Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ lacrosse team celebrates at the end of Tuesday’s 16-6 win at Waynflete.

Brian Beard photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Cape Elizabeth 16 Waynflete 6

CE- 9 7- 16
W- 3 3- 6

First half
23:46 CE Healy (unassisted)
21:07 CE T. McGrath (unassisted)
20:02 W Burdick (Stockford)
17:27 CE Healy (unassisted)
14:26 CE. K. Chapin (free position)
11:37 CE Graham (free position)
9:51 CE C. Chapin (Healy)
8:55 W Stockford (Burdick)
7:09 W Stockford (unassisted)
4:38 CE Healy (Graham)
1:23 CE Healy (unassisted)
:14 CE K. Chapin (Graham)

Second half
24:11 CE C. Chapin (Graham)
20:46 W Baginski (Stockford)
13:27 W Olney (free position)
12:36 CE Sarka (Graham)
11:20 CE K. Chapin (Graham)
7:59 CE Graham (unassisted)
6:57 CE Graham (K. Chapin)
6:41 W Burdick (Stockford)
5:11 CE Healy (T. McGrath)
:36 CE C. Chapin (free position)

Goals:
CE- Healy 5, C. Chapin, K. Chapin, Graham 3, T. McGrath, Sarka 1
W- Burdick, Stockford 2, Baginski, Olney 1

Assists:
CE- Graham 5, K. Chapin, Healy, T. McGrath 1
W- Stockford 3, Burdick 1

Draws (Cape Elizabeth, 15-9)
CE- C. Chapin 12 of 20, K. Chapin 3 of 4
W- Baginski 8 of 21, Olney 1 of 3

Ground balls
CE- 41
W- 27

Turnovers:
CE- 10
W- 14

Shots:
CE- 29
W- 18

Shots on cage:
CE- 22
W- 15

Saves:
CE (Foley) 9
W (Akers) 6

PORTLAND—After years of trying, Cape Elizabeth’s girls’ lacrosse team has apparently, finally, solved the Waynflete Flyers.

Whether they were favorites or underdogs, playing from ahead or behind, playing in Cape Elizabeth or Portland, or meeting in the regular season or the playoffs, the Capers just couldn’t get the better of the Flyers.

Year after year after year.

But suddenly, the tide has turned and Tuesday afternoon at a drizzly Fore River Fields, Cape Elizabeth not only beat Waynflete for the third consecutive time, the Capers played their best game of the season to date and in the process, suggested that even bigger things are still to come.

It took only 74 seconds for Cape Elizabeth to take the lead for good, as senior Emily Healy scored. After Capers junior Tori McGrath and Waynflete senior Izzy Burdick traded goals, Healy scored again and sophomore Karli Chapin, senior Susie Graham and senior Chloe Chapin added goals for a quick 6-1 lead.

The Flyers tried to rally behind two goals from senior Ya Stockford, but with Chloe Chapin dominating the draw circle and junior goalie Erin Foley making a few critical saves, Cape Elizabeth was able to open up a 9-3 advantage at halftime behind two goals from Healy and another from Karli Chapin.

After Chloe Chapin scored early in the second half, Waynflete made one final attempt to rally, getting goals from seniors Laura Baginski and LZ Olney, but the Capers ended all doubt, behind goals from senior Madison Sarka, Karli Chapin, Graham and Graham again.

Burdick scored one final time for the Flyers, but Healy scored her final goal and in the final minute, Chloe Chapin scored on a free position to bring the curtain down on a decisive 16-6 Cape Elizabeth victory.

The Capers got five goals from Healy, three apiece from Chloe Chapin, Karli Chapin and Graham and improved to 5-3 on the season, dropping Waynflete to 4-2 in the process.

“We came to play today and I couldn’t be happier for my girls,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Alex Spark. “We’ve been working hard. It’s always a competitive game against Waynflete. They’re so well-coached and a respectful team to play against. We know no matter what, it’ll be hard, but we came out ready to play on both ends.”

Catching up

Waynflete has dominated Cape Elizabeth over the years, winning 27 of 28 meetings between 2003 and 2016 (see sidebar, below), but a year ago, the Capers beat the Flyers in Portland for the first time since 2002, 15-9, in the regular season, then pulled away for a 10-6 home victory in the Class B South quarterfinals, as Waynflete was eliminated in that round for the first time in program history.

Cape Elizabeth went on to lose to Kennebunk in the semifinals, but this spring, the Capers, as well as the Flyers, expect to make a run at the Class B championship.

Cape Elizabeth started with a 9-8 overtime home win over York, then fell to visiting Kennebunk, the two-time defending Class B champion, 9-3. After a 17-2 win at Fryeburg Academy and an 18-10 home victory over Messalonskee, the Capers fell at St. Dom’s (11-9) and at home to Yarmouth (9-6) before getting back in the win column Saturday against visiting Thornton Academy (13-1).

