Greely girls pull away in second half for win at Waynflete

PORTLAND—Greely’s talented girls’ soccer team took advantage of its opportunities in an entertaining interclass showdown against host Waynflete Tuesday afternoon at Fore River Fields.

The Rangers went on top to stay in the 24th minute, when junior Abby Lennox (remember that name) set up junior Jackie Franklin for a goal. Lennox then found sophomore Lily Pierce for a 2-0 halftime lead.

The up-and-coming Flyers tried to battle back in the second half, getting a quick goal from senior standout Lucy Hart and having some looks to tie it, but they couldn’t do so and in the game’s waning moments, Pierce rebounded a Lennox shot for some breathing room before a gorgeous free kick from senior Shaylee O’Grady officially put it away and produced a 4-1 victory.

Lennox had three assists, Pierce scored twice and Greely improved to 3-1 on the young season, handing Waynflete its first setback in three outings in the process.

“We had a strategy that didn’t work, but fortunately we had some good breaks,” said Rangers coach Rachel Williams. “(Waynflete’s) a tough team with strong players and they had some good chances. Fortunately, we connected and we came out on top.”

Rising

Waynflete took a huge step forward last fall, getting all the way to the Class C South Final before losing to Maranacook, 2-0, to wind up 12-5.

The Flyers believe they’re prepared to go even deeper this season and they opened with home wins over Traip Academy (2-1) and Hall-Dale (3-0).

Greely, meanwhile, which was ousted by York in last year’s Class B South quarterfinal round (2-1), to finish 8-5-2, got off to a fast start this autumn by blanking visiting Yarmouth, the reigning Class B state champion, 1-0, in double-overtime in the opener. After a 5-0 home win over Fryeburg Academy, the Rangers came back to reality a bit last Thursday with a 4-1 home loss to always-dominant Cape Elizabeth.

The teams last met during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign (a 2-1 home win for the Flyers).

Tuesday, on a drizzly 66-degree afternoon, Waynflete hoped to do it again, but instead, Greely knocked off the Flyers for the first time since Sept. 28, 2019 (4-0 in Portland).

Greely junior Cece Berthiuame controls the ball as Waynflete sophomore Lucy Olson looks on early in the Rangers’ 4-1 victory Tuesday. Hoffer photos.

Early on, neither team could find the mark, as Greely sophomore Avery Bush shot just wide, Hart and junior Lydia Birknes did the same for the Flyers, then after Rangers junior Molly Partridge had a shot saved by Waynflete senior goalkeeper Leah Noone, Lennox missed just high.

Then, with 16:15 left before halftime, Greely broke through, as Lennox fed Franklin, who beat Noone and the defense to the ball and one-timed it home to put the Rangers in front for good.

The Flyers looked to answer, as sophomore Lucy Olson had a free kick saved by Greely goalkeeper Lizzie Sproul, then Sproul sprawled to snare a low kick from senior Morgan Earls.

With 9:10 left, many thought Waynflete tied it up when Hart unleashed one of her patented blasts that tickled the net, but it was the outside of the net and play resumed.

The Rangers then took advantage at the other end, as with 7:55 remaining, Lennox passed ahead to Pierce, who made a nice run, then beat Noone far side for a 2-0 lead, which lasted into halftime.

“It’s so much fun to play with Abby,” Pierce said. “She has such amazing feeds. She’s a selfless player. It’s fun to finish those balls.”

“When Abby’s passing, she’s on and we’re great,” Williams said. “Lily has great vision and will be a key for us.”

The Flyers then made things very interesting in the second half.

Waynflete senior Morgan Earls boots a free kick.

With 36:36 to play, Hart found the net again and this time, it was a goal, as she took a one-touch pass from Olson and fired a blast that Sproul couldn’t reach.

Waynflete then pushed hard for the equalizer, only to come up empty.

First Sproul saved a long shot from freshman Naomi Rice. Sproul then came out to break up a rush from Rice before saving a long shot from Earls. After Hart missed just wide, Hart had a good look which saw Sproul made the save and more importantly, ensure there was no rebound with Rice bearing down.

After O’Grady hit the crossbar on a free kick for the Rangers, then forced Flyers senior goalkeeper Ayla Stutzman, who had come on at halftime, to make a diving save, Waynflete had two final chances to level the score only to see Sproul save a free kick from Olson and Olson to miss just high.

“Multiple times it could have been 2-2,” lamented Carrie Earls, who co-coaches the Flyers with George Sherry. “I thought we had more possession. We just couldn’t find the back of the net today. Lucy was able to find one, but a second one just didn’t come.”

Greely then essentially delivered the dagger with 4:04 to go, as Lennox got free and this time, instead of looking to pass, she shot. While Stutzman got a piece of the ball, it trickled right to Pierce at the far post, who sent it home to make it 3-1.

“I was right in front of the goal and I knew if it deflected off the goalie, that Lily was there to follow up,” Lennox said. “It was great to get it in the back of the net, no matter who scored it.”

O’Grady then slammed the door with 1:22 remaining, placing a free kick from just outside the box perfectly into the far upper corner.

“That was such a beautiful shot,” said Pierce.

“Shaylee’s great,” Williams said. “It’s tough for her because everyone knows she’s good. Everyone’s aware of where she is on the field. When she gets an opportunity, we like to give them to her because she deserves them.”

The Rangers ran out the clock from there and celebrated their 4-1 victory.

Greely celebrates Tuesday’s victory.

The Rangers had a slight 9-8 edge in shots, took six corner kicks to the Flyers’ two and got seven saves from Sproul.

Waynflete got four saves from Stutzman and one from Noone.

“Kudos to Greely,” said Carrie Earls. “They put away some great goals and made us pay. The team feels good. This is why we took a harder schedule this year. We hadn’t played for over a week and that plays into it a bit, but we knew what we were up against. It gives us a lot to work on.”

Quick turnaround

Waynflete looks to get back to its winning ways Thursday when it plays on the road for the first time, at York.

“We see another good Class B opponent and we’ll have to go to their grass,” said Carrie Earls. “This will charge us up. We’re ready to get back on the winning side. We need to be more feisty in front of the goal since you never know when you’ll get another chance. We have high hopes. Our toughest schedule is in the first half of the season. We have to learn and I think that’s what we did today.”

Greely, meanwhile, stays on the road and has another tough test Thursday at Freeport.

“We just need hard work and to continue to play as a team,” Pierce said. “Our team dynamic is great. Everyone is good to each other.”

“I feel like we have a really deep team,” said Lennox. “We have a lot of potential. The starters are great and we have game-changers on the bench. I feel like we all have the right mindset.”

“We’re moving forward,” Williams added. “It’s a good group. The girls need to build more confidence so we can play more consistently. It won’t get any easier for us with our schedule.”