(Ed. Note: With high school sports currently on hiatus, please join me in a look back at some of the finest teams our coverage area has produced this century. To help us get through the summer, each week, I’ll present the top 10 teams from a different sport…four honorable mentions, then our “Super Six,” These rankings are put together with help from coaches and others, including a Twitter poll each week at twitter.com/foresports, but the final decision is mine. This week it’s girls’ lacrosse)
The sport of girls’ lacrosse has grown and thrived over the past two decades.
While two programs, Waynflete and Yarmouth have long reigned supreme, they’ve had plenty of company in recent years and the quality of play gets better every season.
As was the case with boys’ lacrosse, getting this list down to just 10 championship teams has been difficult and there are some regrettable omissions, but those who made the cut and who are featured here deserve the accolades and the place they hold in our memories.
Without further adieu, here’s one writer’s thoughts on the top 10:
Honorable mentions (in chronological order)
Yarmouth Clippers, 2002 State champion
File photos
The Clippers somehow navigated a brutal schedule and tough postseason gauntlet without a blemish and won their championship game playing on their opponent’s home field.
Yarmouth began the season the way it would end, with a win over Kennebunk, 10-5, in a home game played not on the school’s new turf field, but instead on a temporary field at the middle school down the street. After knocking off defending regional champion and rival North Yarmouth Academy, 12-5, the Clippers, behind the leadership of seniors Mary-Kate Boddy, Emily Erickson (an All-American), Lindsay Prescott and Caitlin Taylor, continued to light up the scoreboard, tallying 68 goals in their first five games. Yarmouth would be severely tested at Kennebunk (a 7-6 win) and at home versus defending state champion Waynflete (an 8-6 triumph) before scoring 50 goals in four victories to close the season (including a statement-making 8-3 win at Waynflete). Despite going 12-0 for the first time, the Clippers didn’t even earn the top sport for the East Region playoffs, but it wouldn’t matter.
Yarmouth won its first two playoff outings by 16-5 margins, at home over Mt. Ararat (Mel Janarelli scored four goals) and at Messalonskee (Prescott set the tone with four goals). In the regional final, in the rain, the Clippers found themselves on the brink of elimination at Brunswick for a second year in a row, but in a miraculous finish, a Dragons’ turnover gave Yarmouth the ball and a bit of good fortune led to the tying goal.
“Freshman Chrissie Attura tossed the ball to freshman Michelle Halpern, who was so nervous that the ball went between her legs and Lindsay Prescott picked it up and ran to the goal and with her left hand, scored with a second on the clock,” said Yarmouth coach Julia Littlefield.
The game went to overtime, where Janarelli and Lindsay Tragler both scored and the Clippers survived and advanced, 9-8. After a two-day delay due to weather, Yarmouth played for the title on a beautiful afternoon in Kennebunk, but the Clippers had to get through the hometown Rams to win the trophy. With Yarmouth clinging to a 6-4 lead, the Clippers surged for seven straight goals to end all doubt and went on to a 13-8 victory. Taylor led the offense with four goals and five assists, Prescott and goalie Stephanie Meier, who attended her grandmother’s funeral earlier in the day, made a dozen saves. Yarmouth’s first perfect champion simply wouldn’t be denied.
Coach Julia Littlefield: “That was a crazy season. We weren’t the top team going in, but we had a stacked senior class, smart, conscientious and they wanted the gold. My assistant, Jill Hansen Collins, who played at (the University of Virginia), was a huge help in our success. We worked (the girls) really hard, changed positions around when least expected and all players reacted positively to it. Going undefeated was not easy. The girls had to keep their heads up and stay focused at all times.”
Waynflete Flyers, 2009 Class B state champion
Like the Yarmouth team listed above, this Waynflete squad could have ranked higher, but due to the quality of teams to come lands here. The Flyers, coming off a dominant campaign the year before, beat everyone they faced en route to a back-to-back title.
