(Ed. Note: For the complete Greely-Yarmouth and Greely-Falmouth boys’ soccer, Greely-Yarmouth and Greely-Falmouth girls’ soccer, Yarmouth-NYA field hockey and Falmouth-Scarborough volleyball game stories, with photos, see theforecaster.net)

The first fall week of the fall sports season reminded us that there are several strong teams in our midst and that the triumph figures to continue.

Here’s a glimpse:

Boys’ soccer

Greely’s defending Class B state champion boys’ soccer team has picked up where it left off, navigating without a loss a tough stretch which took the Rangers to Yarmouth and Falmouth.

In a rematch of last year’s memorable Western B Final, Greely went to Yarmouth last Tuesday night and got a second half goal as Ben Ingraham set up Jacob Nason to prevail, 1-0.

“I got it on transition and I saw it was two-on-one, so I just waited for the defender to commit and I played it to Nason in space,” said Ingraham. “I knew he’d finish.”

“I just waited for my turn and hoped to capitalize,” said Nason. “Ben played a brilliant ball and I just one-touched it.”

“I thought (the Clippers) were the better squad in terms of overall possession play,” added Greely coach Mike Andreasen. “It came down to one play. Tonight was just round one.”

Saturday, the Rangers went to Falmouth and settled for a scoreless tie.

“Coming into the week, we had a lot of question marks,” Andreasen said. “In the preseason, we gave up 11 goals and scored one. Coming into this week, we wanted a positive result. We’ll take a win and a tie.”

Greely (2-0-1) hoped to get back in the win column Tuesday at Gray-New Gloucester. After a trip to Kennebunk Friday, the Rangers host dangerous Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

“It’s good to get a week away (from the powerhouse teams), but last year we went to Kennebunk undefeated and didn’t come back undefeated,” Andreasen said.

Yarmouth bounced back from its loss to Greely by rallying to beat visiting Cape Elizabeth, 5-3, Friday night to improve to 2-1. The Clippers fell behind, 2-0, but tied the score on goals from Connor Lainey and Matt Dostie. After the Capers went back on top, Lainey tied the score with a penalty kick. Adam LaBrie then put Yarmouth ahead with five minutes to go and added an insurance goal with 40 seconds remaining to account for the final score.

“It was one of the most electric high school soccer games in recent memory between two of the best teams in Western Class B,” Yarmouth coach Mike Hagerty said. “The intensity didn’t wane an ounce as the two teams shook hands at the end of the game, seemingly wanting to start round two of what will likely be a three-round fight then and there.”

The Clippers were home with Freeport Tuesday, welcome York Saturday and go to Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

As for Falmouth, prior to tying Greely, the Yachtsmen were 4-1 winners at Kennebunk (Luke Velas had two goals, while Nigel Dunn and Nick Sanzari also scored). Falmouth (2-0-1) had its chances against the Rangers, but couldn’t put the ball in the net.

“We gave up three goals (to Greely) in the second half last year,” longtime Yachtsmen coach Dave Halligan said. “The kids weren’t going to let that happen this time.”

Falmouth hoped to stay unbeaten when it visited Western C contender Waynflete Tuesday. After going to Cape Elizabeth Friday, the Yachtsmen visit York Tuesday of next week.

“I feel good, but a little frustrated because I think it’s the tip of the iceberg with these guys,” Halligan said. “I don’t think they know how good they can be.”

Freeport played visiting Sacopee Valley to a scoreless tie last Tuesday, then fell to 0-2-1 with a 4-3 loss at Wells Saturday. Jack Davenport scored twice, while Caleb Abbott had the other goal. The Falcons went to Yarmouth Tuesday, play at Gray-New Gloucester Thursday and host Fryeburg Tuesday of next week.

In Western C, North Yarmouth Academy improved to 2-1 with a 4-0 victory at Sacopee Friday. After going to Traip Tuesday, the Panthers host Fryeburg Thursday and visit rival Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ soccer

On the girls’ side, Greely wasn’t listed as a favorite coming into the season, but so far, the Rangers have passed every test, including a couple of doozies last week: a 2-0 victory at Yarmouth and a 3-1 home win over Falmouth.

