WHS field hockey plays phenomenal quarterfinal playoff game against Biddeford

By Matt Pascarella

Seventh-place Windham met second-place Biddeford in the Class A South quarterfinal playoff game at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford on Wednesday, Oct. 28 and Windham showed the Tigers they had improved greatly since the two played each other during the regular season. After more than 55 minutes of scoreless play, Biddeford scored late in the game for a 1-0 win.

Windham senior Sarah Smyth stays with the ball during the
Class A South quarterfinal field hockey playoff game 
against Biddeford at Waterhouse Field in Biddeford
on Oct. 28. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“We have been working so hard the past couple weeks, coming in the lower seed we knew we had nothing to lose,” said Windham senior Sarah Smyth. “We left it all out on the field. We had to try our best, give it our all and we did that. Every single minute, everybody on this team tried their hardest and it was a great team game today. We knew where each other were on the field. We were communicating well, quick passes, we were aggressive, we were stepping to the ball. We all connected and grew so close as a group, and I’m really thankful for that this year.”

The Eagles took the field with intensity and their strong defense shone right away as they held back one of the strongest teams in the conference for the first 15 minutes as they kept the game scoreless.

In the second quarter, Windham had a strong shot at goal that almost got by. Biddeford defense was also strong. Windham continued to pressure as the half ended with the score tied 0-0.

“I think what made us play great against Biddeford is how we came together as a team overall,” said Windham junior Mia Kri. “We gave it our all and pushed each other on. Our mindsets were the best during this game, and really just keeping positive energy even if there was a tiny mistake within our team during a play. I think we played our hardest, but if I had to specifically say something that could’ve changed the game is just staying collective if a call was bad or another player did something and just move on to the next play quickly.”

The second half brought about the same exceptional defense from both sides for the remaining 30 minutes. Windham goalie and sophomore Courtney Cotter had many solid saves while Windham continued to pressure the Tigers.

“It was very stressful, but you got to have a good mindset,” said Cotter who had 23 saves over the course of 60 minutes. “It was way more intense – Biddeford wanted it; we wanted it; we definitely wanted it more this game (than when we played them in the regular season). It’s been fun and good to get to know the girls, make those saves and have that trust in my teammates.”

On a corner, in the final play of the game, Biddeford scored.

“It was a gift to be able to play another 60 minutes of field hockey today,” said Windham varsity field hockey coach Maddy Perfetti. “Windham came out wanting to win, they really believed in themselves. We played a phenomenal game; the best game we played all year. This may have not been the prettiest or the cleanest field hockey we’ve ever played, but from being able to compete with a team that’s consistently at the top of our division and perhaps the state, it feels really good to (play against) them. Our growth and the growth mindset (stand out). Seeing (Windham) improve from our first scrimmages ... to going 1-0 to the final minute against one of the best teams in the conference, it’s hard to beat that character arc.” <

Windham Christian Academy soccer falls in championship game on penalty kicks

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Christian Academy’s varsity coed soccer team played over 100 minutes against Oxford Hills Christian Academy in the Maine Christian School Sports League Championship game at Edward Little in Auburn on Thursday, Oct. 29. After regulation play was over, the game was tied 1-1. Windham Christian Academy kept up their intensity for two 15-minute overtimes and the game came down to penalty kicks as Oxford Hills won, 2-1.

Windham Christian Academy sophomore Jeremiah Gorelov
races to be first to the ball during the Maine Christian
Student Sports League varsity soccer championship
game against Oxford Hills Christian Academy. 
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“My team was very excited going into the championship,” said Windham Christian Academy eighth grader Haddie Coppersmith. “Even though I’m still in middle school and was swinging up to varsity, I knew it was going to be a hard game because we had tied Oxford Hills in overtime during the regular season. We did a good job supporting each other, communicating, and our passes were great. Everyone on our team didn’t give up and gave it all they had.”

The Warriors (Windham Christian Academy) had multiple shots on goal as they worked to score.

About 20 minutes into the first half, Oxford Hills Christian Academy scored.

Windham Christian Academy continued going hard after the ball. At the half, Oxford Hills Christian Academy led, 1-0.

“Our approach was really just to play our game; a good passing game, they play as a team really well,” said Windham Christian Academy varsity coed soccer coach Kayla Sinclair. “We’ve done a lot of double overtimes and they like nailbiters, they play well under pressure. We played as a team ... and keeping possession of the ball a lot and never giving up.”

