Cape Elizabeth sophomore Archie McEvoy (15) raises his arms in celebration (as senior Sam Dresser joins the fray) after scoring the overtime winner against Yarmouth in Tuesday’s 8-7 victory.

Ben McCanna / Press Herald photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Cape Elizabeth 8 Yarmouth 7 (OT) 

Y- 2 2 2 1 0- 7
CE- 0 2 2 3 1- 8

First quarter
5:53 Y Hamm (unassisted)
3:51 Y Hamilton (Corey)

Second quarter
9:29 Y Hamm (unassisted)
9:02 Y Hamm (unassisted)
2:02 CE S. Dresser (Campbell)
1:16 CE S. Dresser (unassisted)

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Third quarter 
10:47 Y Corey (Hook)
6:48 Y Corey (Hamm)
3:50 CE Tarling (S. Dresser)
15.0 CE S. Dresser (unassisted)

Fourth quarter
10:39 Y Senger (Garrett)
10:18 CE McEvoy (Martin)
5:00 CE S. Dresser (unassisted)
0.6 CE Martin (J. Dresser)

Overtime
1:35 CE McEvoy (Tarling)

Goals:
Y- Hamm 3, Corey 2, Hamilton, Senger 1
CE- S. Dresser 4, McEvoy 2, Martin, Tarling 1

Assists:
Y- Corey, Garrett, Hamm, Hook 1
CE- Campbell, J. Dresser, S. Dresser, Martin, Tarling 1

Faceoffs (Cape Elizabeth, 13-4)
Y- Primeau 4 of 17
CE- T. Lathrop 13 of 17

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Ground balls:
Y- 21
CE- 40

Turnovers:
Y- 20
CE- 20

Shots:
Y- 20
CE- 38

Shots on cage:
Y- 13
CE- 24

Saves:
Y (King) 16 
CE (J. Dresser) 6  

CAPE ELIZABETH—Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ lacrosse team was down by a goal, with time running out and the ball at the wrong end of the field Tuesday afternoon at Hannaford Field against longtime rival Yarmouth.

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In other words, the Capers had the Clippers right where they wanted them.

In the latest installment of arguably the state’s most intense, long-lasting boys’ lacrosse rivalry, Cape Elizabeth demonstrated yet again that is never, ever, ever out of a game, as it overcame a sluggish start, a steep deficit and a dwindling clock to pull out one of the more inspirational and improbable victories in program history.

The Capers didn’t score for nearly 22 minutes, as Yarmouth took advantage, going up, 2-0, after one quarter, thanks to goals from juniors Gavin Hamm and Ben Hamilton, and 4-0 when Hamm scored two unassisted goals early in the second period.

Senior captain Sam Dresser gave Cape Elizabeth life with 2:02 left in the first half and he added a second tally to pull the Capers within two, 4-2, at the break.

The Clippers then reasserted control in the third quarter, as junior Anders Corey scored twice to restore the four-goal advantage, but again, Cape Elizabeth roared back behind goals from senior Phil Tarling and Dresser and were down by two, 6-4, heading for the fourth period.

There, senior Connor Senger made it 7-4 Yarmouth with a man-up goal with 10:39 to go, but sophomore Archie McEvoy answered for the Capers 21 seconds later and with 5 minutes on the clock, Dresser’s fourth goal made it a one-goal game.

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Clippers junior goalie Spencer King, who was marvelous all day, appeared to ice the victory with 15 seconds left, when he saved a McEvoy shot, but in an unthinkable sequence, after King heaved the ball downfield, Cape Elizabeth junior goalie Jack Dresser caught it, threw it back toward the Yarmouth goal and senior Nick Martin snared it and scored with just 0.6 seconds on the clock, forcing overtime.

There, with the all the momentum, the Capers ended it, winning an OT game for the second time in six days, as McEvoy played the hero and Cape Elizabeth prevailed, 8-7.

The Capers improved to 3-0 on the season, dropped the Clippers to 1-1 and in the process, beat Yarmouth for the 22nd time in the teams’ last 23 meetings.

“These games are great,” said longtime Cape Elizabeth coach Ben Raymond, whose 272nd victory at the helm was one his most dramatic. “Games like these help us grow quite a bit. I think it says a lot about the fact that the guys work really hard together. They understand we’re much better when we work together. I think the team has a lot of confidence in each other. It’s not great to get down, but it’s good to know we can work our way back into it. One little play, one goal at a time.”

