Cape Elizabeth senior Brooke Harvey tries to keep her balance after colliding with Waynflete senior Emi Boedeker during the teams’ contest Thursday evening. The Capers prevailed, 13-3.

Derek Davis / Press Herald photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Cape Elizabeth 13 Waynflete 3

W- 2 1- 3
CE- 7 6- 13

First half
22:46 CE McGrath (Thoreck)
18:49 CE Graham (free position)
17:26 W Boedeker (unassisted)
17:12 CE McGrath (Lynch)
15:38 CE Chapin (free position)
13:49 CE Chapin (Lynch)
13:18 CE Thoreck (Harvey)
8:55 CE Lynch (unassisted)
1:38 W Boedeker (unassisted)

Second half
22:3) CE McGrath (Harvey)
21:57 CE McGrath (Chapin)
21:03 CE Lynch (Harvey)
19:57 CE Thoreck (Harvey)
18:11 CE McGrath (free position)
15:41 CE McGrath (unassisted)
3:39 W Sherry (free position)

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Goals:
W- Boedeker 2, Sherry 1
CE- McGrath 6, Chapin, Lynch, Thoreck 2, Graham 1

Assists:
CE- Harvey 4, Lynch 2, Chapin, Thoreck 1

Draws (Cape Elizabeth, 13-5)
W- Boedeker 3 of 9, Connors 2 of 9
CE- Chapin 13 of 18

Ground balls:
W- 22
CE- 41

Turnovers:
W- 15
CE- 16

Shots:
W- 11
CE- 25

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Shots on cage:
W- 9
CE- 21

Saves:
W (Akers) 8
CE (Foley) 6 (Wood) 0

CAPE ELIZABETH—Waynflete’s girls’ lacrosse team is young and improving and has a bright future.

Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ lacrosse team is the defending Class B state champion and despite some new faces in new places this spring, the Capers are hoping that their future once again is now.

The longtime rivals squared off for the lone scheduled time this season Thursday evening at Hannaford Field and while the Flyers were able to hang tough for a half, Cape Elizabeth’s ability to dominate in the draw circle and get offense from several different sources, allowed it to pull away.

Senior Tory McGrath and junior Karli Chapin both scored two goals to help the Capers open up a 7-2 halftime lead.

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Cape Elizabeth then got six goals, four from McGrath, in less than seven minutes of the second half to end all doubt and went on to a 13-3 victory.

McGrath set the pace with six goals and the Capers improved to 5-2, dropping Waynflete to 3-5 in the process.

“We’ve had some tough games and we’ve worked really hard every day,” McGrath said. “I am pleasantly surprised so far. This is a really good showing.”

Works in progress

Waynflete once dominated the rivalry, taking 27 of 28 meetings between 2003 and 2016 (see sidebar, below), but Cape Elizabeth’s 16-6 victory last spring in Portland made it three wins in a row for the Capers.

The teams nearly squared off a second time in the Class B semifinals, but Waynflete couldn’t hold a second half lead and lost at Greely in the quarterfinals, 6-5. Cape Elizabeth then edged the Rangers in the semis before upsetting Yarmouth, 12-11, in the state game to win the program’s first championship in the Maine Principals Association-sanctioned era.

This spring, the young Flyers have shown glimpses of promise against a daunting schedule, while the Capers have shown glimpses of their championship selves.

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Waynflete started with a 9-8 loss at Class A North contender Cheverus, then won, 12-3, at Wells. After falling at “home” to Greely, 10-5, in a game played on the turf at Fitzpatrick Stadium, the Flyers held off visiting Scarborough, 6-4. After falling at home to Falmouth (10-2) and at Marshwood (5-3), Waynflete eked out a 6-5 overtime home win over York Monday.

Cape Elizabeth, meanwhile, opened with a 12-4 win at York, then lost at Kennebunk, 5-3. After handling visiting Fryeburg Academy (17-1) and Messalonskee (16-5), the Capers dropped a state final rematch at Yarmouth (14-11), then Saturday, won, 12-8, at Thornton Academy.

Thursday, on a pleasant 54 degree evening, the Capers never trailed and gradually pulled away for a victory.

After Chapin won the opening draw to give Cape Elizabeth possession, the hosts struck first with 22:46 to go in the first half, when McGrath finished a feed from junior Julia Thoreck and beat Waynflete junior goalie Avis Akers to put the Capers on top to stay.

Flyers senior Emi Boedeker had an opportunity to tie the score with 19:41 remaining, but her free position bid was saved by Cape Elizabeth senior goalie Erin Foley.

Sophomore Charlotte Graham then doubled the Capers’ advantage when she finished a free position with 18:49 left.

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Boedeker got Waynflete on the board and cut the deficit in half when she weaved through the defense and finished with 17:26 to go in the half, but 14 seconds later, after a Chapin draw win, McGrath took a pass from junior Allie Lynch and scored to make it 3-1.

“It starts from the draw always,” said McGrath. “We know we have to work hard on the circle. Karli is always awesome.”

Cape Elizabeth kept the pressure on and Chapin scored twice in quick succession, converting a free position with 15:38 on the clock, then finishing a pass from Lynch with 13:49 to go, making it 5-1 and forcing Flyers coach Cathie Connors to call timeout.

It didn’t stem the Capers’ onslaught, as 31 seconds later, senior Brooke Harvey set up Thoreck and with 8:55 left in the half, Lynch scored unassisted for a commanding 7-1 edge.

Foley then didn’t let Waynflete’s offense get any momentum, stopping free position shots from junior Emily Wagg, sophomore Kilee Sherry and Wagg again.

With 1:38 to go before halftime, Boedeker did manage to break through, racing nearly coast to coast before finishing, and that drew the Flyers within 7-2 at the break.

