NYA rallies to tie Yarmouth in girls’ soccer

YARMOUTH—North Yarmouth Academy’s girls’ soccer team has had its fill of overtime games, but the Panthers were more than happy to play 10 extra minutes and earn a tie in Tuesday’s crosstown showdown of reigning champions against the powerhouse Yarmouth Clippers.

NYA, which tied Greely, then lost to Waynflete in double-overtime last week, didn’t look like it was going to be able to keep up with the Clippers in this one, as Yarmouth struck in the sixth minute, on a goal from junior Taylor Oranellas, off a throw from senior captain Neena Panozzo.

But the Panthers hung tough, thanks in large part to numerous huge saves from senior goalkeeper Sarah Moore, to keep the deficit at one.

Then, with just over 11 minutes left in regulation, junior Ella Giguere put a shot on frame which found its way into the goal to pull NYA even.

Neither team could score from there and the Clippers and Panthers settled for a 1-1 draw.

Yarmouth had its eight-game win streak snapped and is now 8-1-1 on the year, while NYA’s record sits at 6-1-3.

“I’ll take this,” said Panthers coach Ricky Doyon. “Our loss still stings a little bit, but this helps. (Yarmouth’s) a quality team. That’s one of the better teams around. If we can play like we did today as far as intensity, we’ll get good opportunities and hopefully no more overtimes. Three in a row is enough.”

Turning the tables

Yarmouth got the better of NYA for years, but after the Panthers played the Clippers to a 1-1 draw in 2021 (and felt they should have won that day), NYA left no doubt last Sept. 22, prevailing at home, 4-1.

The Panthers went on to win their fourth straight Class D state title with ease and after moving up to Class C this fall, NYA has continued to excel, despite a much tougher schedule.

The Panthers opened with a 5-0 victory at Sacopee Valley and settled for a scoreless draw at Freeport (in a game in which only a half was played due to the lights not coming on). NYA then dispatched host Lake Region (3-2), visiting Old Orchard Beach (5-0), visiting Gray-New Gloucester (3-0), host St. Dom’s (2-0) and visiting Traip Academy (3-0) before settling for a 1-1 home tie against Class B South power Greely. Last Friday, however, the Panthers couldn’t convert a late penalty kick, then were stunned in double-overtime by visiting rival Waynflete, 1-0, as their 46-game unbeaten streak came to an end.

Yarmouth’s 2022 campaign also culminated with a Gold Ball and the 2023 Clippers have picked right up where that group left off.

After a 1-0 overtime loss at Greely in the opener, Yarmouth blanked host Gray-New Gloucester (6-0), won at reigning Class A North champion Brunswick (2-0), blanked host York (3-0), then captured its home opener, 1-0, over Cape Elizabeth, before edging visiting Waynflete, 3-2, shutting out visiting Greely (3-0), then downing host Freeport (1-0) and visiting Mt. Ararat (3-1).

Tuesday, on a summer-like third day of October (80 degrees at kickoff), NYA hoped to make it two straight victories in the series, but instead, for the second time in three years, the teams wound up splitting Heal Points.

Yarmouth senior Aine Powers races up the field as North Yarmouth Academy seniors Hayden Wienckowski (6) and Lily Rawnsley give chase early in Tuesday’s 1-1 tie. Hoffer photos.

The Clippers were on the attack from the get-go and after Oranellas and senior Aine Powers couldn’t quite reach a free kick from Cate King, then Powers fired a shot off a corner kick which Moore saved, they broke the ice with 34:53 to go in the first half.

The goal was set up by a throw from the side by Panozzo. The ball came in front to Oranellas, who one-touched it past Moore and in for a quick lead.

Yarmouth had ample opportunities to go up by more, but Moore punched a King free kick over the crossbar, sophomore Abby Noble hit the crossbar with a shot, Moore went sprawling to rob Powers off a long pass from junior back Eleanor Ting, then Moore saved bids from senior Sonja Bell and Oranellas.

