(Ed. Note: For full Falmouth-Yarmouth boys’ soccer, Falmouth-Greely field hockey and NYA-Waynflete girls’ soccer game stories, please see our Web site at www.theforecaster.net).

While our football teams were engaging in dramatic contests, showdowns between local powerhouses in other sports were plentiful in recent days and Forecaster Country fans were the ultimate winners. Here’s a glimpse at what you might have missed:

Boys’ soccer

Falmouth-Yarmouth boys’ soccer games are always can’t-miss affairs and the latest installment between the rivals produced another series of thrills last Thursday night.

The Clippers are the defending Class B champion (beating Falmouth along the way in the regional final), but entering the contest, they hadn’t beaten the Yachtsmen in Yarmouth since 1999 and had never downed Falmouth on their turf field.

When the Clippers took an early lead on junior Luke Pierce’s goal (from senior Ebrahim Fazeli on a pretty set piece), it looked like that drought might finally be a thing of the past. However, the Yachtsmen came out with a ton of pressure in the second half and after senior standout Gabe Hoffman-Johnson was twice denied point blank by Yarmouth senior goalkeeper A.J. Oliver (including once on a penalty kick), the visitors tied the game on senior Ford Bohrman’s goal out of a scrum. Falmouth had plenty of chances to win it in regulation and in overtime, but ultimately the contest ended in a 1-1 draw.

“These are the best games to play in,” Bohrman said. “They’re the most fun and the most competitive. We look forward to Yarmouth every year.”

“It was a good game,” longtime Falmouth coach Dave Halligan said. “The next one will be a good one too. These games are always hard fought. Each team respects the other. We came out and got down. We
battled back. We had a lot of chances, but it was 1-1.”

“These are fun games,” said Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty. “It’s good soccer. I was really pleased with the first half. I thought we came out really strong. I thought we earned that goal and I thought they earned theirs. I look at it clearly as a game of two halves. It’s going to be a great second match and hopefully a great Western Maine Final. Both teams aren’t as good as they’re going to be. It’ll be fun to see the progression before we play again.”

The rematch is Oct. 8 in Falmouth.

The Yachtsmen (4-0-1 and third in the Western Class B Heal Points standings) returned to action Tuesday at Wells. Saturday, Falmouth goes to York.

Yarmouth (4-0-1 and sixth in the Heals) went to Fryeburg Tuesday and visits Greely Saturday.

Speaking of the Rangers, they improved to 4-1 last Thursday after a 6-1 home win over Lake Region. Greely (seventh in the Western A Heals) was at Poland Tuesday, welcomes Fryeburg Thursday, then gets a visit from Yarmouth Saturday.

Freeport is still seeking its first win. The Falcons fell to 0-4-1 last Thursday after a 1-0 loss at Waynflete. Freeport (11th in Western B) hosted Sacopee Tuesday, visits Poland Thursday and goes to Lake Region Monday.

In Western C, North Yarmouth Academy is on a roll under new coach Martyn Keen. Last Thursday, the Panthers made it four straight with a 6-1 home victory over Wells to improve to 4-2. NYA (seventh in the Heals) hosted rival Waynflete, the defending Western C champion, Tuesday. Thursday, the Panthers go to Lake Region. Monday, they visit Sacopee.

Girls’ soccer

Falmouth and Yarmouth’s girls’ teams also squared off last Thursday night in Yarmouth, and like the boys, played into overtime. Clippers senior Lizzie Fischman put the hosts up in the second half with a rebound goal, but the Yachtsmen answered when senior Katie Vogt answered moments later. Vogt then brought the curtain down in overtime, stealing the ball and racing in for a shot that found the net for a 2-1 win.

“We’ve been in three overtime matches and we created opportunities,” said first-year Falmouth coach Jon Shardlow. “We capitalized on one this match. Hopefully we’ll build on this momentum. There’s so much parity this year in the Western Maine Conference. I think it’s going to be a dogfight all season. Just because we got a result tonight doesn’t mean we’ll get a result tomorrow. I’m really proud of some of the girls that have earned a few more minutes on the field and were really productive tonight. It was a collective effort.”

“We lost to Falmouth in overtime again, but it was an encouraging effort,” said Yarmouth coach Rich Smith. “We played them very well and I know how good they are. This says good things about us. We have a tough week of practice, then we get into the tough part of our schedule.”

The Clippers (10th in the Western B Heals) were home against Fryeburg Tuesday, then are idle until Monday when they host Greely.