Waynflete featured a bevy of offensive weapons, including Amy Allen, Ellie Cole, Scout Haffenreffer and All-Americans Anna Libby, Mariah Monks and Morgan Woodhouse, and scored in double figures in each of its first 11 games, winning by an average score of 14-4. Despite losing Laura Armstrong to graduation the year before, the Flyers again boasted a strong defense featuring Maddie Berrang and Greer Millard, as well as big-game goalie Sasha Timpson, and dominated eventual Western A champion Kennebunk (10-4), a Scarborough team that would win the Class A title in 2010, 2011 and 2012 (18-6) and North Yarmouth Academy in a state game rematch (12-3). Waynflete was finally tested in the finale, trailing for a short time for the first time all year before holding off Yarmouth’s upset bid, 8-6, as Liv Chap and Mica Thompson played the unlikely offensive heroes. Waynflete then took its undefeated record and top seed into the Western B tournament, where it would take care of business.
After earning a bye into the semifinals, the Flyers eliminated No. 5 Falmouth, 12-4, as Waynflete opened up an 8-1 halftime lead. Cole and Monks each had four goals. Third-ranked Cape Elizabeth made the Flyers work in the regional final, but they advanced, 9-5, behind three goals apiece from Allen and Cole. All that stood between Waynflete and a second straight title was NYA and as expected, the Panthers gave the Flyers a tougher game than in the regular season (the score was deadlocked, 3-3, at halftime), but Waynflete wouldn’t be denied, prevailing, 9-5. Woodhouse had three goals and two assists and Libby and Monks both scored twice. Timpson made nine saves, with several coming when the game was still hanging in the balance. The Flyers had met every challenge. They were simply perfect.
Coach Cathie Connors: “This one feels great. Being undefeated is really hard. I don’t think anyone expected us to be undefeated. It’s amazing we pulled it together. I’m in awe of them. I feel very lucky. They’re really special and they really wanted it.”
Cape Elizabeth Capers, 2019 Class B state champion
The Cardiac Capers again ripped victory from the jaws of certain defeat and won a repeat title in jawdropping fashion.
One year after breaking through and stunning Yarmouth in overtime to win Class B for the first time, the 2019 squad was even better and proved it throughout. Cape Elizabeth returned Erin Foley, who was always at her best in goal when the stakes were the highest, a solid defense and an offense featuring Karli Chapin, Charlotte Graham, Brooke Harvey, Allie Lynch and Tory McGrath. The Capers fell at Class A favorite Kennebunk (5-3) and at Yarmouth in a state game rematch (14-11), but won their other 10 regular season contests by a composite 137-51 margin to wind up second in Class B. Cape Elizabeth then followed a familiar path to the pinnacle.
In the state quarterfinals, the Capers dominated one-time nemesis Waynflete, 13-2, as Chapin scored five times and Harvey added three goals. Then, for the second year in a row, Cape Elizabeth got past Greely in the semifinals, this time, 10-4, as Harvey and McGrath had three goals apiece and Chapin was nearly perfect in the draw circle. The much-hyped state game versus Yarmouth actually exceeded expectations and will go down in lore. The Clippers held a 7-5 halftime lead and were up, 8-6, early in the second half before the Capers took the lead on a Harvey goal. Yarmouth then crept to the brink of the championship with three goals for an 11-9 lead, but with 1:54 to play, Harvey scored to make things interesting and with 39.7 seconds remaining, Harvey set up Chapin to force overtime. Two overtimes couldn’t produce resolution, but 35 seconds into the third OT, Chapin (who earlier in the school year had scored the state championship game-winning goal for Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ soccer team) finished unassisted to produce the 12-11 victory. Chapin and Harvey both had five goals and Foley, who would be named All-American, made eight critical saves. The Capers had won two in a row and aren’t finished yet.
Coach Alex Spark: “This is my sweetest victory in my career as a coach. It was incredible, fun to watch. I’m not normally vocal on the sidelines, but tonight, I started to lose my voice out of pure excitement over the level of play. My team fought so hard. I’ve never been so proud.”