Against the Clippers, Greely dodged several bullets and almost fell behind, but a second half counter-attack goal, which saw Jocelyn Mitiguy finish a feed from Izzy Hutnak, broke the ice. Ellie Schad then set up Jamie Keisman late to put it away.

“I think we did really well,” Schad said. “Coming in, we knew it would be a big one. We knew we had to come to play. Everyone worked hard.”

“We finally put one in,” said Mitiguy. “We had to keep going strong and staying positive. That’s what we did and it led to a goal.”

“You never know who is going to step up,” Greely coach Josh Muscadin added. “I’m proud of how we came out in the second half. That showed quite a bit.”

Against Falmouth, the Rangers scored twice in the first eight minutes, as a Mitiguy rebound was banged home by Schad and Mitiguy finished to make it 2-0. After the Yachtsmen drew within 2-1 in the second half, Greely added a penalty kick goal from Mitiguy to put it away.

“Everyone was ready to play,” Mitiguy said. “We had all day to think about it since it’s a Saturday game with no school. Falmouth’s one of our biggest rivals. We were ready to win.”

“Luck was on our side today,” said Muscadin. “The girls played extremely well. They really wanted it and it showed.”

Greely hosted Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday and goes to Kennebunk Friday. The following Tuesday brings a showdown at defending state champion Cape Elizabeth, which will be a rematch of last year’s Western B Final.

“Our communication and positivity need to be kept up,” said Mitiguy. “When we give up a goal, we can’t let it get to us.”

Falmouth had settled for a 1-1 home draw versus Kennebunk before falling at Greely. Against the Rangers, the Yachtsmen hit the post twice in the first half and had several other chances go awry before Georgia Babikian scored their lone goal.

“We’re a young team,” Falmouth coach Andrew Pelletier said. “We were two mistakes away from gettiing a result.”

The Yachtsmen hosted two-time defending Class C champion Waynflete Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), play host to defending Class B champion Cape Elizabeth Friday, then visit York Tuesday of next week.

“This conference is crazy so far,” Pelletier said. “There are so many good teams. We have to bring it every single day and if you don’t, you’ll be on the wrong side of the result.”

Yarmouth was frustrated by its loss to Greely, as it couldn’t finish despite holding a 22-8 shots advantage.

“I felt like we played well and had some opportunities,” longtime Clippers coach Rich Smith said. “The girls hung in there and did good stuff. I’m not disappointed in our effort.”

Friday, Yarmouth bounced back and got in the win column by upsetting visiting Cape Elizabeth, 2-1. Eavan O’Neill and Gretchen Barbera scored. The Clippers were at Freeport Tuesday for a playoff rematch (see theforecaster.net for game story), host Poland Thursday and York Saturday, then go to Kennebunk Tuesday of next week.

Freeport lost at Sacopee, 2-1, last Tuesday, then improved to 1-2 Thursday with a 7-1 romp at Wells. Julia Smith had the Falcons’ goal at the Hawks. Smith and Sam Jordan both had two goals against the Warriors. Freeport was home versus Yarmouth Tuesday, welcomes Gray-New Gloucester Thursday and visits Fryeburg Tuesday of next week.

In Western C, NYA fell to 0-3 after losses last week at Gray-New Gloucester (5-0) and at home to Sacopee (1-0). After hosting Traip Tuesday, the Panthers visit Fryeburg Thursday. NYA is home versus Old Orchard Beach Saturday and hosts two-time defending Class C champion Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Field hockey

Yarmouth’s field hockey team cleared a big hurdle last week, vanquishing crosstown rival and defending Western C champion NYA for the first time this century.

First, the Clippers eked out a 3-2 win at Sacopee Valley, as Fiona Clarke scored the winner later. Yarmouth also got goals from Taylor Robison and Molly Wilson. Against the Panthers, after dominating the first half with nothing to show for it, Wilson redirected a Kallie Hutchinson blast on a penalty corner to put the Clippers on the board. NYA came right back to tie, but Hutchinson scored on a rocket to give Yarmouth the 2-1 victory.