In the second half, Windham Christian Academy came onto the field with a lot of intensity. Windham Christian Academy sophomore Elija Popov had a strong shot on goal almost immediately.

A short time later, Windham Christian Academy sophomore Jeremiah Gorelov scored; the game was tied 1-1.

As the clock would down, Windham Christian Academy hustled to break the tie.

“We’ve tied this team 6-6 (in the regular season) and we thought if we locked in more, we could win,” said Gorelov. “Our passing in the second half we locked in and did much better. Our team warms up more in the second half, and it was 1-0 so we had more of a fire in our bellies. We could have been more aggressive. There’s nothing we could have done better except for score.”

After regulation play, the score remained tied 1-1.

Both overtimes were a testament to the strength of these players, who had already played a full 80 minutes and now continued to give their all for another 30-plus minutes. At the end of the second overtime, the game remained tied 1-1.

It was now onto penalty kicks. Each team chose three players to go head-to-head with the opposing team’s goalie. The winner was whoever made more shots in three kicks. Windham Christian Academy missed the first two kicks, while Oxford Hills Christian Academy scored on their first two kicks. 

“We got to the championship, everything that we’ve practiced, everything that we’ve done in games is really what we’re here to do,” said Sinclair. “I think they did it. They’re a good group of kids, with big hearts. They love the game of soccer and they work really well together.”

Senior Dillon Diggins said they were trying their best to win. He said he thought their communication was pretty good, they were talking a bit on offense and defense. Diggins said penalty kicks are high-pressure, even if you’ve practiced a lot. They could have tried to get their passing more to the middle.

“We could’ve won more 50-50 balls, said Coppersmith. “It came down to penalty kicks, which in my opinion is about luck. “My overall takeaway is that sometimes we lose, and you have to keep your head up. This was one of the best games my team has played. I’m so proud of how far we made it and how hard we worked.” <

WYSA’s Under-10 girls’ soccer travel team finish season undefeated

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Youth Soccer Association’s Under-10 girls’ travel soccer team is a non-competitive league that doesn’t have playoffs or tournament games. However, this team had an amazing season this fall. The team played a total of 14 games and went undefeated. The team had six shutouts and never gave up more than two goals during a game.

Members of Windham Youth Soccer
Association's Undcer-10 girls' travel
soccer team gather after winning the 
Pete Levasseur Fall Classic against
Sanford on Saturday, Oct. 24 at
Sanford. This win earned Windham
a perfect season.
PHOTO BY NATE BOWIE 

Its coaches, Nate Bowie and Catherine Chase, set team responsibilities to live by at every practice and game. Have fun, no talking while the coach is talking, always to give your best effort and be a good teammate. The kids took these to heart and doing so was the key to their success. Each member trusted each other and their team-first mindset really made the season special.

“Our season started with a mix of new and returning players with varying experience and skillsets which creates both opportunities and challenges for any coach,” said head coach Bowie, now in his third year of coaching WYSA travel teams. “We focused each training session on fundamentals: footwork, dribbling, passing, and shooting. We made sure each practice session maximized the amount of time they had with the ball. I can say that hands down we were the best passing team in the league this season which created tons of great scoring opportunities and really fun games to watch for the crowd.”

According to Bowie, what’s amazing about the strength of this team, consisting of fourth graders Emery Chase, Olivia Chartier, Libby Mitchell, Layla Wetherington, Maddie Duffy, Neilia Hebert, Trinity Walsh, Blake Bowie and fifth grader Reagan Gillies is every player on the team played every position throughout the season including goalkeeper. This versatile team was offensively strong with each player on the team scoring more than one goal throughout the season.

When looking back on the season, there were two games that really challenged the team, and this Windham Under-10 team rose to the occasion. When Windham played undefeated Falmouth late in the season, Windham was down 1-0, then tied the game 1-1. Later in the game, it was tied 2-2 and Windham came back to edge ahead 3-2 for the win.

In its last game of the season, the team played undefeated Sanford. Windham was motivated to keep its record intact and stepped up their game a notch (or two) to overcome this very tough Spartan team. The game was tight, physical, and exciting. Windham won, 3-1, after a last-minute goal to keep their strong record perfect.