Falmouth Yachtsmen, 2019 Class A state champion
Like Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth also repeated in 2019, in Class A, and in far less dramatic fashion, but this Yachtsmen squad was nearly perfect and can lay claim to the title of the best team in program history.
After surprising Massabesic to win the championship in Ashley Pullen’s first season as coach, Falmouth wore the bulls-eye in 2019, but wore it well, with senior standouts and eventual All-Americans Caitlyn Camelio (bound for the University of Michigan) and Kayla Sarazin, as well as youngsters Eva Clement and Avi Fishman, leading the offensive charge. An early-season overtime win over perennial powerhouse Kennebunk, 8-7 (on Sarazin’s game-winner), set the tone for great things. The Yachtsmen outscored the opposition, 135-40, in their 11 wins, as a strong defense and goalie Hannah Dubinsky consistently flustered the opposition. Falmouth did stumble once, 7-6, at Windham, but still managed to earn the top seed for the Class A North playoffs and would get an opportunity to avenge that setback.
The Yachtsmen earned a bye into the semifinals, where they were pushed to the brink by upset-minded Cheverus before eking out a dramatic 11-10 win on Camelio’s seventh goal with 2:06 to go. Falmouth got to face Windham again in the regional final and took care of business, 13-6, behind Camelio’s seven goals and three from Jo Stucker, who turned into a secret weapon as the season progressed. The state final versus Kennebunk was expected to be a 50-minute defensive battle and it didn’t disappoint. Two Clement goals helped the Yachtsmen open up an early 3-1 lead, but the Rams held Falmouth scoreless for over 33 minutes and rallied to tie it. Finally, with 8:01 left, Camelio put the Yachtsmen ahead to stay and Stucker clinched the 5-3 victory with a goal with 5:12 remaining. Dubinsky made five saves and that was just enough for Falmouth to once again celebrate. You get the feeling there are more celebrations on the horizon for this program.
Coach Ashley Pullen: “It’s an amazing accomplishment to go to a state game and win it. We knew this would be a battle. We knew we’d have to work for it. I told the girls that it doesn’t come easily just because we put a Falmouth uniform on.”
The Super Six
6) Scarborough Red Storm, 2010 Class A state champion
Perfection was in the air during the 2009-10 school year at Scarborough High School. First, in the fall, the field hockey team went undefeated and won the program’s first Class A state title. Then, in the winter, the girls’ basketball team followed suit, winning the Gold Ball with nary a blemish. With Ellie Morin and Brittany Ross, members of both teams, on the lacrosse team, there could have been some pressure, but in reality, these Red Storm just knew how to win and they did it every time out as they captured the second title in program history.
In addition to the accomplished Morin and Ross, Scarborough boasted Lindsay Hagerman, sister of Lauren, who was part of the 2006 championship team, Jackie Morin, returning from a knee injury, junior scoring threat Meghan Quirk and a solid sophomore contingent of Kat Gadbois, Kesley Howard, Laura Przybylowicz, Mary Scott and Maggie Smith, who were just beginning to write their story. Meg Kirsch and Marina Sterrer each saw time in goal. Wins over Sanford, Portland and Deering, by a composite 51-12 margin, to start the season were impressive, but what came next was historic. The Red Storm went to perennial powerhouse Yarmouth on May 8 and beat the Clippers for the first time, in decisive 13-9 fashion, as Sterrer made 14 saves and Hagerman and Ellie Morin paced the offense with three goals apiece. After beating Massabesic and Cheverus, and scoring 37 combined goals doing so, Scarborough beat Mt. Ararat in a state game preview, 14-9. Decisive wins over Westbrook and Thornton Academy were followed by a scare against Gorham, but the Red Storm out-scored the Rams, 17-15. A 17-5 win at Marshwood and a 12-9 victory at recent nemesis Kennebunk (Howard and Ellie Morin both scored three times) closed out a 12-0 regular season and gave Scarborough the top seed for the Western A tournament.