What a finish!

Cape Elizabeth was impressive in its first two outings, handling visiting Waynflete, the defending Class C state champion, 17-6, in its opener, then outlasting visiting Scarborough in an overtime thriller last Thursday, 7-6, on Martin’s winner. 

Yarmouth, meanwhile, stifled visiting Greely in the rain in its first game, 13-4.

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Last spring, Yarmouth won at Cape Elizabeth, 7-6, to snap an eight-year, 20-game losing streak in the series, but the Capers took the second meeting, 8-2, in Yarmouth to grab a 28-14 advantage dating to the start of the 2002 season (see sidebar, below, for prior results).

Tuesday, on a raw, 46-degree afternoon, which featured occasional drizzle, the Clippers pushed Cape Elizabeth to the brink, but the Capers found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat.

Neither team could get much going in the first period, but midway through, Yarmouth broke the ice.

With 5:53 remaining in the opening stanza, Hamm scored unassisted, beating Jack Dresser for a 1-0 lead.

With 3:51 on the clock, Hamilton took a pass from Corey and finished as well to double the advantage.

Cape Elizabeth’s first good scoring chance came as time wound down, as in a sign of things to come, King threw the ball away as time wound down, but Tarling intercepted it at midfield and fired a shot that King had to hustle to get back to save.

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Hamm then scored twice in a 27-second span, unassisted, top shelf with 9:29 remaining in the half, then unassisted through a screen with 9:02 on the clock to make it 4-0, putting the Capers on the ropes.

King then added to the hosts’ frustrations, robbing Tarling, freshman Colin Campbell and McEvoy in succession and after Hamm hit the post, King denied freshman Nic Boudreau on consecutive attempts.

Finally, with 2:02 on the first half clock, Sam Dresser got the Cape Elizabeth offense going, finishing Campbell’s feed with a one-timer on the doorstep.

Then, 46 seconds later, Dresser spun around a defender and finished unassisted to pull the Capers within a manageable deficit of 4-2 at the half.

“I think we took awhile to get into our offense,” Dresser said. “We’d struggled to run it how we had in practice. We didn’t have enough motion. We changed it up a little bit and got good matchups and then it took them some time to adjust to that.”

In the first 24 minutes, Cape Elizabeth had an 18-11 edge in shots and freshman Tiernan Lathrop won six of eight faceoffs, but King’s seven saves helped Yarmouth hold the lead.

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“I thought we had some good looks in the beginning, but Spencer made some good saves,” Raymond said. “We got shots from areas we want to get them from, but we didn’t finish. We told the kids to keep shooting and the ball would go in.”

The Clippers restored their four-goal lead in the third quarter, as Corey scored for the first time, from senior James Hook in transition with 10:47 left, and Corey (from Hamm) found the net again with 6:48 to go, for a 6-2 advantage.

The Capers refused to buckle, however, and with 3:50 left in the frame, Sam Dresser set up Tarling for a goal and after Yarmouth killed a pair of man-down situations, Cape Elizabeth got a momentum boost with 15 seconds on the clock, when Sam Dresser bounced a shot past King to cut the deficit to 6-4 heading to final stanza.

There, the Clippers would try to hold on for dear life, but couldn’t quite do so.

Yarmouth got its final goal with 10:39 to play, as senior Andrew Garrett passed to Senger, who beat Jack Dresser man-up to make it 7-4.

It took all of 21 seconds for the Capers to answer, as Martin fed McEvoy for his first goal.

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“Our first half was a little sketchy, we didn’t play really well, but in the second half, we just had to calm down and play our game,” McEvoy said. “(The Clippers) have a talented goalie. He played a great game. Our defense made some big stops, we got the ball and we scored.”

After the Clippers’ defense held Cape Elizabeth at bay for five minutes, only to see the offense unable to extend the lead, the Capers drew within one with 5 minutes on the clock, as Sam Dresser scored his final goal, unassisted, to make the score 7-6.

With 2:31 remaining, Dresser appeared to tie it when his shot hit the net, but the ball actually landed outside the goal.

