YARMOUTH – Abigail Goodrich broke away and scored off a long pass from Addie LaBonte with 6:45 remaining to give York a 2-1 victory over Yarmouth in a Western Maine Conference girls’ soccer game Tuesday.

The Clippers tied the game early in the second half on a goal by Olivia Conrad, but it was all Wildcats after that, with scoring bids by Zoe Weston, Elizabeth Wagner, Nicole Heroux and Caitlin Kelly.

On the winning goal, sweeper LaBonte collected the ball deep in her end and boomed a long kick over the midfield line.

Goodrich chased it down with a Yarmouth defender right beside her and managed to keep possession and create just enough space to get off a shot from 15 yards out.

Goalie Claire King chose to stay in the crease, and Goodrich drilled a grounder past her just inside the near-right post.

“Addie sent in a great pass and I was able to shield the ball and pick a corner,” said Goodrich, who had two goals and an assist in a season-opening win over Waynflete. “I’m just so excited to be part of this team.”

“She had been playing outside back,” Wildcats Coach Wally Caldwell said of Goodrich, “and I moved her up because I knew she’s a good scorer. Two minutes later, she scores.

“She’s a tough kid and she keeps the ball in front of her.”

“It was a fairly even game,” said Yarmouth Coach Rich Smith, “but they scored a couple of pretty goals off some nice passes.

“You get the ball to their sweeper and you think you’re safe. But she kicks the ball 50 yards and now you’re in trouble.”

York (2-0) opened the scoring when Kayla Swasey stole the ball near midfield and sent it ahead to a charging Hannah Daigneault, who carried in close and nailed the lower-left corner from 15 yards with 6:42 left in the first half.

Yarmouth (0-2) had a chance to tie it with 4:56 remaining in the half when Ali Merrill was awarded a penalty kick and went for the high-left side, but goalie Carly Lee made a leaping save.

On the ensuing corner kick, Mo McNaboe headed Claudia Lockwood’s kick just over the crossbar.

The Clippers pulled even at 7:45 of the second half when Conrad took a pass from McNaboe, carried deep into the right corner and ripped a shot into the far-left side.

“It’s a great rivalry,” Caldwell said. “We know what we have to do when we come here.

“We made a mistake on their goal, and you can’t make too many because a good team like that will make you pay.”

“The girls played hard,” said Smith. “We made a couple of changes after last week’s 4-0 loss (to Cape Elizabeth) and the girls bought into it.

“We just want to get better every game. We’ll be OK.”

 

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