her in the defensive end making big plays so she certainly excelled there too.

Missing from the game (but in attendance, I think), was the Rams Cara McCluskey. The talented junior striker broke her leg nearly two weeks ago. Cara was rated as one of the 25 players to watch by the Portland Press Herald. Versus Fryeburg Academy she might have been able to convert at least one of the near-misses the Rams had.

Fryeburg Academy travels to North Yarmouth tomorrow (Wednesday) for their next game at 3:30PM. Kennebunk will host York on Thursday (6:15PM).

Last time I did a Fryeburg game, it rained and then the sun came out. This time it was extremely overcast at first but later the sun came out for a while.

It is nice to see the changing leaf colors in the background at Fryeburg.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Alexandria Fraize and Kendall Dolan

Molly Parent (4), Caroline Hoch (12), and Izzy Hodgman-Burns (11)

pressure by Kennebunk

Caroline Hoch

Natasha Staples and MacKenzie Buzzell

Alyssa Weigle

Alyssa Weigle dribbled her way into open spaces

GK Sydney Charles chased by Tartre Sierra

Lexi L Heureux-Carland clears away a Kennebunk threat

loose ball

reacting to a corner kick

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Filed under Fryeburg, Kennebunk

Tagged as Alyssa Weigle, Cara McCluskey, Caroline Hoch, Lexi L'Heureux-Carland, Natasha Staples, Orie Inirio

September 20, 2013 · 10:49 pm

Bethanie Knighton and Will Shafer win in cross country meet swept by Freeport

Bethanie Knighton (19:26)

Will Shafer (15:50)

(Naples ME) Freeport put five runners in the first seven spots in both the boys and girls races and easily defeated Kennebunk, Gray New Gloucester, and Lake Region on Friday afternoon in cross country.

Will Shafer of GNG Patriots continues to win every race he enters. The senior led the four-team field from beginning to end on the 2.9 mile course. This is the second time Will has won this season at Lake Region.

Teammate Ben Garcia hung with Will in the early going but the sophomore faded in the second half allowing another sophomore (Freeport’s Chandler Vincent) to get second.

Laura Broderick (K) is ahead of Bethanie Knighton in the early going

On the girls’ side, Laura Broderick of Kennebunk had the early lead until the first trip around a field hockey game. Bethanie Knighton of Freeport came into that section in second but came out with the lead. The Falcon senior led thereafter.

Missing from the girls action were Sydney Ambrose (Freeport) and Audrey Blais (Lake Region). Sydney rolled an ankle the day after the last meet in practice. Audrey has a sore back. Both expect to be available for their next meets.

Sydney was the MVP of the Falcons field hockey team in 2012. She decided to make a very good girls cross country team even better. Sydney has already won a race this year and I suspect would have been in contention to win this race if available.

In the boys race, Freeport finished with 24 points, Gray New Gloucester 46, and Kennebunk 68.

Sydney Ambrose was unavailable for the Falcons

In the girls race, Freeport led with 20, while Kennebunk took second with 47 points. Gray New Gloucester finished with 78 points.

The sunny conditions, with temperatures in the 60’s, may have been a bit hot for the runners but definitely not for the spectators.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

boys order of finish

Chandler Vincent (2nd)(16:06)

Ben Garcia (3rd)

Eric Brobst (4th)

Mark Donahue (5th) & Tyler Frey (6th)

Austin Williams (7th)

Cole Hallee (8th)

Mark Lightbody (9th)

Austin Cross (10th)

girls order of finish

Elly Bengtsson (2nd)(19:42)

Gabby Fogg (3rd)

Nina Davenport (4th)

Laura Broderick (5th)

Chloe Hight (6th)

Hayley Steckler (7th)

Haley Wuerthner (8th)

Hannah Schnyder (9th)

Addie Blais (10th)

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Filed under Gray New Gloucester, Lake Region

Tagged as Ben Garcia, Bethanie Knighton, Chandler Vincent, Elly Bengtsson, Eric Brobst, Gabby Fogg, Laura Broderick, Mark Donahue, Nina Davenport, Sydney Ambrose, Will Shafer

September 18, 2013 · 10:54 pm

Lake Region rallies for 2-2 tie with Waynflete in girls soccer

Waynflete captain Leigh Fernandez looks for a rebound in overtime

CeCe Hancock had two goals in the second half for the Lakers

(Naples ME) This game needed to end the way it did.