Waynflete won its first three games, 8-7 (in overtime) at York, 9-3 over visiting Cheverus and 6-5 at Scarborough. After falling at Greely, 7-5, the Flyers bounced back Saturday with a 10-5 home win over Marshwood.

For much of the day Tuesday, it was unclear whether or not the game could be played, as thunderstorms threatened, but the call was made to allow the game to get underway and Cape Elizabeth managed to beat Waynflete in successive seasons for the first time and beat the Flyers in the third consecutive meeting overall.

Chloe Chapin won the opening draw and the Capers went on top to stay when Healy scooped up a ground ball and fired a shot past Waynflete sophomore goalie Avis Akers with 23:46 to go in the first half.

After Burdick missed just wide , McGrath doubled the lead with 21:07 on the clock, scoring in similar fashion to Healy, getting a ground ball before putting it in the net.

The Flyers responded in transition with 20:02 to go, as sophomore Anna Wildes forced a turnover, got the ball to Stockford and Stockford fed Burdick for the goal.

After Foley denied Stockford on a chance to tie it, Healy got the ball and ran three-quarters of the way up the field before finishing for a 3-1 lead with 17:27 on the clock.

Stockford then hit the post and at the other end, with 14:26 remaining, Karli Chapin converted a free position for a 4-1 lead,

Waynflete coach Cathie Connors called timeout hoping to get her team to respond, but Foley didn’t allow it, twice robbing Burdick to preserve the lead.

With 11:37 to go in the half, Graham scored for the first time, on a free position, and with 9:51 left, Healy set up Chloe Chapin for a 6-1 lead.

Connors called her second and final timeout and the Flyers began to awaken.

With 8:55 to go in the half, Burdick set up Stockford for a goal and with 7:09 remaining, Stockford somehow got through four defenders before finishing unassisted to cut the deficit to 6-3.

That’s as close as Waynflete would get.

Chloe Chapin won the ensuing draw and Cape Elizabeth regained momentum on a goal from Healy (set up by Graham) with 4:38 left before halftime.

“I really trusted my teammates,” said Healy. “I knew when I had the ball, they were there to back me up. We worked hard as a unit. We don’t have one or two players who score our goals. We work together and pass the ball around and we know when to go and pull the ball back and keep possession.”

After Foley denied Stockford, Healy scored unassisted with 1:23 on the clock and after Foley stopped a free position from Olney, Graham passed to Karli Chapin for a one-timer with 14 seconds remaining and the Capers held a commanding 9-3 advantage at halftime.

In the first half, Chloe Chapin won eight of 13 draws, Cape Elizabeth had a 16-11 shots advantage and Foley came up with five clutch saves.

The Capers never let the Flyers entertain hopes of a comeback in the second half.

Just 49 seconds in, Graham set up Chloe Chapin to make it 10-3.

Baginski answered for Waynflete with 20:46 to go, finishing a pass from Stockford, and after Foley robbed both Baginski and Olney, Olney managed to score on a free position with 13:27 on the clock, cutting the deficit to five.

Cape Elizabeth then pulled away.

First, Graham set up Sarka for a goal with 12:36 left.

With 11:20 to go, Karli Chapin finished a Graham feed to make it 12-5.

With 7:59 on the clock, Graham scored unassisted and 62 seconds later, Graham took a pass from Karli Chapin and finished to stretch the lead to nine.

The Flyers’ final goal came with 6:41 remaining, as Stockford set up Burdick, but with 5:11 to go, McGrath fed Healy for her final score and with just 36 seconds left, Chloe Chapin’s free position accounted for the 16-6 final score.

“We played really well today and we knew Waynflete is an incredible team,” Healy said. “All the girls really stepped up. We wanted it badly.”

“We have really good team chemistry this year,” Chloe Chapin said. “We all work as a unit, from the defense to midfield to attack. That really showed on the field today.”

“The girls had great energy and had fun,” Spark added. “It was a great day for us.”

Healy led a strong and balanced Capers’ attack with five goals and an assist. Chloe Chapin, Karli Chapin and Graham finished with three goals apiece. McGrath and Sarka each tickled the twine once.

Graham’s pinpoint passing allowed her to assist on five goals. Karli Chapin and McGrath also had assists.

“We had a lot of assisted goals today,” Spark said. “Our motto on offense is to work hard for everyone else. We did that today. We had great shots, great goals.”

Foley finished with nine saves.

“Erin really saw the ball today,” Spark said. “She came up with big saves. (Waynflete) got open in the middle. Their cutters are quick and athletic, but Erin saw the ball and got stops.”

Cape Elizabeth finished with a 15-9 advantage in draws, with Chloe Chapin winning 12 of 20 opportunities.

