FALMOUTH—It’s safe to say that Yarmouth’s field hockey team has been Falcon hunting for a year now.

And Wednesday evening at Falmouth High School, the Clippers finally got their prey.

In a Class B South Final that was everything it was cracked up to be, second-ranked Yarmouth’s defense put the clamps on top-ranked, defending state champion Freeport’s potent offense and produced the game’s lone goal to achieve a regional championship nearly three decades in the making.

Neither team could score in the first half, as the Falcons were able to move the ball into the circle but not manage any shots, while at the other end, Freeport junior goalie Maddie Kryzak held the Clippers in check.

Then, with 8:31 to go in the third period, Yarmouth freshman Maya Nasveschuk continued her superb first season by scoring out of a scrum on a penalty corner and the Clippers had the lead.

The Falcons tried frantically to answer, but could never generate the tying tally and Yarmouth prevailed, 1-0, earning a little revenge from last year’s agonizing double-overtime setback to Freeport in this same round.

Yarmouth improved to 16-1, reached the state final for the first time this century where it will battle Belfast (16-1) Saturday at a time to be announced in Auburn, and in the process, it ended Freeport’s two-year regional title reign, its one-year championship reign, its 24-game win streak and its excellent season at 16-1.

“We’ve talked about this from day one,” said Clippers’ second-year coach and former player Bre Morrill. “We wanted to get back here and change the outcome. We’re so proud of this whole team. Everyone matters and connects on the field and that’s what made the difference today.”

Collision course

It was clear from day one this fall that Freeport and Yarmouth were the class of Class B South.

The teams met in the opener Sept. 5 in Yarmouth, where the Falcons rallied for a 2-1 victory. Freeport went on to the first perfect regular season in program history (see sidebar for links to previous stories), outscoring the opposition, 60-3.

The Falcons dominated No. 8 Lake Region (10-0) in the quarterfinals, then had to scratch and claw Saturday in the semifinals to survive No. 4 York (2-1) and advance.

The Clippers bounced back from their loss in the opener by winning their final 13 regular season games, scoring 63 games and conceding just six.

Yarmouth ousted No. 7 Poland (6-1) in the quarterfinals, then blanked No. 3 Gray-New Gloucester/North Yarmouth Academy (4-0) in the semifinal round.

Entering play, the teams had battled seven previous times in the postseason with the Clippers winning on six occasions. In the most recent meeting, last year’s epic regional final, Freeport won in double-overtime, 2-1, on a goal from then-junior Sophie Bradford.

Yarmouth has been biding its time ever since.

“I think we were sad, but we knew we had another season,” said junior captain Celia Zinman. “We lost a lot, but everyone has stepped up on the field.”

Wednesday, on an unseasonably warm evening (68 degrees at the start), in front of a raucous crowd, the Clippers put forth a tremendous effort at both ends to earn their biggest win since the original Toy Story movie was a box office hit.

Freeport came out hoping to get the quick jump, earning a penalty corner in the game’s third minute, but it didn’t result in a shot.

That established the early theme, as the Falcons had the majority of possession, but had nothing to show for it.

After senior captain Zoe Sammon and senior Harper Featherstone broke up Freeport scoring chances, clearing the ball from the circle, Yarmouth had its first offensive chance, but a shot from Nasveschuk was saved by Kryzak, then Nasveschuk attempted a back-hander, but Kryzak saved that as well.

Early in the second period, Freeport had another penalty corner, but couldn’t register a shot, junior Reed Proscia missed just wide and two more corner opportunities didn’t lead to a goal.

After a Yarmouth corner was cleared, the Falcons nearly scored in the final minute of the half, but junior standout Emily Groves was robbed by Clippers junior goalie Emma Shannon on the doorstep, keeping the contest scoreless at the break.

Freeport had some looks early in the third quarter as well, but a shot from junior Liza Flower hit the side of the cage, then Nasveschuk cleared a Falcons’ corner.

As time ticked under nine minutes, Yarmouth got into the circle and earned a corner and with 8:31 on the clock, the Clippers broke through.

The goal was set up off a shot from junior Sally McGrath, which resulted in a scrum and in the ensuing mass of humanity, Nasveschuk got to the ball by the left post and sent it in for a 1-0 lead.

“The ball just came to me, I saw it near the post, I just went hard and pushed it in,” said Nasveschuk. “I see my role as shooting, passing, scoring. My teammates pump me up. They’re very inclusive. I wanted to play for our seniors and play with heart for everyone.”