After the teams traded turnovers, Yarmouth coach David Pearl called timeout with 1:01 left, as the Clippers looked to run out the clock.

It didn’t happen, as Cape Elizabeth junior defenseman Max Patterson forced a turnover with 45 seconds to go and the Capers got another opportunity.

It would be McEvoy looking to tie it with 15 seconds to go and he had a good look, but King made the save.

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And that appeared to be that.

But the fun was just beginning.

King lofted the ball deep down the field as time wound down, but his counterpart, Jack Dresser, astutely anticipated the pass, caught it, then launched it back toward the Yarmouth goal where Martin caught it in traffic, turned shot and scored.

And the horn had yet to sound, since the scoreboard read 0.6.

And the score was now tied, 7-7.

“I saw Jack with the ball and I knew with that little time left, he’d just huck it down the field, so I tried to get in a spot where I could catch it,” Martin said. “I caught the ball and I knew there was pretty much no time left, so I turned and shot it and thankfully it went in. I was glad I got it off in time. We definitely had momentum coming from behind.”

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“(Spencer) made a great save and I thought it was over, but Nick came up big at the end,” said McEvoy.

“It’s definitely not the way you draw it up on the goal that tied it up, but we felt good about having an opportunity to tie it,” Raymond added. “It may have happened in an odd way, but they guys earned it.”

“One of the things I love about lacrosse, you can do a lot of things without a lot of time and hats off to them, they executed,” Pearl said.

Indeed, Cape Elizabeth took momentum into overtime and the Capers would emerge victorious, but the Clippers would have two more chances to get out of town with a victory.

Lathrop won the faceoff to start OT and Raymond called timeout to set up a potential game-winning play.

It didn’t come to fruition, as Yarmouth sophomore defenseman Nate Henninger intercepted the ball, but the Clippers threw the it away and Martin scooped it up, giving the Cape Elizabeth offense another chance.

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With 2:48 left in the four-minute, “sudden victory” overtime, King denied Tarling.

But again, Yarmouth couldn’t clear the ball, Tarling scooped up the loose ball and the Capers set up for the winner.

It would come with 1:35 on the clock, as Tarling passed to McEvoy, who wound up and this time, shot low, bouncing the ball past King and into the net at 5:50 p.m. to give Cape Elizabeth a scintillating 8-7 come-from-behind victory.

“I knew I shot it high-to-high with 15 seconds left and (Spencer) made a great save on that one, so Coach told me I had to shoot it low with a bounce,” said McEvoy. “I caught the ball, saw their guy wasn’t on me and I shot it low and it went in. It felt good.”

“I think it shows that we don’t give up, but we also have a lot to work on,” Sam Dresser said. “It’s nice to win in these situations, but moving forward, it’s something we want to avoid so we don’t end up on the other end.”

“We want to make sure our fans get their money’s worth each game,” Raymond added. “Defensively, other than the first half, we played really well. We were able to extend a bit and take the ball away. Yarmouth’s settled defense was very good, so the idea was to try and go a little more in transition and we got a few in the second half.”

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Sam Dresser led the way with four goals and one assist. McEvoy had two goals, while Martin and Tarling had one apiece.

Campbell, Jack Dresser, Martin and Tarling all had one assist.

Jack Dresser made six saves.

Lathrop won 13 of 17 faceoffs.

“Tiernan did an outstanding job on faceoffs,” Raymond said. “Tiernan has been working hard making sure he’s ready and when we needed him, he did an awesome job.”

The Capers overcame 20 turnovers, had a 40-21 advantage in ground balls (junior Andrew Carroll led the way with six) and enjoyed a 38-20 edge in shots (24-13 on cage).

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Hard to fathom

For Yarmouth, Hamm scored three goals, Corey added two and Hamilton and Senger had one apiece.

Corey, Garrett, Hamm and Hook each had one assist.

Garrett, Henninger and senior Michael Guertler each collected three ground balls.

King dazzled with 16 saves.

“Spencer played an amazing game,” Pearl said. “He really did.”

The Clippers were hindered by 20 turnovers, many of them coming late in regulation and in overtime.

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“The difference was that our missed clears gave them extra opportunities,” Pearl said. “The difference in the second half was our inability to clear. I felt like the game was so hard-fought. We were in it every moment. 