The Red Storm had to face Kennebunk again in the semifinals, but eliminated the two-time defending regional champions with ease, 11-3, as Ellie Morin scored three times, Hagerman, Przybylowicz and Ross all added two goals and Sterrer stopped 14 shots. The regional final against Gorham would prove to be Scarborough’s toughest test, but the Red Storm rallied from a 12-9 deficit and outlasted the Rams, 15-14, in an overtime thriller. Hagerman scored four times, Ellie Morin had three goals, including one in OT, Ross also had three goals and Howard scored an overtime tally as well. Mt. Ararat was Scarborough’s state game foe and the Eagles, making their first appearance on the big stage, hung tough, but the Red Storm gradually pulled away for an 11-7 victory, behind two goals apiece from Hagerman, Howard, Ellie Morin and Przybylowicz. A perfect season, a perfect team and for two players, a perfect school year, were in the books.
Coach Marcia Wood: “What a group that was. The seniors had a win-at-all-costs mentality and the sophomores bought into that and helped the seniors achieve their goal. Other teams couldn’t mark anyone on our team because any given game we had a new high scorer. It was a team where everyone knew their role on the team and did it. No one was selfish.”
5) Yarmouth Clippers, 2007 Class B state champion
Another perfect Yarmouth champion which could have ranked higher were it not for the teams to come. Coming off a state championship and riding a 13-game win streak, the Clippers had to replace All-Americans Molly Dilworth and Emily Johnson, but had plenty of talent returning, including soon-to-be-All-Americans Laurie Baker, Jess Martineau and Abby Saucier, as well as speedster Tierney Minte, All-American defender Anna Van Slyke and goalie Annalisa Carson, and they passed every test.
The schedule makers didn’t do Yarmouth any favors, as it opened with games at Waynflete and Kennebunk, sandwiched around a home tilt versus North Yarmouth Academy, but the Clippers beat the Flyers, 7-5, in a state game rematch, downed the Panthers, 7-3, then out-lasted the Rams in overtime, 12-11. That win got Yarmouth’s offense in gear and the Clippers scored a dozen goals in four straight games and weren’t held below double figures again until the state final. Yarmouth didn’t win by fewer than five goals the rest of the way and closed with decisive victories over Waynflete (12-5) and NYA (10-5) to earn the top spot in Eastern B for the second year in a row.
The Clippers earned a bye into the semifinals, where they rolled over Freeport, 17-2, as Baker had six goals and three assists and Saucier and Nicole Grover each scored three times. In the regional final versus NYA, Yarmouth got its first test since April, but held off its rival, 10-7, to return to the state game, where Kennebunk would prove to be a most daunting foe. The Clippers went up early, 3-0, on goals from Martineau, Minte and Grover, but the Rams pulled within 4-3 at halftime. The second half was more of the same, as Minte scored to make it 5-3, but Kennebunk answered and after Molly Hallweaver scored, the Rams pulled within 6-5. The game came down to Yarmouth’s defense forcing two turnovers, the Clippers milking clock, then Saucier delivering the coup-de-grace with 9.5 seconds to go, which made Yarmouth’s 7-5 victory official. Minte and Saucier each scored twice, Baker had three assists and Carson stopped 11 shots. The Clippers’ win streak reached 28 games and for the first time, they were back-to-back champions.
Coach Dorothy Holt: “I’m so proud of this group from the seniors to the sophomores. They all pulled together. The girls were calm and ready to go. I think that leadership and knowing how to win helped them. These kids worked so hard. Coming in undefeated was really stressful. Once we got here and walked the field, we knew we could do it. We just went out and had fun.”
4) Waynflete Flyers, 2005 State champion
All eyes were on the Flyers after they won it all in 2003 and 2004 and while those squads were beatable in the regular season, the 2005 team went unblemished in the regular season and in the playoffs, giving Waynflete its three-peat. The Flyers featured a sensational junior core of players who would come to be immortalized as the “Magnificent Seven.” Betsy Critchfield (All-American), Maggie DeFanti, Glennie Hill, goalie Lily Hoffman, Gretchen Koch (All-American), Carrie Schnell and Karla Stockmeyer were in the midst of a personal 36-game win streak, but with the season and the title on the line, it would be a senior who stepped up to score the biggest goal.