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In the first 25 minutes, Chapin won seven of 10 draws, Cape Elizabeth enjoyed a 12-7 edge in shots on frame and got five saves from Foley.

The Capers quickly ended any remaining doubt early in the second half.

With 22:30 to play, McGrath returned to the scoring column, finishing Harvey’s feed.

Thirty-three seconds later, McGrath scored again, this time from Chapin, to make it 9-2.

“We’ve talked about that cut that Tory made today, quick, lateral, on the move, catching it, for two days and she did exactly that,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Alex Spark.

With 21:03 on the clock, Harvey fed Lynch for a goal and with 19:57 remaining, Harvey set up Thoreck for an 11-2 advantage.

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When McGrath converted a free position with 18:11 on the clock, the 10-goal, mercy-rule running clock was induced.

McGrath then weaved through the defense and scored her final goal with 15:41 remaining, giving Cape Elizabeth an 11-goal lead.

Sherry scored one final goal for the Flyers (on a free position), but the Capers went on and closed out their 13-3 triumph.

“One of our goals is to play both halves the way we want to play and we did that today,” McGrath said.

“We love playing Waynflete,” Spark said. “Cathie knows what she’s doing and she coaches her team so well. Their zone is so tough. We’ve practiced for days talking about what to do. We focused on breaking down their zone. We had nice cutters and caught the ball cleanly. It was a team effort on attack. Beautiful, assisted goals, which is what we were looking for.”

McGrath had herself a day, scoring six goals, but she deferred praise to her teammates.

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“We have some underclassmen who have stepped up,” McGrath said. “It’s not just me. Their feeds make it happen. This is the best our attack has played.”

Chapin, Lynch and Thoreck all added two goals, while Graham finished with one.

Harvey assisted on four goals, Lynch had two assists and Chapin and Thoreck each added one.

Chapin won 13 of 18 draws.

Foley made six saves.

Cape Elizabeth enjoyed a 41-22 advantage in ground balls (Chapin and Harvey led the way with nine apiece, while McGrath collected six), had a 25-11 edge in shots (21-9 on cage) and overcame 16 turnovers.

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Waynflete got two goals from Boedeker and another from Sherry.

Akers made eight saves.

Senior Marady Parr had a team-high five ground balls.

The Flyers committed 15 turnovers.

“(Cape Elizabeth’s) really good,” Connors said. “They’re quick to the ball. They’re way more aggressive and mature.”

Despite the loss, Connors felt that Waynflete benefited from playing a top foe.

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“What I take away from a game like this is that we played a really good team and our defense can do nothing but get better when you play a team like that with an offense that’s so fast and moves the ball so quickly,” Connors said.

Work to do

Waynflete (currently 13th in the Class B Heal Points standings, where 10 teams qualify for the playoffs) is at defending Class C champion Lake Region Tuesday, hosts Freeport Thursday of next week, then closes with a home game versus St. Dom’s May 28 and a trip to Yarmouth May 31.

The Flyers hope to win a couple more games to ensure they don’t miss the playoffs for the first time, while planting the seed for future success in the process.

“I feel like things are going really well,” Connors said. “Our goal is to make it to the playoffs. We’ll see where we end up, but we’re having fun in the process.”

Cape Elizabeth (third in Class B) has a home showdown versus defending Class A South champion Massabesic Monday, goes to North Yarmouth Academy Tuesday, then closes with a home game vs. St. Dom’s, a trip to Lake Region and a home showdown versus Greely.

“When we first started the season, I had no idea what to expect, but everyone has worked hard every day,” McGrath said. “We want to be our best at the end again. My goal senior year is to go out with a bang.”

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“We’re starting to fall into our groove,” Spark said. “It’s a totally different team than we had last year. A different combination of girls. We’re coming together nicely. Our goal is to get better each game. We want to get better by the end of the season. You have to beat the best to be the best and that’s what working for.”

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

Cape Elizabeth senior Tory McGrath shoots and scores one of her six goals.

Waynflete junior Emily Wagg, left, and senior Sophie Sangster try to hold Cape Elizabeth senior Tory McGrath in check.

Recent Waynflete-Cape Elizabeth history

2018
Cape Elizabeth 16 @ Waynflete 6

2017
Cape Elizabeth 15 @ Waynflete 9
Class B South quarterfinal
@ Cape Elizabeth 10 Waynflete 6

2016
Waynflete 8 @ Cape Elizabeth 7 (OT)

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2015
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 4
Western B quarterfinal
@ Waynflete 6 Cape Elizabeth 4

2014
@ Waynflete 6 Cape Elizabeth 5
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 5
Western B semifinals
Cape Elizabeth 9 @ Waynflete 8

2013
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 8
@ Waynflete 8 Cape Elizabeth 4
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 16 Cape Elizabeth 9

2012
Western B Final
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 10 (3 OT)

2011
Waynflete 13 @ Cape Elizabeth 6
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 8 Cape Elizabeth 7

2010
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 7

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2009
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 2
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 9 Cape Elizabeth 5

2008
@ Waynflete 15 Cape Elizabeth 5
Waynflete 16 @ Cape Elizabeth 1
Western B semifinals
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 1

2007
Waynflete 18 @ Cape Elizabeth 7
@ Waynflete 15 Cape Elizabeth 7
Western B quarterfinals
@ Waynflete 13 Cape Elizabeth 3

2006
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 6
Waynflete 7 @ Cape Elizabeth 1

2005
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 6
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 5

2004
Waynflete 9 @ Cape Elizabeth 8 (OT)

2003
Waynflete 8 @ Cape Elizabeth 6
West Region semifinals
@ Waynflete 16 Cape Elizabeth 7

2002
Cape Elizabeth 10 @ Waynflete 9


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