Waynflete and Lake Region played an entertaining, 2-2, tie which included two five-minute overtimes on Wednesday night at Naples.

Both teams had their moments in a game in which the ooh’s and aah’s were heard throughout regulation as well as in two five-minute, sudden death overtime periods.

The defending Class C champions from Portland dominated the first half and had what looked to be a comfortable 2-0 lead.

The visitors tallied a penalty kick midway through the first half. Devynn Turner was called for a handball and sophomore Arianna Giguere took the PK and beat LR goalie Isabel Scribner on a shot to the left.

Later in the first half (3:51), senior Ella Millard found plenty of dribbling room and shooting room and zoomed a shot into the Lakers net.

In the second half, sophomore CeCe Hancock brought the Lakers back even with two exciting half-field rushes. In the first goal, the shot wasn’t taken until she was nearly on the right endline. The second rush to the goal was straight down the middle and the shot came from in close.

In the first overtime, CeCe almost won it firing a shot from the right a second late as the OT ended.

Taylor Currier (#13) came close in the 2nd overtime

In the second overtime, Laker sophomore Taylor Currier got off a hard shot from the right that freshman goalie Ali Pope made her best save of the night on.

Two minutes later Flyers’ senior Leigh Fernandez took a shot from near the end line on the right that zipped past everyone in front of the net. A head there and this one was over.

So it ended in a tie. I’m sure the tie was most welcome to the 0-3-1 Class B Lakers. They had lost three straight and only had two goals to show for the trio of games.

Lake Region really seemed sparked by the first of CeCe’s two goals at 30:26 in the second half. I thought they did much better in the one-on-one battles as the game progressed.

Isobel Scribner reaches for a Laker save

Isabel Scribner reaches for a Laker save

I also thought that Waynflete was a little less aggressive after the second CeCe goal with 15 minutes left in the game.

You could understand Waynflete being more defensive minded than usual. They were using third-string goalie freshman Ali Pope in net. Where were the other two goalies? State star Juliana Harwood has been having knee problems but should be back soon. Also missing was second-string goalie Helen Gray-Bauer who took a hard shot in the face in a recent game. Helen should also be back soon for the Flyers.

Credit the Waynflete freshman (Ali Pope) with a huge save in the second overtime off Taylor Currier. Ali dove in front of Taylor’s shot and teammate Sophie Raffel cleared away the rebound. That shot had game-winner written all over it!

Arianna Giguere lines up a penalty kick

Waynflete (2-0-1) will host Gray-New Gloucester on Friday at 3:30PM.

Lake Region will travel to Traip Academy (Kittery) on the same day and at the same time.

The weather was wonderful for a night game and there was a full moon to add some extra light.

Waynflete was 12-2-4 in 2012. With Juliana Harwood in net the Flyers have been 25-5-3 with seventeen shutouts. You think she would have made a difference against the Lakers??

I did not have time to look carefully but I don’t think Judd Nelson was in the house supporting the Flyers. Who’s he? Judd attended Waynflete and later went on to play John Bender in the movie classic, The Breakfast Club. “Andrew here, would like a career in the custodial arts.”

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

freshman Isobel Canning

CeCe Hancock nearly wins the game in the first OT

Senior Ella Millard drills a shot past Isabel Scribner

direct kick by freshman Lauren Williams

Laker GK Isabel Scribner

Waynflete GK Ali Pope

Cat Johnson (20) and Jordan Turner (10)

full moon

Marijke Rowse and Katie Throgmorton

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Filed under Lake Region, Waynflete

Tagged as Arianna Giguere, CeCe Hancock, Ella Millard, Isabel Scribner, Taylor Currier

September 17, 2013 · 9:46 pm

Strong first half gets Ipswich past Manchester Essex 4-1 in girls soccer

Katie Monahan goes down after firing a shot that became the second Ipswich goal.

