YARMOUTH—A first victory is always nice.

It’s extra sweet when it comes against your fiercest rival.

Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field, Waynflete’s boys’ soccer team righted its ship at North Yarmouth Academy, thanks to a solid 80-minute effort, capitalization on one big opportunity and strong defensive play throughout.

The Flyers had some good chances in the first half and with 10:55 left, got the game’s lone goal, as senior captain Lucas Plumb converted a penalty kick.

The Panthers pushed hard for the equalizer in the second half, but couldn’t break through and Waynflete held on for a 1-0 victory.

The Flyers earned their first victory in four outings while dropping NYA to 3-1-1.

“This was a much-needed win,” said Waynflete coach Will Burdick. “We talked about being desperate for a win. We’ve always had a great rivalry. Ever since I was a kid, it’s always been a battle. To beat a team that hadn’t lost yet and battled us all day, it feels good and I’m really proud of the guys.”

A big road win

Waynflete went 8-6-2 in 2023, losing to eventual state champion Mt. Abram (3-0) in the Class C South semifinals.

NYA, meanwhile, struggled most of the year, but still managed to make the playoffs before also being ousted by Mt. Abram, 4-0, to wind up 3-12.

This year, both squads believe they can ascend to the top, but they went in different directions in the early going.

The Flyers started with a 3-2 home loss to Hall-Dale, then were beaten by Class B powers Greely (5-0) and York (6-0).

The Panthers, meanwhile, matched last year’s win total by defeating host Sacopee Valley (5-1), Freeport (2-1) and Lake Region (4-2). Thursday, in their home opener, NYA settled for a 1-1 draw versus Gray-New Gloucester.

A year ago, Waynflete won both games, 9-1 in Yarmouth and 1-0 at home.

Saturday, on a pleasant 64-degree afternoon, the Flyers eked out another one-goal victory.

But not without an 80-minute struggle.

North Yarmouth sophomore Cale Woelflein tries to get past Waynflete senior Kaiden Christie early in the Flyers’ 1-0 victory Saturday. Hoffer photos.

The Panthers earned a corner kick in the game’s first minute, but it didn’t result in a shot.

Waynflete nearly broke through in the second minute, when a shot from the side off the foot of promising freshman Owen Duda got through NYA junior goalkeeper Gavin Thomas, but a rebound bid from senior Kaiden Christie was blocked and Thomas fell on the loose ball.

In the sixth minute, Duda had another great chance to put his team in front, but his bid in the box bounced off a teammate and went wide.

The Panthers then had a couple corner kick opportunities, but both senior Theo Fahlgren and junior Harry Seely headed the ball wide.

In the 19th minute, off a Flyers’ corner kick, a serve from senior captain Duncan Isherwood was punched out by Thomas, Isherwood got to the ball and served it in again and it was headed out by a defender, then Isherwood tried again, but shot wide.

After Plumb had a long shot saved by Thomas, Waynflete got its break with 10:55 left before halftime, when a foul was called on NYA in the box, giving the Flyers a penalty kick.

Plumb did the honors, stepping confidently to the line, then beating Thomas’ dive by sending the ball into the left corner for a 1-0 advantage.

Waynflete senior captain Lucas Plumb beats NYA goalkeeper Gavin Thomas on a penalty kick for the game’s lone goal.

“I didn’t know where I would hit it, but it felt good off my foot,” Plumb said.

“Lucas wanted the next penalty and that was the plan,” said Burdick. “He stepped up and buried it. You have to have guts to bury a penalty and I’m proud of him for making it.”

Late in the half, Duda almost added the lead with a shot after a stop-and-go move, but Thomas made the save, then senior George Shattuck shot high and at the other end, in the final minute, a blast from NYA’s top scorer, junior Jacob Colaluca, was denied by Waynflete sophomore goalkeeper Lila Fremont and the rebound was cleared.

The Flyers then went out and preserved the lead, and the victory, in the second half.

Waynflete senior Tristan Choi and NYA junior Jacob Colaluca fight for possession.

The Flyers looked to extend the lead early in the half, as Duda eluded three defenders, then crossed to junior Noah Stern-Rich, who was denied by Thomas, then a free kick from Isherwood was saved as well.

With 20:35 to go, the Panthers nearly equalized, as sophomore Cael Woelflein sent a free kick into the box and Colaluca got his head on it, but Fremont made the save.

After NYA junior Jordan King was broken up by Waynflete senior back Tristan Choi, Isherwood cleared a loose ball from the box.

The Panthers earned a corner kick with two minutes left and the ball came to senior Zach Leinwand, but he sent it wide.

Isherwood then cleared the ball one more time and the Flyers were able to celebrate their 1-0 victory.

“It feels really great to get an in-conference win,” said Isherwood. “It was tough to protect the lead for 40 minutes against a really good team. They came at us hard. They put two up top at the end of the game. Tristan did a great job holding things down. Big props to him. We knew the stakes of the corner kick. We had to win that ball there.”

“It’s a breath of fresh air,” said Plumb. “This will help the team a lot. It will boost team morale. The last few games were kind of iffy, but this one, we showed we could play much better. Big props to the defense. The center-backs did a great job.”

“At practice, we’ve worked on eliminating our mistakes and if a team beats us, it’s because the other team makes the play,” added Burdick. “We did a really good job of that. They came at us and kept battling and our guys did a great job standing up and holding their own.”

Waynflete had a 7-3 edge in shots on frame and a 6-4 advantage on corner kicks.

Fremont made three key saves.

“Credit to Lila,” said Burdick. “First shutout and first win as a varsity goalie. He played awesome. I’m proud of him.”

Thomas made six saves for the Panthers, who couldn’t capitalize on their chances.

“You play on your heels, you’ll lose games,” lamented NYA coach Larry Burningham. “We’ve started off strong and our guys have to understand they’re as good as the other teams in the conference. It was just a lack of confidence. Our trend tends to be being on our heels for awhile then putting one in.

“(Waynflete) had to get a win under their belt. We didn’t have to win. They were more aggressive moving the ball. We gave them time and space to do it. We have to get smacked in the mouth every once in awhile to grow.”

Moving forward

The teams play again Oct. 22 in Portland, but both squads have plenty of work to do over the next month.

NYA hopes to bounce back Tuesday at St. Dom’s. The Panthers are home next Friday versus Traip Academy.

“This is the tightest-knit group I’ve ever coached,” Burningham said. “When we play (Waynflete) the next game, it won’t be the same.”

Waynflete looks to start a win streak Thursday at Gray-New Gloucester. The Flyers visit Sacopee Valley next Saturday.

“We have to just keep this momentum going,” said Isherwood. “We have to keep up the grit, toughness and intensity into our next games. We have some good opponents coming up.”

“Our goal is to make it to the state final and win it,” Plumb said.

“This is a good time for us to flip our switch,” Burdick added.  “We feel confident in ourselves and hopefully this will put us in the right direction. We have a much-needed break, then we have five games in seven days. We have a tough stretch coming up and it’s not easy winning games in this conference, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.