“(Beating NYA) means everything,” Hutchinson said. “This is the only team we were afraid of in the past. We knew it would be a tough game. Yes, we wanted to win this one badly.”

“It was a great game,” Yarmouth coach Mandy Lewis said. “It was intense. We expected a challenging game from NYA.”

The Clippers improved to 5-0 Monday after a 6-0 win at Wells. Bre Morrill had three goals, while Clarke, Hutchinson and Abby McDowell also scored. Yarmouth was home against Traip Wednesday, hosts Old Orchard Beach Friday and welcomes Western B contender Cape Elizabeth Tuesday of next week.

“I’m happy with our start,” Wilson said. “We have to keep up our intensity.”

NYA was coming off a 5-0 home victory over Old Orchard Beach. Kiersten Marr scored twice, while Charlotte Eisenberg, Marina Poole and Mackenzie Sangster each rattled the cage once. Against Yarmouth, Marr scored and goalie Elizabeth Coughlin made seven saves, but the Panthers fell just short.

“We fought hard,” said NYA coach Tracy Quimby. “(Yarmouth) just outplayed us today. They’re an excellent team. We had momentum, but they came back and that second goal kind of deflated us.”

The Panthers improved to 4-1 Monday after a 1-0 overtime home win over Waynflete.  Marr had the goal (from Eisenberg). NYA was at Sacopee Wednesday, hosts Traip Saturday and welcomes Falmouth Wednesday of next week.

“We don’t have huge numbers, but we’re making it work and we’re very proud of the girls for doing that,” Quimby said.

Speaking of the Yachtsmen, they blanked host Greely (1-0) and visiting Kennebunk (2-0) last week. Against the Rangers, Elle Fitzgerald had the goal. She scored both against the Rams. Monday, Falmouth fell to 3-2 after a 6-0 home loss to nemesis York, the reigning Western B champion. The Yachtsmen hosted Lake Region Wednesday, visit Freeport Friday (see theforecaster.net for game story) and play at NYA Wednesday of next week.

Freeport dropped its first two games, then won at Gray-New Gloucester, 2-0, as Dani Foster and Bailey Coffin rattled the cage, and 7-1 over visiting Old Orchard Beach (Foster and Taylor Schenker both scored twice, while Coffin, Chloe Davidson and Abby Smith all had one goal). Monday, the Falcons improved to 3-2 after a 3-2 home win over Poland. Coffin had all three goals, while Morgan Karnes stopped 10 shots. Freeport hosted Cape Elizabeth Wednesday, welcomes Falmouth Friday and plays at Lake Region Tuesday of next week.

Greely fell to 0-5 after recent losses to visiting Falmouth (1-0) and at York (6-1) and Cape Elizabeth (1-0). Kayla Berry had the goal against the Wildcats.

“It is getting frustrating, we’re right there in every game,” said Greely first-year coach Becky Belmore.

The Rangers hosted Gray-New Gloucester Wednesday, welcome Lake Region Friday and play at Waynflete Tuesday.

“We’re waiting for that key game that swings it for us,” Belmore said.

Volleyball

Greely’s volleyball team is back in an accustomed spot: undefeated and looking like a championship contender. Last week, the Rangers improved to 3-0 by blanking host Windham (25-16, 25-16, 25-13) and visiting Cape Elizabeth (25-20, 25-17, 25-21). Greely was home with Gorham Tuesday, welcomes Biddeford Thursday (see theforecaster.net for game story), goes to South Portland Saturday and plays host to defending Class A champion Falmouth Tuesday of next week.

The Yachtsmen suffered their first loss last week. After improving to 2-0 with a 3-0 victory at Lake Region, Falmouth won two of the first three sets against visiting Scarborough in a rematch of last year’s state final. The Red Storm then rallied in both the fourth and fifth games to earn a stunning 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 13-25, 25-23, 16-14) win. The Yachtsmen got 28 assists from setter extraordinaire Megan Tammaro and 13 kills from Lydia Farmer, but fell just short.

“We’re still finding our rhythm,” said Falmouth coach Gary Powers. “I thought it was over and we had it won, but we got tense and made mistakes. It’s something we’ll work on.”