The Yachtsmen (second in the Heals) hosted Wells Tuesday and welcome York Saturday night.

Elsewhere, Greely is playing as well as anyone. The Rangers enjoyed a 7-2 victory at Lake Region Friday to improve to 4-0-1. In that one, sophomore Audrey Parolin scored three times and senior Kylie Ross added two goals. Greely (third in the Western A Heals) hosted Poland Tuesday, go to Fryeburg Thursday and visit Yarmouth Monday.

Freeport got its first victory last Tuesday with a 1-0 win at Traip. Freshman Naomi Otis scored the goal. The Falcons then fell to 1-5 Thursday with a 4-1 home loss to defending Class C state champion Waynflete. Freeport (14th in Western B) went to Sacopee Tuesday, hosts Poland Thursday and welcomes Lake Region Monday.

In Western C, NYA improved to 4-0-1 Thursday with a 3-1 victory at Wells (junior Lilly Wellenbach scored twice). The Panthers (fourth in the Heals) had a showdown at Waynflete Tuesday, host Lake Region Thursday and welcome Sacopee Monday.

Field hockey

NYA’s defending Class C field hockey team continues to crush everyone it encounters.

Last week, the Panthers rolled 6-1 over visiting Waynflete (behind three goals from sophomore Kylie Dalbec) and 2-0 at Old Orchard Beach (senior Katie Paige and sophomore Katherine Millett scored). Monday, they dominated visiting Gray-New Gloucester 7-0 (senior Lianna Hachborn found the cage five times) to improve to 6-0 and stretch their two-year win streak to 19. NYA (second in the Western C Heal Points standings) was home against Traip Wednesday, visits Poland Friday and plays host to Freeport Tuesday.

Speaking of the Falcons, they’re red-hot in their second year under coach Sara Dimick. Freeport opened with a 5-0 home loss to NYA, but has won five straight since. Last Tuesday, the Falcons enjoyed a 3-2 home victory over Old Orchard Beach (on freshman Josephine Moore’s game-winner). Thursday, they eked out a 1-0 decision at Sacopee (sophomore Jenny Breau had the game’s lone goal). Friday, Freeport beat host Waynflete 2-1 (sophomore Katie Turner’s two goals were the difference). Monday, the Falcons were 4-0 victors at home over Traip to improve to 5-1 (good for fourth in the Western C Heals). Freeport was at Poland Wednesday, hosts Waynflete Friday and goes to NYA Tuesday.

In Class B, both Falmouth and Greely entered Monday’s game in a slump, but the Yachtsmen got back on track. Falmouth, which dropped 2-0 decisions to visiting York and host Wells last week, got first half goals from seniors Jacki Aaskov and Amber Aaskov. Then, after the Rangers got back within 2-1 on senior Kate Storey’s goal early in the second half, Falmouth broke it open on two goals in the span of 2:09 from junior Stephanie Gramse and punctuated its 5-1 win on another Amber Aaskov goal.

“We started out strong and Greely got in a rhythm,” said Falmouth coach Robin Haley. “We got a little nervous. Greely’s one of those teams that can come on and go right at you and score two or three quick goals. It just bounced our way. It felt good to score some goals today. Hopefully we can maintain that level. Greely always brings out the best in us. It’s a great, friendly rivalry. It’s a game we always look forward to.”

Falmouth (4-2 and sixth in the Western B Heals) hosted Cape Elizabeth Wednesday and welcomes Yarmouth Friday. Tuesday, the Yachtsmen go to Lake Region.

Greely (fourth in Western B) fell to 3-3 with its third loss in four games (the Rangers also were defeated 5-1 at home to Wells Friday).

“I’m not upset about the loss,” said Greely coach Kristina Lane Prescott. “The girls played well. We could have executed better. The final score was misleading. I’m not discouraged. It’s been a rough week. We’re about to have our fourth straight game without a practice, which is killing us. Falmouth’s always a strong team. I’d rather lose to a really strong team.”

The Rangers were home with Yarmouth Tuesday and host Lake Region Friday. Tuesday, they’re at Fryeburg.

Yarmouth
is looking for its first victory. Last week, the Clippers lost 3-1 at home to Fryeburg and 7-0 at defending Class B champion York. Monday, Yarmouth gave top contender Wells a scare, but lost 3-0 at home despite another superb game from senior goalie Samantha Hall. The Clippers (0-6 and 15th in the region) were at Greely Tuesday, pay a visit to Falmouth Friday and host Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

Cross country

All five local cross country teams competed at Gray-New Gloucester last weekend. In the boys’ race, Greely held off Falmouth for the top spot. Yarmouth came in third, Freeport was fourth and NYA placed fifth. Greely senior Logan Price was the top individual, finishing with a time of 16 minutes, 59 seconds.

