CAPE ELIZABETH — Since losing to Cape Elizabeth 2-1 in the opener, the Yarmouth boys’ soccer team has looked to the rematch.
In driving rain and temperatures in the 50s, the Clippers made an early goal stand up Tuesday night and beat the Capers 1-0 at Hannaford Field.
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Sam Torres, one of the four senior captains for Yarmouth, scored with just 3:34 elapsed to provide the defending Class B state champions with all the offense they needed.
Goalie Chris Knaub was outstanding, keeping the Capers at bay by ranging out of his crease for key stops.
The game matched longtime rivals who play in the Western Maine Conference but in different classes. Cape entered the game ranked third in Western Class A; Yarmouth is No. 2 in Western Class B.
Yarmouth Coach Mike Hagerty said his team’s focus on the game intensified Saturday.
“As soon as we stepped off the bus after the last game, our focus shifted to Cape. On a night like this, we had to be mentally tough. We had some good, short passing at the start, then we had some nice long passes,” he said.
The long balls spread out the defense and allowed Torres, who was playing an outside left position, to get open on the wing.
“We felt Cape had a weakness on the outside and we looked to take advantage,” said Torres.
Torres got a nice setup and shot past goalie Austin Andrews, who came out to defend.
Cape (5-3-2) didn’t get a lot of good chances — Knaub and his defense saw to that — but one of its best came with 27 minutes left in the first half when Blake Barritt had a direct kick that Knaub stopped.
Ryan Maguire of Yarmouth hit the bottom half of the crossbar on a direct kick later in the half. Instead of going downward, the ball deflected over the net. The second half was even with neither team having a distinct edge.
“We knew it was going to be lousy weather so we had to be mentally prepared,” said Torres. “The conditions didn’t bother us.”
The Clippers (8-2-1) lost their first two games, both by 2-1 scores to Cape Elizabeth and York. Since then they have gone 8-0-1.
The only blemish was a tie against Freeport.
The Clippers have been on a hot streak despite injuries and inexperience at the start. They lost two senior standouts to injuries before the season. The underclassmen, however, are no longer inexperienced.
“The veterans have provided strong leadership, but just as important have been the underclassmen who have stepped up and played key roles,” said Torres.
The game was worth valuable Heal points for the Clippers because it was a win over a quality Class A team.
“On a night like this, no shot is a poor shot,” said Cape Coach Ben Raymond. “I just wish we had had more of them.”
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
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