There will be no field hockey state champion from Freeport or Yarmouth this fall.

Not that the Falcons and Clippers didn’t come oh-so-close.

Last Wednesday, Yarmouth ended Freeport’s quest for a second consecutive title and three days later, the Clippers hoped to break through for the first time in three decades, only to be left broken-hearted by Belfast.

Here’s one last look at the end of a memorable field hockey campaign:

Revenge

Yarmouth’s Maya Nasveschuck sends the ball into the cage for the lone goal of last week’s 1-0 win over Freeport in the Class B South Final.  Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald.

Freeport edged Yarmouth, 2-1, in double-overtime in the 2023 Class B South Final en route to the program’s first state championship.

The Falcons then beat the Clippers, 2-1, in this year’s season opener and neither squad lost again.

Freeport, ranked first in Class B South, advanced to the regional final by ousting No. 8 Lake Region (10-0) and fourth-ranked York (2-1), while Yarmouth enjoyed wins over No. 7 Poland (6-1) in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Gray-New Gloucester/North Yarmouth Academy (4-0) in the semifinals.

The rivals then squared off in the Class B South Final last Wednesday at Falmouth High School.

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 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 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.”

Yarmouth’s defense did the rest and the Clippers held on for a 1-0 victory, winning their first regional title since 1995 in the process.

“From our offense to our defense, we wanted it so badly and beating Freeport makes it so much sweeter,” junior captain Celia 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.”

“It means the world to us,” senior captain Zoe 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.”

“I’m so proud of them,” Yarmouth coach Bre Page 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.”

The loss 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.

“It was a very frustrating night,” Falcons coach Marcia 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. This doesn’t define our season. The sting will go away after a few days. We’ll hopefully be fighting next year for it. We won’t have to motivate anyone.”

Not this year

Yarmouth’s Celia Zinman races past a Belfast defender during Saturday’s state game setback. Andree Kehn / Sun Journal

Saturday in Auburn, Yarmouth looked to complete the job and win just the second championship in program history and the first since 1995, but despite a valiant effort, the Clippers dropped an agonizing decision to Belfast.

Erica O’Connor gave Yarmouth the lead with a second quarter goal, assisted by Sally McGrath and Nasveschuk, but the Lions drew even in the third period.

Neither team could score in the fourth quarter or in a pair of eight-minute, “sudden victory” overtimes, forcing the game, and the championship, to be decided on penalty corners.

After the Clippers failed to convert, Belfast got the decisive goal and won, 2-1, ending Yarmouth’s excellent season at 16-2.

“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be difficult and when it got to overtime 7-vs.-7, we’ve practiced it every single day that we’ve been in the playoffs,” senior back and captain Harper Featherstone said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it done, but we really tried to pull through. It’s unfortunate, but we love each other so much, and we’re really happy that we could prove everyone wrong that Yarmouth could get here, and we could compete.”

“Yes, it was another great season,” said Page. “Getting the furthest we have been for the first time in almost three decades is something to be insanely proud of. While we did not get the results we were hoping for, the girls left it all out of the field. We played a very fast Belfast team and we played our game, but in the end lost in penalty corners. I could not be more proud of this team and excited about the future. We will lose our defense again this year but we will rebuild this summer and come back again. We know this won’t be our only showing in states and hope to keep our program going in the direction it has been.

“I would have never expected to go this far with this program when I first took the job last season, I came into a program that lost in quarterfinals in 2022 and my first year, we lost in regionals, second year we won regionals and played a fantastic state championship game. These girls have given this program everything they have and continue to get more and more buy-in from incoming players or those joining.

“While we graduate our defensive line and defensive midfielder, we do not lose any of our forwards and midfielders and know we will be back in the mix of the top of Class B again next year.”

Press Herald staff writer Drew Bonifant contributed to this story.

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