Waynflete only got one serious test in the regular season and it came in the opener, at Greely, but the Flyers survived, 6-5, erasing a three-goal deficit and getting the winner late from Koch, her third goal. From there, Waynflete was tested by the best teams in the state, but took care of business every time out, beating Cape Elizabeth twice by a combined 13 goals, blanking Freeport (12-0), rolling by 11 goals at Falmouth, winning with surprising ease at Kennebunk (14-3) and even outlasting North Yarmouth Academy in a downpour, 8-4. For the season, the Flyers scored 146 goals and surrendered just 46. Koch paced the offense, with help from Critchfield, Hill, Schnell and veterans Amanda Allen, Virginia Drake and Linden Ellis. Waynflete earned the top seed in the West Region, but the road to the state final didn’t come without a scare.
After beating Bonny Eagle, 11-6, in the quarterfinals (Hill scored four times and Hoffman made 15 saves), the Flyers hosted Greely in the semifinals on a scorching day where offense was at a premium. Koch scored three goals, but it was Schnell who stood tallest, scoring the tie-breaking goal with just over eight minutes left and Waynflete advanced, 5-3 (Hoffman made 10 saves). In the West Region Final, the Flyers again dispatched Kennebunk, this time, 11-6, as Koch scored four goals, Hill added three and Hoffman stopped nine shots. That set up a state final rematch versus NYA. Again, offense would be hard to come by and Waynflete needed more than 50 minutes to earn its coronation. Hill and Drake scored first half goals, but the Panthers scored twice as well. The Flyers then fell behind twice in the second half, but tied it on goals from Critchfield and Schnell. The state final would be decided in OT, where Waynflete didn’t allow a goal in six minutes and got the only one it needed from Allen to prevail, 5-4, and bring the curtain down on a perfect season of dominance and excellence under fire.
Coach Cathie Connors: “None of the championships come easily, but this one really had us working. I was worried going into overtime, but I had confidence in the girls. The kids played for each other all season. I had team players, not individual players, which made a huge difference in the outcome of the season. They were a great group to coach.”
3) Yarmouth Clippers, 2011 Class B state champion
The people’s choice in our Twitter poll was indeed a team for the ages, arguably the best in Yarmouth annals, but one that did stumble once before completing a memorable campaign with a pair of one-goal victories over their biggest tormentors. After losing to North Yarmouth Academy in the regional final three years running, the senior-laden Clippers had one collective goal coming into the 2011 campaign and achieved their destiny.
With prolific scorers like Becca Bell (All-American), Devin Simsarian and Danielle Torres (All-American, honorable mention) on the field, Yarmouth scored goals with abandon, including 16 in each of its first three games, wins over NYA (Bell scored seven times and Torres added four goals), Scarborough (Simsarian and Torres scored five goals apiece) and Cape Elizabeth (Torres scored six times, while Bell had five goals). The Clippers then scored 10 goals at Waynflete, but lost by one in their lone blemish. Yarmouth won its final eight regular season contests, scoring 105 goals in the process. Included in that stretch was an 8-5 win over NYA and a regular season-ending 13-8 home triumph over Waynflete on Senior Night where all the seniors sang the national anthem prior to the contest. The Clippers were 11-1 and riding high as the top seed entering the Eastern B tournament. Now, they just had to solve their crosstown rival.
