LEWISTON — Waynflete showed Wednesday night that it is ready and able to claim a 12th girls’ lacrosse state championship in the Maine Principals’ Association tournament era.
The No. 2 Flyers took command early and played with high efficiency in a Class C semifinal at Lewiston High, beating No. 6 Traip Academy, 18-6.
Waynflete (12-4), which has not lost to a Class C team, will face No. 4 Wells in the state championship game Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium. The game time has not been set.
Waynflete had contributors across the board. Chloe Marblestone scored five goals and Lydia Birknes added four goals to lead the scoring, but six others also tallied a goal as the Flyers scored on 18 of their 26 shots. Keeper Mya Clark was sharp with nine saves and often started quick transitions, usually finding Birknes as her first target. Defensively, Piper Judy was quick with her slides to halt Traip attackers trying to curl from the back of the net, and the whole Waynflete defense forced numerous turnovers.
“Everyone was doing their part and that’s what we’ve been saying. Each person has a job, and if they each do it, we should be able to pull it off. And they all did their jobs,” said Waynflete Coach Cathie Connors.
Tilsley Kelly, a senior captain, did a lot of everything. She took the draws. She helped with the transition. She scored three goals herself. Tilsley played on Waynflete’s last state championship team, in 2021.
“I think we’re definitely capable,” Kelly said when asked about regaining the state title. “We’ve got a lot of heart on this team, a lot of skill, and a lot of trust. If any team is capable and anxious to go to states, I’m going to say it’s our team.”
Waynflete and Traip have around the same enrollment, about 270 students. But when it comes to lacrosse history, they are very different.
Traip, Kittery’s public school, had its first varsity girls’ and boys’ lacrosse seasons in 2021. The girls were 0-13 the first year and won four and five games the next two seasons, both times losing to Waynflete in a playoff opener. Traip’s 14-4 quarterfinal win against Lincoln Academy was the first playoff victory for the program.
“My freshman year, we had our first historical win, and now in my junior year, we’re here in the final four. It feels amazing. I’m really proud of my team for how far we’ve come, and I think next year we’re going to be good contenders as well,” said Traip’s Keira Alessi, who scored the Rangers’ first goal to tie the game at 1-1 and battled Kelly through three quarters on draws.
Traip’s other goals came from Keira Durgin (2), Jacey Johnson, Sarah Carven and Maddy Rohan. Charlotte Masse made six saves.
Waynflete, a private school in Portland, was a foundational program in girls’ lacrosse in Maine, winning the first two MPA-sponsored state championships in 1998 and 1999, six of the first eight when the sport had a single class, and five more since. Connors has been the program’s only coach, hired in 1993 when she was 22 and the sport was played at the club level.
“We tried several different sets on them, tried doing different things on attack and they’re just a powerhouse,” said Traip Coach Jody Donohue. “Like I said to the girls after the game, not the outcome we expected, but we probably just lost to the state championship team. And a heck of a ride. We’ve got to remember what we did to get here.”
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