Sydney Law (#17) had two goals for the Tigers

(Ipswich MA) Manchester Essex was the better team over the final thirty minutes.

However, the first fifty minutes belonged to Ipswich as their girls soccer team downed the Hornets, 4-1, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Cape Ann League Division 2 action.

Ipswich (2-0-2) pressured ME so much in the first half that their goalkeeper (Hannah Lynch) never touched the ball.

Meanwhile, the Tigers tallied three times in the first half, twice by sophomore Sydney Law and once by senior Katie Monahan. Two of the Ipswich scores came in the last two minutes of the first half.

Deven Smith breaks in early in the second half

Devin Smith breaks in early in the second half

Devin Smith added a fourth IHS goal at 32:20 of the second half.

The rest of the way the Hornets carried the play getting a goal from Bridgett Kiernan six minutes later.

The visitors came close several times in the second half but the Ipswich defense had answers when they needed them.

Manchester Essex (0-3-1) lost most of the one-on-one battles in the first half. The Tigers, however, had trouble stringing passes together so their scoring chances were good but not great.

Bridgett Kiernan scored the ME goal with a header

That changed when Ipswich coach Nancy Waddell put in fresh legs after the first ten minutes. Sophomore Sydney Law was one of the new entrants. An Ipswich throw-in led to a good shot and a juicy rebound that Sydney drove home at 29:22.

You thought more goals would come quickly but they didn’t thanks to the ME defense led by Kelly Moore.

However, late in the half, senior Katie Monahan drilled a shot past GK Aisling Batchelder’s left.

Not long after Katie’s second goal of the season, Sydney Law registered a her second goal of the half. This time Sydney broke into open space to get off a shot. The shot was blocked but Sydney put home the rebound.

Those goals gave Ipswich a 3-0 lead after a half.

Devin Smith broke in on the left, in the first part of the second half. The senior ripped a shot high and hard that the ME GK had no chance on.

Kelly Moore, Aisling Batchelder, and Emily Folan eye a corner kick

Give credit to the Hornets. Now down, 4-0, they started to play better. The key? They made their short passing game work. Instead of kicking the ball hard to no one in particular, they began to find teammates. (It was fun to watch.)

The Hornets were able to get into the Tigers side of the field with some frequency and turn up some scoring chances.

Freshman Bridgett Kiernan picked up the lone ME goal by being in the right place at the right time. Senior Sarah Lewiecki launched a long shot from the right that was deflected to the far post. Bridgett was parked in the area and headed home the rebound.

Ipswich GK Hannah Lynch catches a Hornet shot in traffic

The Hornets put on pressure the rest of the way but couldn’t get a second goal.

I was impressed with the defensive work of ME’s Kelly Moore. The senior kept things from getting much worse in the first half by clearing away numerous Ipswich scoring chances.

Sydney Law also caught my eye. Besides being tireless, the sophomore has the skills to create openings for herself. She should score a lot of goals in 2013.

The Tigers next opponent will be a very good Lynnfield Pioneers team. Ipswich will start the game in Lynnfield at 3:45PM on Thursday.

The Hornets will host Georgetown on the same day at the same time.

Sophie Marsh and Hornet GK Aisling Batchelder eye a loose ball

The Tigers (11-5-7 in 2012) are looking to make the state tournament for the fifth straight year. They have been 44-21-20 during the last four seasons.

The Hornets (2-15-1 in 2012) are looking to qualify for the tournament for the first time in seven years.

Tigers coach Nancy Waddell told me that former Ipswich soccer star Courtney Long is at Gettysburg. Courtney was a girl with a shot.

The Tigers had only scored a total of two goals (Emily Evans and Katie Monahan) in the first three games. Coach Waddell was a goal scorer at Princeton and she told me that more than a few people have asked her why she can’t develop scorers. She may have one in Sydney Law.

The weather was terrific……sunny and in the high 60s.