First, Yarmouth met Morse in the semifinals and rolled, 21-3, behind six goals from Bell and four from Simsarian. The regional final appeared to be another dose of heartache when the Clippers trailed NYA, 3-0, late in the first half, but a Torres goal provided a spark. In the second half, Natalie Salmon, Simsarian and Olivia Conrad scored in quick succession to give Yarmouth the lead, but the Panthers pulled even. After a Lindsey Purpura goal gave the Clippers a 5-4 advantage, NYA answered again. It would ultimately be Purpura playing the unlikely hero, scoring with 1:43 left and Yarmouth held on for the 6-5 win, earning its first regional crown in four seasons. The state game versus Waynflete would be a 50-minute battle of skill and will as well. The game was delayed nearly two hours by a pregame rain storm, but the contest was worth the wait. When Torres, Bell and Simsarian scored quick goals, it appeared the Clippers might be on their way, but the Flyers rallied to cut Yarmouth’s lead to 4-3 at the half. The Clippers clung to a 5-4 lead early in the second half when disaster struck and Bell picked up her second yellow card, forcing her from the game. Waynflete even briefly went on top, but Yarmouth had come too far to buckle and got two quick goals from Salmon to go back ahead, 7-6. The Flyers tied it, but Torres untied it. Then, after Waynflete made it 8-8, Torres etched her name one final time into program lore by converting on a free position goal (her fourth) with 6:40 to play. The Clippers, thanks in part to goalie Stephanie Moulton’s nine saves, managed to hold on from there and celebrate their exhausting and exhilarating 9-8 victory. It didn’t come easily, but Yarmouth had become a team for the ages.
Coach Dorothy Holt: “I have to say it was the sweetest victory I’ve ever had in all my years of coaching. It took heart, grit and desire tonight. We didn’t leave anything on the field. They went out in a dream fashion. I wouldn’t want anything less for these guys. They all support each other and work hard.”
2) Yarmouth Clippers, 2006 Class B state champion
Contributed photo
These Clippers stand apart because of how they came on strong after an early season loss to Waynflete, then later completely took apart the seemingly invincible Flyers in arguably the most emphatic state game performance to date. Yarmouth wasn’t seen as the favorite in some quarters entering the year, but by season’s end, the Clippers had taught everyone just how dazzling a team can be when it peaks at the right time.
One year after losing in triple overtime to rival North Yarmouth Academy in the regional final, expectations were high when the 2006 season began and Yarmouth opened with an impressive 11-2 victory at Falmouth, but in their second game, the Clippers dug an 8-1 hole against visiting Waynflete at found themselves at an early crossroads. Yarmouth responded like the champion it would become, erupting for six goals and nearly pulling off an unthinkable comeback before time ran out. Two years would pass before the Clippers lost again.
Yarmouth didn’t score fewer than nine goals the rest of the year and closed the regular season with 10 consecutive wins, outscoring the opposition, 131-46. The Clippers were tested twice by Greely (including a 13-11 overtime win in the finale), but for the most part, rolled over every foe, thanks to a dynamic, prolific offense featuring All-Americans Molly Dilworth and Emily Johnson, as well as Laurie Baker, Hannah Coleman, Nicole Grover, Jess Martineau, Tierney Minte and Abby Saucier and a staunch defense with Annalisa Carson standing tall in goal. Yarmouth’s 11-1 record gave it the top seed for the inaugural Eastern Class B tournament and the Clippers continued their winning ways in the postseason.
After earning a bye into the semifinals, Yarmouth rolled over Camden Hills, 15-1, as Dilworth scored four times and Coleman and Johnson added three apiece. The Clippers then got past NYA in the regional final, 10-6, behind four more goals from Dilworth and three from Johnson. That set up a showdown with a seemingly invincible Waynflete squad in the first-ever Class B state final. The Flyers hadn’t just beaten Yarmouth earlier that season, they had won 36 games in a row and the previous three state titles. You’d think the Clippers might have been nervous heading into that one, but instead, before anyone on hand could blink, the score was 6-0. Yarmouth. Dilworth scored the game’s first two goals, Baker set up teammates right and left and Johnson embarked on a record-setting day. By halftime, the score was 8-3, as Baker had five assists. The expected Waynflete rally never materialized and the Clippers rolled, 12-5. Johnson set the pace with a then-state game record six goals. Carson made seven saves to prevent the Flyers from ever gaining momentum. This was just the start for Yarmouth, as it would go 15-0 and win another title in 2007, then extend its win streak to 29 before it was finally snapped by Kennebunk early in 2008.