In the girls’ race, Falmouth was first easily. Greely came in second, Freeport was third, Yarmouth finished fourth and NYA placed fifth. Falmouth junior Maggie Parrish edged Freeport senior Kiera Berkemeyer by a second for the top individual spot.

This weekend, Falmouth hosts Cheverus, Deering and Scarborough in a rare Western Maine Conference/Southern Maine Activities Association crossover meet. Freeport and Greely head to New Hampshire for the Manchester Invitational. NYA and Yarmouth are at South Portland.

Golf

On the links, NYA and Greely continue to lead the way. The Panthers improved to 7-0 Monday with a 4.5-2.5 victory over Old Orchard Beach. They face a stern test Friday at Cape Elizabeth. The Rangers are 6-0 after handily defeating rivals and top contenders Cape Elizabeth (6-1) and Falmouth (5.5-1.5) last week. Yarmouth improved to 3-2 with a 5.5-1.5 win over Falmouth and a 4-3 victory over York. Defending Class B champion Falmouth evened its record at 3-3 Monday with a 4.5-2.5 win over rival Cape Elizabeth. Freeport lost 7-0 to NYA last Wednesday, but bounced back Monday and improved to 2-4 with a 6-1 home win over Wells.

Volleyball

The Greely volleyball team still reigns supreme, but there’s growing reason to believe the Rangers could soon be usurped by Falmouth. The schools met in a non-countable match at last weekend’s Maine Games and while both were missing key players, they still produced an epic contest with the Yachtsmen winning in five games.

In matches that do count, Falmouth continues to excel. Last Tuesday, the Yachtsmen avenged their playoff loss from last fall, beating visiting Biddeford in three games (25-23, 25-16, 25-7). Monday night, at home, Falmouth cruised to 25-13 and 25-10 victories over Yarmouth, but then found themselves down 10-21 in the third game. Undaunted, the Yachtsmen rallied, thrice winning thrilling, lengthy points, catching the Clippers at 24-24, then winning it 26-24 on a kill from senior Carolyn Smith.

“I’m really
pleased with what’s going on so far,” said Falmouth coach Gary Powers. “We’re taking it one match at a
time. This is what we’ve been
working for. I owe it a lot to the kids. They love the game and they
work hard every day. They know what they’re doing. It makes it easier
to coach. We hope to keep it rolling.”

The Yachtsmen (6-0 and first in the Class A Heal Points standings) were at NYA Wednesday and go to Biddeford Saturday. The first of two Greely showdowns comes Oct. 5 in Falmouth.

Despite the tough loss, Yarmouth is 4-2 on the year and fourth in Class A.

“Falmouth has a great team,” said Clippers coach Jim Senecal. “They have so many good athletes. We couldn’t find any space. I was happy with our effort.”

The Clippers hosted Kennebunk Tuesday, go to Cape Elizabeth Friday and pay a visit to Greely Tuesday of next week.

Greely took a 5-0 mark and the No. 3 ranking in Class A into a showdown at Scarborough Tuesday night. The Rangers beat Cony in three games last Friday. Greely is home with Biddeford Thursday and hosts Yarmouth Tuesday.

In Class B, North Yarmouth Academy almost got its first win Monday, but instead fell to 0-5 after a hard-fought four-game loss to visiting Cape Elizabeth (28-30, 25-22, 18-25, 20-25). The Panthers (10th in the standings) were home with Falmouth Wednesday, go to Gorham Friday and Cony Saturday, then visit Kennebunk Tuesday.

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

 

 

Freeport’s Kiera Berkemeyer (right), along with Falmouth’s Maggie Parrish (left) did battle last Friday, with Yarmouth’s Chloe Sarapas close behind. Parrish edged Berkemeyer by a second to win the girls’ race as Falmouth came in first as a team.
Freeport’s Kiera Berkemeyer (right) and Falmouth’s Maggie Parrish, with Yarmouth’s Chloe Sarapas close behind, did battle during Friday’s meet at Gray-New Gloucester. The Yachtsmen came in first individually.

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Yarmouth senior Ebrahim Fazeli battled Falmouth senior Nick Bachman (left) and junior Drew Segerstrom for possession during the teams’ exciting 1-1 draw Thursday night.

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