Thanks to both teams for providing me with rosters.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

action in front of the ME goal

Emily Evans tries to escape Sarah Lewiecki and Megan Clark

Sydney Law and Phoebe Biggar

Emily Brengle and Sydney Law try to contain Bridgett Kiernan

Maria Balzer

Sarah Wallis and Sydney Christopher

Sarah Lewiecki

Hannah Lynch

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Filed under Ipswich, Manchester-Essex

Tagged as Aisling Batchelder, Bridgett Kiernan, Coach Nancy Waddell, Deven Smith, Hannah Lynch, Katie Monahan, Kelly Moore, Manchester-Essex, Sydney Law

September 13, 2013 · 10:44 pm

Fryeburg Academy gets 3-0 shutout over Traip Academy in boys soccer

Austin German heads home the second Fryeburg Academy goal

Jordan Kruguer lines up a direct kick that became the 3rd FA goal

(Fryeburg ME) They’re still looking.

Traip Academy (0-3) continues to chase their first win, and their first goal for that matter.

Today the Class C Rangers were shutout by Class B (2-1) Fryeburg Academy, 3-0, on a wet Friday afternoon of boys soccer.

Sophomore Jordan Kruguer had a goal and an assist to pace the Raiders.

FA clearly had the better of the chances. Rangers goalie Colin Macomber faced a number of point-blank Raider shots and turned back each one.

Fryeburg Academy was able to get on the board twice in the first half. Both times the ball got into the middle and from there junior Joe Schrader and then senior Austin German redirected the passes into the net.

Traip GK Colin Macomber saw plenty of action

Joe drove his in off of a direct kick by Jordan Kruguer at 36:28 of the first half.

Later in the half, senior Ben Davis dribbled along the end line and made a terrific pass setting up Austin’s header at 9:20.

The other Raiders tally was at 9:15 of the second half. Jordan Kruguer fired a perfectly placed direct kick into the top right corner that GK Colin Macomber never had a chance on.

Johnny Guy had several good chances for the visitors from Kittery. On one of them, in the second half, GK Blaine Andreoli deflected over the top of the net.

Josh Schneier was in position for a pretty good header deep in the FA end in the second half.

In this game, FA was much better than Traip at dribbling the ball into open spaces. Gabe Perry, especially, victimized a number of Rangers defenders with his dribbling skills.

Traip will continue their quest for their first win (and goal) next Monday when they visit North Yarmouth Academy for a 3:30PM match.

Jordan Kruguer gets away from a trio of Rangers

Fryeburg Academy will try to extend their winning streak to three when they host Waynflete on Monday at 5:30PM.

FA has made the Class B tournament in each of the last five years.

Traip (7-6-1 in 2012) would like to get back to the state tournament after falling short the last four years.

Traip is now coached by Tyler Metevier who was part of the Rangers 2006 Class C state champs team. Tyler went on to a very good soccer career at Husson in Bangor.

What can you say about the weather? The forecast was “cloudy,” with rain after the game was over. Instead, I arrive in rain and there was moisture most of the time. However, suddenly in the second half the sun came out and you could hardly read the sun-facing scoreboard. Then it was back to drizzling. I know the Mark Twain quote: “Everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it!”

A cross country meet took place during the game. I got pictures of the leaders but I have no idea if they held those spots at the end.

Gabe Perry and Pete Roy both exited the game after getting yellow cards.

Gabe Perry gets by freshman Trevor Salema

Gabe scored the only goal in FA’s 1-0 win at Poland Regional earlier this week. Gabe’s penalty kick was stopped, as well a shot off the rebound. Gabe, however, persisted and headed the ball past the Knights’ goalie.

I marveled at the fact that there was only one official. It certainly didn’t help that rain wiped out most of the lines on the sidelines.

(All of the pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Nacho Ferrero gets a terrific setup in front on a pass from Gabe Perry

Ben Davis find the going slick

girls cross country leaders

action in the Traip end

Gabe Perry breaks in

Josh Schneier gets a head on the ball as FA goalkeeper Blaine Andreoli watches

Gabe Perry

Colin Macomber watches a kick sail over the net

watching a corner kick

leaders in the boys cross country meet

Mark Lambrecht and Jordan Kruguer

Joe Schrader gets congratulated by teammate Ben Davis (11) after scoring the first goal

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Filed under Fryeburg, Traip

Tagged as Austin German, Ben Davis, Blaine Andreoli, Coach Tyler Metevier, Colin Macomber, Fryeburg Academy, Gabe Perry, Joe Schrader, Jordan Kruguer, Josh Schneier, Traip

September 6, 2013 · 10:35 pm

York routs Lake Region 12-0 in boys soccer opener

Josh Mitchell (8) watches the first of his four goals go past Lake Region goalie Mike Rust

Josh Mitchell (8) watches the first of his three goals go past Lake Region goalie Mike Rust

Mike Gallagher (2 goals) sails over LR goalie as he scores the 10th York goal

(Naples ME) This was a game begging for the mercy rule.