The Yachtsmen were back in action Tuesday at Cheverus. Thursday, they host South Portland. Then the lifting gets heavy again with a trip to rival Greely and a home match against Cape Elizabeth, which serves as a rematch of last year’s thrilling semifinal.

“I don’t mind losing,” Powers said. “Now we know our weaknesses and what we need to do.”

In Class B, Yarmouth got its first victory last Thursday, downing visiting NYA in three sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-15). Kenzie Sheehan had 13 service points, including nine aces. Heather Clark finished with nine kills and six blocks. The 1-1 Clippers hosted Lake Region Tuesday and go to Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

NYA started with 3-0 losses at Kennebunk (11-25, 18-25, 24-26) and Yarmouth. The Panthers seek their first victory Thursday when they welcome Cony. NYA is home with Thornton Academy Tuesday.

Cross country

Falmouth and Freeport’s cross country teams joined Sacopee for a key early season meet at Cape Elizabeth last weekend. The Yachtsmen boys placed first, while the girls were second. The Falcons boys were runners-up, while the girls came in third.

Individually, Freeport’s Chandler Vincent was second in the boys’ race (with a time of 15 minutes, 56 seconds). Falmouth’s Spencer Brown came in third (16:04). In the girls’ meet, Falmouth’s Mira Wyman placed fourth (19:44). The Falcons’ top finisher was Chloe Hight (11th, 20:39).

Greely, Merriconeag and NYA joined Kennebunk and Poland at Pineland Farms. The Rangers were first in both genders, while both Merriconeag teams came in second and both Panthers squads were fourth.

Individually, Greely’s Katherine Leggat-Barr won the girls’ meet in 18:51. Hannah Austin paced NYA with a third-place showing (19:49). Merriconeag’s top finisher was Olivia Skillings (fourth, 19:56). On the boys’ side, NYA”s Matt Malcom was first (16:49). Merriconeag’s Tucker Pierce placed second (16:56). Greely was led by Ryan Morrison (fourth, 17:38).

Yarmouth hosted Fryeburg, Gray-New Gloucester and York. The Clippers girls were first, as Grace Cowles was the individual winner in 20:24. The boys came in fourth as Luke Laverdiere was the top individual (fifth, 18:14).

This weekend, Falmouth joins Sacopee at Kennebunk, Freeport hosts Merriconeag, Poland and York, Greely hosts Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth and Waynflete and NYA is at Fryeburg.

Golf

Falmouth’s defending Class A state champion golf team improved to 3-0 last week with an 11-2 win over Portland. After hosting Scarborough Wednesday, the Yachtsmen welcome South Portland Friday and go to Deering Monday.

Greely improved to 4-0 after winning at Westbrook (13-0) and at home over Thornton Academy (8.5-4.5) last week and 11-2 at home over Gorham Monday. The Rangers were at Bonny Eagle Wednesday and play host to Windham Monday of next week.

Yarmouth took an 0-2 mark into Tuesday’s home match versus York. The Clippers hosted Wells Wednesday, welcome York Thursday and go to Cape Elizabeth Monday.

Freeport was 1-2 entering a match with Wells Monday. After hosting NYA Wednesday, the Falcons visit Wells Thursday and play host to York Tuesday.

NYA was 2-2 entering Wednesday’s match at Freeport. The Panthers went to Cape Elizabeth Thursday and host Wells Tuesday.

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

Sidebar Elements

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Yarmouth senior Kallie Hutchinson and NYA senior Charlotte Eisenberg stretch to gain possession during the Clippers’ 2-1 victory in a battle of field hockey unbeatens last week.

Falmouth senior Megan Tammaro (who had 26 assists) sets the ball for a teammate during last week’s thriller versus Scarborough. The Yachtsmen couldn’t close it out and dropped the state final rematch in five sets.

North Yarmouth Academy’s Hannah Austin and Greely’s Izzy Evans compete in a duel within a five-team match last weekend at Pineland Farms. Evans wound up second individually, while Austin placed third. The Rangers were first as a team, while the Panthers came in fourth.