“I think we had good shots and we played really well,” said Duffy about the Sanford game. “The first half was tough, and we really stepped it up in the second half. We had a great group, and everyone played well as a team. (My favorite part of the season was) playing for Coach Nate and Catherine again and I got to meet new friends. We were a really strong team. Our spacing got much better and everyone played well together.”

Bowie said he wanted to give a special thank you to the parents and families who supported this team so well throughout the season. He said he really enjoys teaching the kids not just soccer skills, but also about being good teammates and creating a good work ethic. <

WHS Cross Country teams compete in Regional Championships

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High School’s boys’ and girls’ Cross Country teams competed in the Regional Championships against teams from all over the state at Twin Brooks Recreation Area in Cumberland on Saturday, Oct. 24. Both Windham teams have been working hard in preparation for this very hard course, and although neither team qualified for the State Championship, both teams did well with the girls’ finishing 14th with a score of 358 and the boys’ finishing 16th with a score of 448.

Windham freshman Sam Jaynes makes his way to the finish
line during the Class A Cross Country Regional
Championships at Twin brooks Recreation Area in
Cumberland on Saturday, Oct. 24.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“I think we knew it was going to be hard to qualify as a team,” said Windham cross country coach Paula Pock. “Our goal was to have everyone run an awesome race and finish the season on a high note. A couple of these kids just ran out of their shoes – it was impressive. This is a pretty challenging course, and we talked a lot about mindset, pushing through and staying positive. They did a great job of maintaining and staying strong throughout the whole thing.”

GIRLS

Senior Stephanie Roghelia finished first for Windham and 60th overall with a time of 24:05.88 minutes.

“We prepared for today by practicing hills because this is a very hilly course and also our intervals and pacing,” said Roghelia. “Our hill work and pacing went really well.” I wish we could have run the course first to get the experience of what it was going to feel like.”

In second place for Windham was senior Grace Lee who finished 66th overall with a 24:37.59 time.

Lee said the team got out pretty well and they were all able to get themselves in a good position with the pack they were in and stay with most of the race.

Both Lee and Roghelia said that they were very proud of their team and for their last race they were glad everyone did their best.

Alanna Lewis, a senior, finished third for Windham and 77th overall with a time of 25:48.09.

All seven runners ran the course in under 28 minutes.

BOYS

“My goal for the day was to run a similar time to what I ran my sophomore year, and I think I hit that time I was looking for today,” said Windham senior Mason Bragdon who finished first for Windham, 73rd overall and ran the course in 20:05.75. “I’ve run this course close to 10 times as of now and it’s one of my toughest courses every single time. The terrain topography is really, really tough; especially when you have so many people funneling through ... it’s difficult to navigate. The start went really well and was fast. Into the second mile I felt consistent, I was in my place and held my place pretty much all the way into the end. A little bit more hill work would have been helpful. It’s my final race, I’m really happy with how I did. I’m glad I’m leaving it in the hands of some of the fast runners here.” 

Freshman Sam Jaynes finished second for Windham and 77th overall with a time of 20:07.69.

Franklin Murray, a freshman, finished third for the Eagles and 96th overall with a 21:17.40 time.

The seven runners each finished the course in under 24 minutes.

“They were so supportive of each other,” said Pock. “We ran really well within their abilities. We understood from the beginning of the season that it was going to be a building year, and we just really ran strong. Our upperclassmen were great role models and were really encouraging to the younger athletes. We are looking forward to next year.” <

Windham Little League's fall ball teams end season with celebratory game

By Matt Pascarella

On a beautiful fall day for baseball both Windham Little League teams, Windham 1 and Windham 2, celebrated the end of a very successful fall ball season by playing against each other at Ciccarone Field at Lowell Farm in Windham on Saturday, Oct. 24. After a big fourth inning, Windham 2 won 9-1.

Windham fifth grader Tyler Hanlon winds up to pitch during
Windham Little League's final game of the fall ball season
against the Windham 2 team at Ciccarone Field at Lowell
Farm in Windham on Saturday, Oct. 24.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

This was more of a fun game, and it showed through the attitudes and actions of the players on both teams cheering each other on and being nothing but supportive.

“They stuck with the process today and stayed committed and disciplined,” said Windham Little League Windham 2 coach Kevin Rancourt. “All the boys really met the goal for the season; they grew, developed, stayed on track and bonded as a unit. Our mantra for the team this year was good things happen when we swing our bats. They went with that and kept it rolling. We saw contributions from all kids throughout the lineup.”