York (1-0) pounded Lake Region, 12-0, in a Class B West boys soccer game on sunny Friday afternoon in Naples.

The Wildcats have plenty of returnees from a 2012 team that went 10-5-1. Their 2012 season ended with a loss in the Class B West semifinals to Yarmouth.

The Lakers (0-1) lost nine seniors off a 1-13 team.

The Wildcats dominated in every facet of soccer. Especially noticeable (to me) was their ability to make their short passing game work.

The only York struggle, in my opinion, was their ability to finish in the early going. You may find that assessment ridiculous in a 12-0 game but trust me the Wildcats misfired on a host of point-blank attempts especially in the first forty minutes.

The Wildcats did quite a bit of long-range blasting away in the first half and tallied only three three times.

Mitchell Hickey (2 goals) tries to get past Brandan George

Mitchell Hickey (3 goals) tries to get past Brandan George

In the second half, the York passing was terrific. The shooting opportunities that would have been taken in the first half gave way to passes for even better shots. That unselfishness led to seven second-half goals in a thirteen-minute segment of the second half.

In my unofficial scorekeeping, seniors Josh Mitchell and Mitchell Hickey paced York with three goals apiece.

Mitchell Hickey (top returning scorer) lined up a number of booming shots from scoring range.

Sam Rickerich and Mike Gallagher each tallied twice for York.

Junior Mikey Bennett had the 11th York goal and sophomore Jordan Gomes added the 12th.

Mike Gallagher (4) scores the third York goal

Josh Mitchell opened the scoring five minutes into the game. He picked up his own rebound from in close and applied the finish.

If there was any positive takeaways for Lake Region it was their ability to keep York off the scoreboard for the next seventeen minutes. But believe me (again) there were some golden opportunities for the visitors.

Mitchell Hickey broke the scoreless drought on a pass from Sam Rickerich at 18:50. From where I was standing, near the Laker goal, Mitchell warded off defender Zeke Tocci to get a clean look.

Mike Gallagher notched the third first-half goal, capitalizing on a juicy rebound after firing a hard shot. Jordon Gomes was given an assist.

Brandan George

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Brandan George took a shot in the nose in the last minute of the first half and had to leave the game. Brandan, in my opinion, was by far LR’s best defensive player. He is tall with a good foot.

Without Brandan on board to start the second half, you suspected that the three-goal deficit would increase considerably…………and it did.

The Lakers survived the first eight minutes of the second half but in the next thirteen minutes the goals came like a flood. Much better shot selection by the Wildcats, against an inexperienced defense missing their best defender, led to seven scores.

LR goalie Mike Rust was lifted after the onslaught. The junior made a number of remarkable saves during the afternoon but the sheer number of the York attempts was bound to produce results.

For the last nineteen minutes of the game York minimized their attack considerably. Plenty of safe passes zipped around the midfield area as the clock wound down.

Mike Rust makes a save

Two things I admired about the Lakers were that they never gave up and they didn’t take out their frustrations by fouling. There were few whistles. Jordon Gomes did get into first-half trouble for not keeping his mouth guard where it belonged. There was also some clothing violation by York before the start of the second half.

York looks to be a team that should be in the mix when the Class B West tourney gets underway later in October. Their next game is Tuesday hosting Cape Elizabeth at 4PM.

The Lakers looked overmatched to say the least against a team of York’s skills. First year coach Michael Chaine will hope to see his team improve next game when they host Wells on Tuesday at 6:45PM.

Special thanks to the athletic departments of both schools. They provided me with the rosters I needed to be able to identify pictures.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)