We’re almost done.

Only three soccer teams remain alive this fall sports season.

Last week, the football campaign came to a close, as did cross country with its state meet, although a few locals will compete at New Englands.

Here’s a look what you might have missed:

Girls’ soccer

Scarborough’s reigning Class A champion girls’ soccer team will play for a repeat title Saturday.

The Red Storm, ranked first in Class A South, beat No. 8 South Portland, 5-0, in the quarterfinals, then knocked out No. 5 Cheverus in the semifinals last Thursday, 2-0, behind two goals from senior standout Lana Djuranovic.

Tuesday, in Kennebunk, Scarborough took on No. 2 Gorham in a regional final which proved to be a thriller. Djuranovic scored an early goal and freshman Maggie Booth added a tally with 14 minutes to go to seemingly send the Red Storm on their way, but the Rams immediately countered with a goal off a penalty kick, then tied it with 3:45 remaining. The game would go to overtime and there, just 57 seconds in, off a long feed from Delia Fravert, junior speedster Emmie Flaker ran the ball down, settled it and fired it into the net to win it, 3-2.

“I thought I could get to it, but I didn’t think the shot would go in,” said Flaker, the reigning SMAA outdoor track and field champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 300 hurdles. “I settled the ball a little bit, then shot it. It felt good off my foot.”

“I just saw Emmie go and when Emmie goes, she goes,” said Djuranovic. “I was just hoping she’d get her shot on frame and she did and it went in. It was really hard at the end of the second half. Going into overtime, we had a new mindset that we had to keep fighting and that helped us.  I’m really proud of us. It just shows that we’re still here.”

“We got fortunate to get one of those plays where we channel the ball to a fast player on the wing and we have probably the fastest player in the state on the wing and she won the race and finished it,” Scarborough coach Mike Farley added. “It was a really good goal. This year, she’s really turned into a soccer player. I never thought I’d see Emmie running behind players, poking it by somebody, then slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.”

The Red Storm (16-1 and on a 13-game win streak) will battle Bangor (16-1) in the Class A state final Saturday at 10 a.m., at Messalonskee High School in Oakland (see our website for game story).

Scarborough beat Bangor to win state championships in 2010 (3-0) and 2012 (2-1, in double-overtime). The Red Storm also lost to the Rams in the 2011 final (4-0).

A repeat title is within reach, but Scarborough knows that nothing will come easily Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the state game,” said Flaker. “We just have to come out, play intense and keep our energy up.”

“We’ll just play our game,” Djuranovic said. “When it’s a state final, it doesn’t matter what’s happened before, it’s about being in the moment. I’m so excited. Win or lose, I’m so glad we made it back there.”

“We scrimmaged Bangor in the summer,” Farley added. “They have a really good midfield. They have fast players up top and their backs are big, strong and physical. It’s always a battle in the state final. It doesn’t matter what anybody’s record is. When you get there, you want to put your best foot forward. I think we just need to play quickly, use our pace on the wings, then defend and make sure we don’t give up goals. Our hallmark is to make it really tough for teams to score on us.”

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth, the No. 2 seed, which blanked No. 7 Wells, 3-0, in the quarterfinals, beat No. 3 Greely by the same score in the semifinals last Friday. Noelle Mallory scored 75 seconds in and added a goal in the 10th minute. While goalkeeper Ellie Piper was making a series of exceptional saves to keep the Capers in front, Hailey Gorman delivered the coup de grace with 13:59 left.

“We just had to calm down in games like this because they’re high pressure,” Mallory said. “We learned from last year (getting upset by York in the semifinals). We didn’t turn off the gas.”

“I think it’s finally clicked for everyone that we have to put 100 percent into every game and that’s what it’s going to take,” said Piper, who made nine saves.

“It’s a high-pressure game and it’s stressful, but these are the fun games, the ones we look forward to,” said senior captain Evelyn Agrodnia, who had an assist. “We came in knowing how we felt when we lost last year and we weren’t going to let that happen again.”

“Playoffs are different and anything can happen,” added first-year Capers coach Branden Noltkamper. “The kids questioned what it might look like when we came out and played, but we told them to stick to the plan and they did. Greely made it really difficult for us tonight. I’m proud of the girls. We’re a young group and much of the game was pretty chaotic for us, but we found a way to get it done.”

Cape Elizabeth (14-2) advanced to battle top-ranked Yarmouth (14-1-1) in the Class B South Final Wednesday (see our website for game story).

Cape Elizabeth lost twice to Yarmouth this year, 1-0 at home Sept. 14 and 2-0 on the road Oct. 17. The Capers are 4-2 all-time versus the Clippers in the playoffs, with a 3-0 win in the 2021 regional final the most recent.