“Losing a heartbreaking game, the feeling is similar (to last year, when Yarmouth lost three times in overtime), but we’re a different team this year.

“Hats off to the Cape players who played hard all the way to the end. It’s an early-April game. We have a lot to learn. We exposed areas we need to work on. (The Capers) play a nifty offense and they have good players with good sticks. They’re great at passing and catching and moving off-ball. They’re well-coached. I wish we could play them again tomorrow. 

“Going forward, we have to focus on us. It’s not the opponent. If we work together as a team, we can achieve great things.”

Shot at revenge

While Yarmouth is back in action Friday at home versus Kennebunk, Cape Elizabeth will have a chance to avenge last year’s playoff ouster when Thornton Academy pays a visit Friday night.

“That’s going to be a really tough matchup, especially (Monmouth University-bound standout) C.J. (Labreck),” said Sam Dresser. “We’re going to have to adjust to that and game-plan for their zone defense.”

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“We’ll be ready to play Friday night,” Raymond said. “The guys understand it’s an early season game. I expect TA to be very good and I expect we’ll be very good, but I expect we’ll be very different the next time we see each other. It’s great to get these games in early, have them count and be competitive. It makes the kids better players and it makes them enjoy it more.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Yarmouth junior Gavin Hamm lines up a shot. Hamm scored three times.

Cape Elizabeth sophomore Archie McEvoy is defended by Yarmouth senior Ashanti Haywood.

Cape Elizabeth senior Sam Dresser keeps the ball away from Yarmouth junior Gavin Hamm.

Cape Elizabeth senior Nick Martin is congratulated by his teammates as Yarmouth senior Cole Buchanan reacts in disgust after Martin’s goal with 0.6 seconds left in regulation forces overtime.

Recent Cape Elizabeth-Yarmouth results

2018
Yarmouth 7 @ Cape Elizabeth 6
Cape Elizabeth 8 @ Yarmouth 2

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2017
Cape Elizabeth 17 @ Yarmouth 0
@ Cape Elizabeth 16 Yarmouth 4
Class B state final
Cape Elizabeth 16 Yarmouth 7

2016
Cape Elizabeth 15 @ Yarmouth 5
@ Cape Elizabeth 14 Yarmouth 6

2015
@ Cape Elizabeth 6 Yarmouth 3 
Cape Elizabeth 14 @ Yarmouth 5
Class B State Final 
Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 5 

2014
Cape Elizabeth 10 @ Yarmouth 6
@ Cape Elizabeth 9 Yarmouth 4 
Class B State Final
Cape Elizabeth 6 Yarmouth 3 

2013
@ Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 5
Cape Elizabeth 13 @ Yarmouth 7
Class B State Final
Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 4

2012
Cape Elizabeth 12 @ Yarmouth 8
@ Cape Elizabeth 10 Yarmouth 5

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2011
@ Cape Elizabeth 13 Yarmouth 2
Cape Elizabeth 6 @ Yarmouth 2

2010
@ Yarmouth 8 Cape Elizabeth 4
@ Cape Elizabeth 10 Yarmouth 7
Class B State Final
Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 6

2009
@ Yarmouth 8 Cape Elizabeth 6
Class B State Final
Yarmouth 12 Cape Elizabeth 9

2008
Yarmouth 9 @ Cape Elizabeth 3
@ Yarmouth 7 Cape Elizabeth 3
Class B State Final
Yarmouth 9 Cape Elizabeth 4 

2007
@ Cape Elizabeth 9 Yarmouth 5
@ Yarmouth 8 Cape Elizabeth 7

2006
@ Yarmouth 4 Cape Elizabeth 3
Yarmouth 6 @ Cape Elizabeth 5

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2005
@ Cape Elizabeth 8 Yarmouth 6
@ Yarmouth 15 Cape Elizabeth 8
State Final
Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 6

2004
@ Yarmouth 13 Cape Elizabeth 11
Yarmouth 15 @ Cape Elizabeth 7
State Final
Yarmouth 11 Cape Elizabeth 6

2003
@ Cape Elizabeth 7 Yarmouth 1
State Final
Cape Elizabeth 9 Yarmouth 8 (OT)

2002
Cape Elizabeth 16 @ Yarmouth 6
Cape Elizabeth 15 @ Yarmouth 6

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