PORTLAND — Waynflete turned back a stiff challenge from Yarmouth to capture its second consecutive Class B girls’ lacrosse state championship Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
The Flyers, who trailed for much of the first half, pulled out a 7-4 win to finish as the state’s only unbeaten lacrosse team.
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“It definitely wasn’t an easy one today,” said Martha Veroneau, who had a goal and two assists to help Waynflete get back into the game late in the first half. “Yarmouth came out with so much intensity.”
It was the Flyers’ third win of the season over the Clippers.
Waynflete (15-0) rolled to a 17-5 win at Yarmouth on April 23 and a 16-10 win over the Clippers on May 22 at Portland.
“We had a tough schedule and a lot of people questioned why we would be here. We showed that we deserved to be here,” Yarmouth Coach Dorothy Hart said.
The Clippers finished with a 7-8 record.
“Yarmouth is so strong and they played some incredible games this season,” Waynflete Coach Cathie Connors said. “They just kept getting better.”
“They worked to get to this moment and really deserved to be out there today,” Veroneau said.
Waynflete led 4-3 at halftime, moving into the lead for the first time when Isabel Agnew turned a long centering pass from Veroneau into a goal with 47 seconds left in the half.
“We had so much trouble getting the ball (downfield) against their midfield defense,” Veroneau said.
“Their defense was phenomenal,” Connors said. “They were tripling us in the midfield. They were ready for us.”
Grace O’Donnell helped to limit the Flyers’ possession by winning 9 of 13 center draws.
“The draws have been our struggle all year,” Connors said. “We just had to make it up in different places.”
Waynflete made up for its lack of success on the draws primarily by playing hard-nosed defense.
After the Clippers took a 3-1 lead 13 minutes into the game, Waynflete held them scoreless for nearly 20 minutes.
“I’m proud of the girls,” Connors said. “They had to dig super deep.”
Waynflete, which held a 21-15 edge in ground balls, forced Yarmouth to commit 19 turnovers. The Flyers, meanwhile, turned the ball over just 11 times.
Agnew and Cat Johnson each scored two goals for the Flyers. Sadie Cole and Ella Millard scored once.
For the Clippers, making their second appearance in a state final in three seasons, Alex Lucas, Julie Kameisha, Olivia Conrad and O’Donnell scored.
This is a great group of girls,” Hart said.
“They’ve been working really hard, and they knew what they had to do, and they got it done today. It’s just that we came up a few goals short.”
Katherine Torrey made six saves for Waynflete, and Jordan Brown made eight saves for Yarmouth.
Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:
pbetit@pressherald.com
Twitter: PaulBetitPPH
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