Coach Dorothy Holt: “This feels incredible. I’m still riding a cloud. The girls rose to the occasion. They did what we do in practice every day on the field and it showed. It was just an incredible experience. For my team to come out so strong really showed that they had the heart. Everyone showed up ready today.”
1) Waynflete Flyers, 2013 Class B state champion
There have been so many great teams over the years, not just at Waynflete, but in the area, as this list demonstrates, but when all else is equal and the best of the best has to be selected, you can never go wrong opting for the team that featured Martha Veroneau. As well as All-American-to-be Sadie Cole, 2012 hero Walker Foehl, emerging star Cat Johnson, multiple sport champions Leigh Fernandez and Rhiannan Jackson and goalie Katherine Torrey, along with several other big-time contributors. The Flyers got everyone’s best game, but passed every test with relative ease. Waynflete only got pushed three times, including in the state game, but with its legacy on the line, it simply wouldn’t be denied and capped the most dominant campaign over the past two decades with yet another victory.
The 2012 Flyers deserve their own spot on this list, but there isn’t room. That team won two of the most dramatic playoff games ever contested, edging Falmouth in a thrill-a-minute semifinal before rallying to stun undefeated Cape Elizabeth in triple overtime. The state game proved anti-climactic, as Waynflete had its way with Freeport. That squad did lose a game, however, and the Flyers came into 2013 determined to run the table and win another championship. Which of course, they did. With a flourish.
Waynflete’s offense couldn’t be denied, as the Flyers scored 155 goals in the regular season, and as usual, when it had to shut down the opposition, Waynflete’s defense, with Torrey as the last resort, stood tall, surrendering only 62 goals. After a 14-2 win over Wells to open, the Flyers got five goals apiece from Cole and Veroneau in a 17-5 win at Yarmouth. Veroneau scored five goals and Foehl four in a 15-1 romp over Kennebunk. After scoring 15 more goals in a 12-goal win over Fryeburg Academy, Waynflete was tested in back-to-back outings, but survived Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth by 10-8 scores. The Flyers didn’t cool off in the second half of the season either. After beating Freeport, 13-7, they frustrated Cape Elizabeth again, 8-4, then handled Falmouth (16-3), Yarmouth (16-10, as Cole had seven goals and Veroneau six), Cheverus (11-5, as Cole scored seven more goals) and Greely (10-6) to finish 12-0 and first in Western Class B. Waynflete then went out and scored 41 more goals in three playoff games to capture the title.
After earning a bye into the semifinals, the Flyers rolled past York, 18-8, in a game played at Yarmouth High School due to poor field conditions at Waynflete. Cole led the way with seven goals, Veroneau added five and Isabel Agnew scored three times, while Fernandez had six assists. Cape Elizabeth got one more crack at the Flyers in the regional final, but for the 22nd straight time overall and third straight year in the regional final, Waynflete frustrated the Capers, 16-9, as Veroneau had a game for the ages, scoring a program-record 10 times, and Torrey made a dozen saves. Despite being Yarmouth twice, by a combined 33-15 margin, in the regular season, the state game was another story. Yarmouth went up, 2-0, handing Waynflete its lone two-goal deficit all year, but the Flyers took the lead for good, 4-3, on an Agnew goal just before halftime and allowed Yarmouth just one goal in the second half, while Johnson scored twice and Agnew finished as well to give the Flyers the 7-4 win and their 12th crown. Waynflete’s most recent champion was the most unforgettable of them all.
Coach Cathie Connors: “(The championships are) all unique and they’re always different girls. For them, it’s always special. For me, it’s special too. It’s such a great team. They’re way up there (among our all-time best). I feel it was a full team effort. I love that. That’s what we’re all about.”
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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