The Panthers threatened as well, but Ting broke up a rush from senior Graca Bila, freshman Natasha Godfrey shot just wide and Giguere sent a shot just high.

The Clippers had an 8-0 advantage in shots on frame and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks in the first half, but hadn’t put NYA away.

And they wouldn’t in the second half either.

North Yarmouth Academy junior Delia Fontana shields the ball from Yarmouth senior Sonja Bell.

Moore beat Powers to a feed from senior Brooke Boone early in the half and after King broke up a rush from junior Lyla Casey at the other end, Moore robbed Oranellas off a King free kick, then saved a couple bids from Powers.

With 24:30 to go, NYA earned its first corner kick of the game and the ball got knocked around before Yarmouth senior goalkeeper Regan Sullivan fell on it.

But with 11:19 remaining, the Panthers tied the score in stunning fashion, as the ball came up top to Giguere, who fired a low shot on frame and it appeared to handcuff Sullivan and the ball wound up finding its way into the goal to make it 1-1.

“We did what we needed to do,” Doyon said. “We picked up our game and took advantage of one opportunity. Ella has a dangerous shot. Whenever she can shoot, it’s a good shot.”

“She hit it well and it looked like it took a little dip,” said Clippers coach Andy Higgins. “It had movement on it and I think it caught Regan by surprise. She’ll use it as motivation and she’ll be fine. She’s made a lot of big saves and she has a lot of big saves left to make and she’s going to.”

Down the stretch in regulation, Yarmouth hoped to answer, but a long shot from senior Kadin Davoren was saved by Moore, Bila broke up a pass from Powers to senior Oliva McNaboe in the box, Moore caught the ball on a Clippers’ corner kick, Moore denied sophomore Keira Cowans after a nice move, then Moore had to leap to cradle a shot from Powers.

“Sarah is just phenomenal,” Doyon said. “She kept us in the game.”

The game would go to overtime, where the two teams had a pair of five-minute periods to produce a winner.

They could not and the contest went in the books as a tie.

In the first OT, Sullivan beat senior Hayden Wienckowski to a feed from freshman Alicia Fontana in the first minute.

With 2:47 on the clock, NYA had a golden chance to win it, as Giguere lined up a free kick from 25 yards out, but she sent it high.

At the other end, Giguere broke up a rush by Boone and a second extra session was necessitated.

There, King had a long free kick which Moore saved, a cross from freshman Lilah Pernal deflected off Boone right to Moore, then a late shot from Boone was saved by Moore to bring the curtain down on the deadlock.

“We created some chances, but (NYA’s) a good team and they made it difficult for us,” Higgins said. “This is a tough place to play and it’s always a battle with our crosstown rival. We had shots, but they were from a little deeper than they needed to be. A lot of balls deflected off someone. It was one of those days that makes this game so amazing and beautiful and frustrating at the same time. It was a good day of soccer here in Yarmouth. The positive is we got some (Heal Points) out of it. We’ll use it to build and move forward.”

Yarmouth finished with a 17-2 advantage in shots on frame, got one save from Sullivan and had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

Moore made 16 saves for the Panthers.

Two weeks to the finish line

Both teams will now turn their attention to finishing strong and wrapping up the top seeds for their respective tournaments.

NYA plays its final home game Thursday, versus Morse. The Panthers then go to Traip Academy, Monmouth Academy and finish at Waynflete.

“I had to move some players around and it helped us out and it will help us out down the road, now that I know where the girls can play,” Doyon said. “We want to finish strong. We want to be home.”

Yarmouth returns to action Tuesday with a key home game versus Freeport. After welcoming Wells and York, the Clippers close with a pivotal contest at Cape Elizabeth.

“We’ll use this as motivation,” Higgins said. “We’ll think about it until we walk back to our campus, then we’ll move forward with what we need to do to get better for the end of the season. We love our facility and we’d like to be there as long as we can. It’s a special place to all of us, but we have some work to do to make that happen.”