“I told the girls at halftime, whoever scores will win it and it had to be us,” Morrill said. “We’re so glad Maya got that flick at the end. I know she was at a lot of games last year. It’s crazy that her Mom (Angela) was my assistant coach and now, I won a regional championship with her daughter. It’s a full circle moment.”

Yarmouth nearly doubled its lead seconds later, but junior Madison Wiles was robbed point blank by Kryzak.

Freeport coach Marcia Wood called timeout, trying to inspire her charges, but the Falcons couldn’t generate a shot the rest of the period.

For most of the fourth quarter, it appeared the Clippers were the team trailing, as they pressured the Freeport goal.

Kryzak had to save a shot from Zinman, while Wiles and sophomore Erica O’Connor missed just wide.

After Sammon broke up a rush from Flower, the Falcons nearly tied the score with exactly 3 minutes left, as Bradford, last year’s hero, had a great look in front, but Shannon made her biggest save.

“I’d say Emma is a top five goalie in the state,” said Sammon.

With 2:01 to go, Groves’ backhander deflected just wide.

With 1:10 left, the Falcons earned a corner, then another with 40 seconds remaining, but a Groves shot was cleared by Sammon.

Clears from Zinman and Nasveschuk wound the clock down and at 8:40 p.m., the final horn sounded and the Clippers rushed the field to celebrate their historic 1-0 victory.

“It means the world to us,” Sammon said. “It means a lot for me to be a part of this team. The team has worked so hard. We’ve built each other up as a family. To win this, it shows all the hard work and dedication everyone put in every single day was worth it. I think we just really clicked with our communication and when somebody stepped up, someone else fell back. We kept our structure very nicely. I have to give a shout-out to (senior) Brooke (Abbott), who shut out one of their best players.”

“From our offense to our defense, we wanted it so badly and beating Freeport makes it so much sweeter,” Zinman said. “We knew coming into this that it would be a close game. It was just about intensity. We just talked about every single 50-50 ball. We matched their intensity. I believed in us coming in. The end was super-exciting.”

“I’m so proud of them,” Morrill added. “We were ready. We knew how they played. We didn’t want to change too much about our game, but we wanted to focus on making sure we marked them up like we knew we could. Hands down, I have to give it to the defense and midfield. We knew we had to man-mark some girls. We knew we had speed and the connection and we used that today. It got scary when they got those back-to-back corners, but I have trust in our defense.”

Yarmouth finished with a 6-2 edge in shots on frame and got two saves from Shannon.

Stunning end

Freeport, which last lost a game Oct. 2, 2023, had a 7-2 advantage in corners and moved the ball beautifully, but just couldn’t finish, as its season came to a sudden end.

“It was a very frustrating night,” Wood said. “(Yarmouth) stepped to the ball really well. They just beat us to the ball. I thought (the close game against York) was going to help us, but unfortunately we made the same mistakes. We didn’t adjust. A championship team has to make adjustments. We knew it would be loud. We needed to keep our heads and we did a bit, but not the whole time.”

The Falcons had a tremendous season by any measure and that will soon come into clearer focus.

“This doesn’t define our season,” Wood said. “The sting will go away after a few days.”

Freeport graduates captains Bradford, Sydney Gelhar and Anna Maschino, but returns everyone else and it’s fair to say the 2025 Falcons will be both talented and hungry.

We’ll hopefully be fighting next year for it,” Wood said. “We won’t have to motivate anyone.”

Sixty minutes to glory

Yarmouth’s last appearance in a state final came during the first Clinton Administration. The Clippers are 1-2 all-time on the big stage with their lone title coming in 1995. Yarmouth didn’t meet Belfast this season and the teams have no playoff history.

The Clippers aren’t content with just knocking their rival off their perch.

They want to bring home the big prize.

“We need to come in with a good mindset and start hard and get the first goal,” Nasveschuk said. “I’m going to be nervous and excited.”

“I wasn’t sure we’d make it this far, but this team is put together,” Sammon said. “I think we mesh really well together.”

“We want one more,” Zinman said. “We just have to keep playing hard. We’ve prepared for this game for awhile now and now, it’s time for the next one. We practice like we play. That’s helped us a lot.”

“That’s my homework tonight, watching game film on (Belfast) so we’re prepared for practice tomorrow,” added Morrill. “It’s crazy just being here. I was joking with the girls that I wasn’t even born yet in 1995. It feels so much better winning this as the coach than I would have felt winning it (playing) on this team.”

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