Playing on grass, on the road against a top opponent, just after school let out for the day, it would have been understandable if the Cape Elizabeth boys’ soccer team got off to a slow start Tuesday afternoon.
Instead, the Capers came out firing and earned their most impressive win this season.
Eddie Caldera scored goals in both halves and Sam Cochran scored as well and Cape Elizabeth beat Waynflete 3-1 at Fore River Field in Portland, snapping the Flyers’ 19-game winning streak.
“A game right after school is tough to get warmed up for, but I was pleased with how we started and how we kept it up all game,” said Capers senior captain Stewart Kelley, who had two assists.
Tiernan Lathrop nearly put the Capers (3-2) ahead 12 seconds into the game, but his promising shot was tipped out by Flyers goalkeeper Nico Kirby (eight saves) at the last second.
Waynflete (5-1) nearly went on top on a shot from Liam Slocumb that hit the crossbar. Cape Elizabeth then took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute as Kelley set up Caldera, who slid near the far post and tapped the ball home.
“I made my run, Stew fed me, it was a great ball by him and I just finished it with a little tap-in,” said Caldera. “I was more comfortable since I slid.”
The Capers got some breathing room with 23 minutes to play in the second half when Kelley set up Cochran.
“Sam’s probably the best shooter on the team and when he has an open shot like that, I’m going to feed it to him,” said Kelley. “I feel more of an accomplishment getting assists than goals.”
Five minutes later, Caldera scored for the second time, taking a through ball from Sebastian Moon before beating Kirby.
Slocumb scored for Waynflete when his long shot eluded Cape Elizabeth goalkeeper Raef Curran (two saves) with just over 15 minutes remaining. The Capers locked it down from there and closed out their third consecutive victory.
“We’ve talked a lot about making sure we’re focused and that the effort and energy were there from the start,” said Cape Elizabeth Coach Ben Raymond. “I think it was really important to keep the pressure on to force (Waynflete) into mistakes. The kids reacted really well.”
The Capers outshot the Flyers, 11-3.
“Cape puts pressure on you because of their speed and strength all over the field,” said Waynflete Coach Brandon Salway. “They’re organized and well-coached and play really hard. We weren’t comfortable on the ball in the beginning and didn’t have composure, so we wound up defending for 70 percent of the first half. We wound up settling in and put some pressure on them, but overall, it’s a good learning day for us.”
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