Then came one goal for Freeport. Then another, and another. A fourgoal rally ensued, and the Falcons outscored the Clippers 2-1 in overtime for an improbable 12-11 victory, sending Freeport to a state championship game for the first time since the 1991 season when the Falcons went all the way to the MAISAD title contest.
Freeport will face Western B champ Waynflete (13-1 after an 11-10 overtime victory over Cape Elizabeth) at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for the Class B state title. Yarmouth finished 7-7.
“This is everything I ever wanted during my high school career,” said senior midfielder Jess Hench after winning 20 of 26 draw controls as Freeport dominated possession throughout the game. “To pull out a win like this after being down is unbelievable. We stuck together and never gave up.”
“This is certainly a big deal for this program, having never gone to the MPA (Maine Principals’ Association) state finals,” said Freeport coach Karin Kurry. “The crowd here today was awesome. I have never seen so many people at a game of ours. It comes down to our senior leadership and the players who have worked so hard this season.”
Kurry feels her team’s close battle with Waynflete early in the season (a 13-10 loss on May 18) bodes well for her team heading into Saturday’s game.
“We played them tough. The key will be to do what we did today, possess the ball and go hard for every groundball,” said Kurry.
Good start
After Yarmouth jumped on top 2:37 into the game on a Grace O’Donnell goal, Freeport ran off three straight tallies over a five-minute span. Alex Mitch converted a pass from Hench to tie the game, and goals from Meredith Broderick and Hench gave the Falcons a 3-1 lead with 10:49 remaining in the opening frame.
Yarmouth battled back, going on a quick 3-0 spurt of its own as Claudia Lockwood, O’Donnell and Mo McNaboe scored one goal each. Freeport tied it on a Mitch score, but Olivia Conrad and McNaboe tallied 19 seconds apart to give the Clippers a 6-4 halftime lead.
“Coach really makes it simple, harping that if we have the ball, they don’t, and Yarmouth was getting the groundballs and beating us on transition,” said Hench.
O’Donnell’s third goal early in the second half upped Yarmouth’s lead to 7-4. Hench beat Clippers netminder Jordan Brown (nine saves) to get the Falcons within two, but Julia Primeau and Jeanna Lowery kept the Clippers going, upping the visitors’ lead to 9-5 with 15:47 left.
Freeport controlled possession over the next eight minutes, but missed opportunities and turnovers kept the clock moving.
Hench completed her hat trick with 6:01 remaining to get the Falcons within three goals, and Jocelyn Davee followed with two markers 1:22 apart to bring Freeport to within a goal, 9-8.
“We knew we were at the point that we had to go for it and leave everything on the field,” said Davee, who watched teammate Bethanie Knighton convert a free-position opportunity with 2:13 remaining in regulation to tie the contest.
“The midfielders really stepped up, and I thought once we got on the run late the team began to believe in themselves and relaxed,” said Kurry.
Yarmouth quieted the home crowd momentarily when Ricki Pierce slipped a free-position shot past Freeport goaltender Molly Lane with 1:09 remaining, but Freeport was undaunted, getting the tying goal from Knighton from a free position with 49.6 remaining.
The first three-minute overtime was a back-and-forth battle. Hench took a pass from Davee and scored with 1:24 left, but Lowery answered for Yarmouth to tie the game one last time. Davee scored off a free position to put the Falcons ahead, 12-11 with less than a second remaining.
The second overtime featured Freeport attempting to stall, with Yarmouth’s Conrad knocking the ball away and Lowery picking up the groundball. But, Emily Johnson’s steal and clear allowed the Falcons to run off the remaining time.
“Our goal was making the playoffs, but now we have a chance for so much more,” said Davee, who finished with three goals and an assist.
Lane finished with 10 saves. Defensively, Megan Peacock, Kayla Thurlow and Katie Turner had several steals and deflections each for Freeport, while Hench led in groundballs with seven. Knighton and Davee each picked up six groundballs.
No. 1 Freeport 12, No. 2 Yarmouth 11, OT
Eastern Maine Class B Championship
At Freeport High School
Yarmouth—6410—11
Freeport— 4620—12
Goals — (Y) Grace O’Donnell 3, Claudia Lockwood,
Jeanna Lowery 2, Mo McNaboe 2, Olivia Conrad,
Julia Primeau, Ricki Pierce; (F) Alex Mitch 3, Jess
Hench 3, Meredith Roderick, Jocelyn Davee 3,
Bethanie Knighton 2.
Assists — (Y) Julia Primeau, Olivia Conrad 3, Jeanna
Lowery, Grace O’Donnell; (F) Jocelyn Davee, Emily
Johnson, Jess Hench 2, Alex Mitch.
Shots — Freeport, 27-22.
Saves — (Y) Jordan Brown 9; (F) Molly Lane 10.
Draw controls — Freeport, 20-6.
Records — Freeport 8-6, Yarmouth 7-7.
Next for the Falcons — Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland against Western B champ Waynflete
in the Class B State Championship, 10 a.m.
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