“I pulled the ball behind and trusted that the other two people on the circle (Karli Chapin and junior Brooke Harvey) could get it,” Chloe Chapin said. “We’ve done that a lot this year. It’s nice to have control, especially in games like this.”

“Chloe is our main draw taker and she’s great at placing the ball,” Spark said. “Brooke and Karli on the circle have hunger for the ball and we came up with it today.”

The Capers collected 41 ground balls to the Flyers’ 27 (Karli Chapin had a game-high 12, while Harvey collected seven), had a 29-18 shots advantage (22-15 on cage) and only turned the ball over 10 times.

Waynflete’s offense featured two goals apiece from Burdick and Stockford and one each from Baginski and Olney. Stockford had three assists and Burdick one.

Akers made six saves.

Olney had a team-high five ground balls, while Stockford, sophomore Clara Sandberg and sophomore Anna Wildes all collected four.

The Flyers committed 14 turnovers.

“It just wasn’t our game today and that happens,” Connors said. “They won draws and they beat us to the ball. They wanted it. They were way more aggressive than we were. It was similar to how we played against Greely, one step behind. We’ll fix it and move forward. I’m proud of the girls for not giving up.”

‘A’ games on the road

Both squads will be tested in the days to come against teams from Class A.

Waynflete (now fifth in Class B South) hosts Wells in a makeup game Thursday, then goes to Falmouth Saturday. After Lake Region visits Monday, the Flyers are at St. Dom’s and Freeport, then close at home against Yarmouth.

“In games like this, you hope to take a lot from it,” Connors said. “Hopefully, when we have a healthier team, we’ll be a little quicker. We have big games coming up. We have stuff we need to work on.”

Cape Elizabeth (which moved up to first in Class B South by virtue of the victory) has the daunting task of playing at defending Class A champion Massabesic Friday. Home games against North Yarmouth Academy and Lake Region and a trip to Greely close the regular season.

“I think we have a great opportunity,” Chloe Chapin said. “We all really want it. We’re working hard.”

“Sometimes we throw the ball away when we force it in a zone, but we’ll keep working all the way into June and see where that takes us,” Healy said. “Our team chemistry is a big deal for us.”

“We’re definitely progressing,” Spark added. “We still have a lot of time left. I’m excited where we’re at. We’re not done. We have a great opportunity. Right now, Massasbesic is our focus. They’re a good test. There’s always stuff we can do better and that’s what practice is for.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Cape Elizabeth sophomore Karli Chapin shoots past Waynflete sophomore goalie Avis Akers.

Cape Elizabeth junior goalie Erin Foley robs Waynflete senior Laura Baginski.

Cape Elizabeth senior Madison Sarka shoots as Waynflete junior Sophie Sangster defends.

Cape Elizabeth senior Emily Healy gets a step on Waynflete sophomore Anna Wildes.

Waynflete senior Ya Stockford races through the Cape Elizabeth defense.

Waynflete senior LZ Olney is defended by Cape Elizabeth junior Brooke Harvey.

Cape Elizabeth senior Susie Graham is defended by Waynflete freshman Kilee Sherry.

Recent Waynflete-Cape Elizabeth history

2017
Cape Elizabeth 15 @ Waynflete 9
Class B South quarterfinal
@ Cape Elizabeth 10 Waynflete 6

2016
Waynflete 8 @ Cape Elizabeth 7 (OT)

2015
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 4
Western B quarterfinal
@ Waynflete 6 Cape Elizabeth 4

2014
@ Waynflete 6 Cape Elizabeth 5
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 5
Western B semifinals
Cape Elizabeth 9 @ Waynflete 8

2013
Waynflete 10 @ Cape Elizabeth 8
@ Waynflete 8 Cape Elizabeth 4
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 16 Cape Elizabeth 9

2012
Western B Final
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 10 (3 OT)

2011
Waynflete 13 @ Cape Elizabeth 6
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 8 Cape Elizabeth 7

2010
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 7

2009
Waynflete 11 @ Cape Elizabeth 2
Western B Final
@ Waynflete 9 Cape Elizabeth 5

2008
@ Waynflete 15 Cape Elizabeth 5
Waynflete 16 @ Cape Elizabeth 1
Western B semifinals
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 1

2007
Waynflete 18 @ Cape Elizabeth 7
@ Waynflete 15 Cape Elizabeth 7
Western B quarterfinals
@ Waynflete 13 Cape Elizabeth 3

2006
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 6
Waynflete 7 @ Cape Elizabeth 1

2005
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 6
@ Waynflete 11 Cape Elizabeth 5

2004
Waynflete 9 @ Cape Elizabeth 8 (OT)

2003
Waynflete 8 @ Cape Elizabeth 6
West Region semifinals
@ Waynflete 16 Cape Elizabeth 7

2002
Cape Elizabeth 10 @ Waynflete 9