Cape Elizabeth believes the third time this fall will be the charm.

“I’m so excited,” said Agrodnia. “This is where were want to be and we’re out for revenge.”

“I think it’s finally clicked for everyone that we have to put 100 percent into every game and that’s what it’s going to take,” Piper said.

“I just think we need to calm down and relax,” said Mallory. “This is the most motivation I’ve had all year. Speaking for the team, we want nothing more.”

“This is the matchup we wanted and I think it’s the matchup Yarmouth wanted,” Noltkamper added. “It’ll be a fun game. We just have to not get in our own way. We’re in a much better space mentally and we’re more prepared than we were a few weeks ago. Now, we’re playing for something much bigger than ourselves. Our goal from the beginning was to win a state championship and we need to get past Yarmouth to do that.”

If the Capers get to the Class B state final, they will take on either Ellsworth (13-2-1) or Hermon (12-3-1) Saturday at 3:30 p.m., at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

Boys’ soccer

Cape Elizabeth’s boys’ soccer team, the No. 2 seed in Class B South, was preparing at press time to take on top-ranked, three-time champion Yarmouth in the regional final Wednesday evening (see our website for game story). The Capers, who blanked No. 7 Morse, 5-0, in the quarterfinals, advanced last week with a 4-0 win over No. 3 Lincoln Academy in the semifinals behind two goals from Sam Cochran and one apiece from Harry Converse and Keegan Lathrop.

Cape Elizabeth and Yarmouth split this fall, each winning on the road. The Clippers won at the Capers, 4-1, Sept. 14, then Cape Elizabeth won in Yarmouth, 3-1, Oct. 16.  The Clippers had won four of five prior playoff meetings, with a 3-2 victory in last year’s thrilling Class B South Final the most recent.

If Cape Elizabeth advances to the Class B state final for the first time since 1997, it will battle either John Bapst (14-1-1) or Ellsworth (13-2-1) Saturday at 6 p.m. at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham.

Cross country

Scarborough’s boys’ cross country team nearly stole the show at the Class A state meet at Belfast last Saturday. The Red Storm tallied 78 points for a surprising second-place finish, 10 points behind Portland. Scarborough was led by Ethan Keller, who finished the 5-kilometer course fifth, in 16 minutes, 18.71 seconds. Also scoring were Atticus Merriam (11th, 16:50.13), Nicholas Koziell (18th, 16:56.25), Baxter Merriam (20th, 17:00.61) and Landen Springer (24th, 17:13.85).

South Portland (200 points) was seventh. Evan Small paced the Red Riots with a sixth-place finish (16:23.66). Also scoring were Michael Lawlor (38th, 17:37.32), Paul Sames (40th, 17:41.05), Gus Whited (57th, 18:17.06) and Tyler Bryant (59th, 18:17.88).

In the Class A girls’ meet, won by Bonny Eagle for a fifth straight season with 62 points, Scarborough didn’t qualify as a team, but had two individual compete. Kyleigh Record had the 18th-best time (20:12.93) and Rowan Driscoll posted the 58th-best time (22:18.97).

South Portland did not qualify.

In the Class B girls’ meet, won by York with 57 points, Cape Elizabeth (118) came in fourth. Hadley Mahoney (10th, 20:12.34), Emma Young (11th, 20:12.36) and Hannah Frothingham (13th, 20:29.8) were top finishers. Also scoring were Addie Mazzeo (35th, 22:09.61) and Jane Curtis (49th, 22:41.34).

In the Class B boys’ race, won by Freeport for the third year in a row, Cape Elizabeth didn’t qualify as a team, but sent three individuals. Liam Nudd had the 18th-best time (17:17.52), Finn Morris the 19th-fastest time (17:22.73) and Sebastian Hesser the 50th-best time (18:31.48).

The New England championships will be held Saturday in Belfast. The Scarborough boys and South Portland’s Evan Small qualified.

Football

Cape Elizabeth was the lone local football team to make the playoffs.

The Capers, ranked fourth in Class C South, beat No. 5 York, 41-6, in the quarterfinals, but Saturday at top-ranked, reigning state champion Leavitt, Cape Elizabeth lost, 59-26, to finish the year 3-7. The Capers fell behind quickly, 14-0, before a fumble return for a score from Mike Foley cut the deficit in half. The Hornets then took a 21-7 advantage to the second period where they erupted for 38 straight points to put it out of reach. In the third period, Brady Inman connected with Tom Hennessey for touchdowns of 30- and 10-yards, then Foley added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023

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