WINDHAM — Zach Chaisson’s frustration was palpable and audible.

“Am I ever going to score a goal?” he shouted at one point in the first half of Scarborough’s boys’ soccer game Friday against Windham.

The answer was yes.

Chaisson scored with 18:06 to play, and that was enough to lead the Red Storm to a 1-0 victory and send them to the championship game of a four-team tournament against Gorham. Gorham beat Falmouth, 2-1 in penalty kicks, in the tournament’s first game on Thursday.

“We had a bunch of chances we should have capitalized on, but we knew what we had to do to win and we amped it up and got it done,” said Chaisson, a senior midfielder.

Scarborough (7-1-1) had the Eagles on their heels for most of the first half and had two great looks at grabbing an early lead, but Windham goalkeeper Colby Connolly dove to rob both Nate Needle and Trevor Sandler.

Chaisson also had a shot stopped, then missed high. Just before the break, he got his foot on a corner kick by Needle, but that was also denied by Connolly.

The Eagles, who were outshot 7-0 in the first half, settled in and carried play for a stretch of the second half, but Sam Gilcos and Wyatt Flibbert had shots saved by Red Storm goalkeeper Peter O’Brien (five saves). A great chance by Gilcos was blocked at the last second by Scarborough back Noah Flagg.

Scarborough finally broke through in the 62nd minute. Needle played a ball in, Zander Haskell passed it to Chaisson, and after a defender slipped, Chaisson went one-on-one with Connolly and scored with a low shot.

“We needed a goal and I really wanted to get that goal,” Chaisson said. “You never know when you’ll get those opportunities, and when you do, you have to finish. The goalie slid at me and I knew I just had to keep it on the ground.”

Scarborough’s always strong defense held Windham in check from there. O’Brien easily handled one last shot, a long bid from the side off the foot of Ezra Smith.

“We have to get better finishing our opportunities, but in the end, we got the one we wanted,” said Red Storm Coach Mark Diaz. “And I was really proud of how we stayed connected defensively.”

Scarborough has tied Gorham, 1-1, and also suffered its lone loss at the Rams’ expense, 2-0. The Red Storm look forward to playing one more game next week.

“We’re excited to play again,” Diaz said. “We just have to finish on our chances and be tough in the middle (of the field).”

The Eagles (6-2) got 11 saves from Connolly, and despite falling short, earned valuable experience, according to second-year coach Ben Schulz.

“When you’re a program like Windham and get a chance to play Scarborough in what felt like a playoff game and come out 1-0 on a slip in front of the goal, I think we have to be happy where we are,” Schulz said. “Once we got through our nerves, we had some chances, but just couldn’t finish.”

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