PORTLAND

Before Saturday’s State Class B high school girls lacrosse championship at Fitzpatrick Stadium had even begun, first-time finalist Freeport faced an uphill battle against veteran Waynflete.

The Flyers are a power in Maine girls lacrosse, winning eight titles in 11 state championship appearances since 1998. Waynflete has played on the big stage each year since 2008, having dropped the past two finals.

Waynflete’s 16-5 victory ended the two-year drought for the Flyers, but there were few sad faces when the Falcons stepped up to receive their runner-up plaque.

“We didn’t see this coming during the season,” admitted Freeport senior midfielder and captain Katie Turner. “It was awesome to get here. We are just so pleased that we were able to get this far, and even though we lost today, I am so proud of everyone.”

“Our goal was to make the playoffs, then, once there, we talked about our next goal, which was winning Eastern B,” said Freeport (8-7) coach Karin Kurry. “The win over Yarmouth (12-11 in the Eastern B final) was big for these girls. This experience has been so exciting, and I am excited for the future.”

Flyers jump in front

Waynflete (14-1) showed its hand from the outset, working to get the ball over the shorter Freeport defense/midfield for pointblank shots. Goals by Ella Millard, Lucy Crane and game-long standout Martha Veroneau staked the Flyers to a 3-0 lead with 13:46 left in the first half.

“I wish we could have magically grew a foot,” said Kurry, who called a timeout to calm her team down. “We talked about working on the basics, getting to the groundballs and trying to get through their defense.”

After the timeout, Freeport brought its fans to life when Alex Mitch set up teammate Evan Hench to put the Falcons on the board.

But, Waynflete, behind an assist and a goal by Veroneau, answered with goals 32 seconds apart for a 5-1 lead before Hench and Mitch hooked up a second time, with Hench netting her second goal.

Down 6-2 after Veroneau set up Sadie Cole for one her five goals, Mitch took a lead pass from Megan Peacock before firing a low shot past Flyers netminder Katherine Torrey with 1:41 left until halftime.

Once again, Waynflete wasted little time in answering, with Walker Foehl converting a feed from Veroneau, who had two goals and four assists in the first half, for a 7-3 lead at the break.

In the first meeting between the squads back on May 18 (a 13-10 Flyers win), Waynflete held a big lead at the half, only to watch the Falcons battle back to make it a game in the second frame.

“We knew they were capable of coming back at any time,” said Veroneau, who made sure there were no repeat performances, scoring two goals in the first 1:32 of the second half for a 9-3 Flyers lead. “Freeport has a lot of determination, and they improved so much during the year. They definitely deserved to be here, but we felt our run to here was difficult as well. We trailed Falmouth by two goals, and had to battle hard with Cape Elizabeth. We were determined to win this time.”

Foehl scored two quick goals, while Cole and Millard added one apiece to give the Flyers a 13-3 lead as Waynflete fans began to celebrate.

Hench completed her hat trick off another setup from Mitch, who had a four-point game with one goal and three helpers. Jocelyn Davee added a late goal to complete Freeport’s scoring.

“We made some bad choices, bad passes and just were not patience enough in trying to get on the board quickly,” said Mitch. “We seemed to like coming out from underneath, prove we could do it and beat these good teams, like Yarmouth. We wanted to possess the ball and make good passes, but Waynflete was tough.”

Veroneau finished with four goals and five assists, while Foehl added four goals, Millard two goals and one assist, and Leigh Fernandez, Sofia Canning and Hannah Thompson-Greaves one assist each. Defensively, Rhiannon Jackson, Amelia Deady, Maddy Agnew and Jo Moore were tough, holding the Falcons to just six second-half shots.

Kurry thanked her seniors — Hench, Mitch, Turner, Becca Lane, Kayla Thurlow and Mia Thomas — for their hard work.

“This was a special group of seniors,” said Kurry. “Not only did they have success this year, but they have brought along the younger kids and made us a solid program.”

Waynflete 16,
Freeport 5

State Class B Girls Lacrosse Championship At Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland

Freeport — 3 2 — 5
Waynflete — 7 9 — 16
Goals — (F) Jess Hench 3, Alex Mitch,
Jocelyn Davee; (W) Sadie Cole 5,
Martha Veroneau 4, Luce Crane, Ella
Millard 2, Walker Foehl 4.
Assists — (F) Alex Mitch 3; (W) Martha
Veroneau 5, Sadie Cole, Ella Millard,
Leigh Fernandez, Sofia Canning, Hannah
Thompson-Greaves.
Shots — Waynflete, 29-19.
Saves — (F) Molly Lane 6; (W) Katherine Torrey 7.
Draw controls — Waynflete, 13-10.
Records — Waynflete 14-1, Freeport 8-
7.

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