Windham Little League Windham 1 coach Chris Whitney said when the fall ball season began, he wanted his team to learn how to play baseball correctly and have fun while doing it. The team surpassed his expectations and only had two losses over the course of the season. Whitney said during this game, some of the younger kids who didn’t see a lot of hits during the season, made contact with the ball, and this built their confidence. He said win, lose or draw, what he looks for as a coach is a player who can take a bad situation, learn from it and turn it into a positive later on.

The first inning began for Windham 2 as seventh grader Elijah Sun walked. Seventh grader Peyton Edwards crushed a double and brought Sun in to score.

Both teams had stellar defense as they went two full innings with neither team scoring.

Sun smashed a two-run homerun in the fourth inning. Windham 2 led by four runs. Windham 2 added five more runs in the next two innings.

“Honestly, I didn’t see the ball, I just swung the bat, and everyone was screaming,” said Sun who also won MVP from his coach. “I think we did great; our hitting, our defense and our pitching were all really good. It was a solid all-around team.”

When Sun looks back on the season, he sees that the team has improved. In one of their first games, they lost to Bonny Eagle and then beat them toward the end of the season. Sun also got his first Little League homerun in a game against Gorham earlier in the month.

Also in the fourth inning, Windham 1 fifth grader Maxtyn Spence walked and then stole his way around the bases. When the moment was right, Spence was careful and quickly stole home to put Windham 1 on the scoreboard.

Spence said he was proud he got an out today and scored. Something that stood out to Spence during the season was when he hit an inside-the-park grand slam during a scrimmage earlier in the season. He said he’s proud of how he’s been playing the past three years as well as how well his team played today. 

After two strikeouts in the fifth inning, Windham 1’s defense was on it as they secured the last out with a hit to second baseman and sixth grader Evan Standley who made the throw to first baseman Spence.

Both Standley and Spence repeated this skill to nab the first out of the sixth inning against Windham 2.

Windham 1’s pitchers were fifth graders Garrett Dansereau and Tyler Hanlon, and sixth graders Jaxson Whitney and Grayson Charles got a total of 12 strikeouts over six innings.

The pitchers of Windham 2 were Sun, sixth grader Ethan Clarke and sixth grader Ashton Belanger who struck out 11 batters over six innings. <

Windham varsity girls’ soccer falls to Cheverus after hard-fought game

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham High School varsity girls’ soccer team played their final home game of the season against Cheverus on Thursday, Oct. 15 and Windham came out a little slow in the first half but kept the game scoreless at intermission. While the Eagles picked up the intensity in the second half, the Stags scored late and held onto the lead to defeat Windham, 1-0.

Windham junior Emily Wardwell prepares to take a shot
during a girls' varsity soccer game against Cheverus at
Windham High School on Thursday, Oct. 15.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

It was also Senior Night and seniors Elizabeth Hartwell, Denali Momot, Isabella Vassoler, Maya Dries, Mackenzie Delewski and Grayson Cornish were each presented with a small gift to thank them and their families for their time and efforts to Windham Athletics.

“They came out hard, fast, but we’ve got to play with a little more urgency earlier in the game,” said Windham varsity girls’ soccer coach Deb LeBel. “If they played with their sense of urgency at the end, it could’ve been a different (outcome). We need to be a little more precise with our passing, not just clear it and get it out. Positives from the game were that the team never gave up; they had a ton of energy at the end with a lot of different players contributing in different areas.”

Early in the game, Windham moved the ball well and took several shots on goal.

Both teams’ defense held their opponent back and Windham goalie Hartwell had many nice saves, five overall for the game. At the half, the game was tied, 0-0.

“We came into this game knowing we have to win to keep our rank going into playoffs to stay in the second seed,” said Momot. “We need to keep our composure the whole time. We did well after Cheverus scored, but we need to play like that the whole game. I think we expected to win ... we were just holding back a little bit more for some reason. We started connecting very well; we started hard in the first half, and we started the same way in the second half, but as the game went on we kind of dialed down, which was a mistake – we shouldn’t do that ever. Keeping that intensity needs work, keeping our composure overall ... we need to read the defense a little bit better.”

In the second half, Windham remained aggressive and really went at Cheverus’s goalie hard, not giving her rest for most of the half. There were many shots at goal, but nothing found the back of the net.

Windham defense kept Cheverus at zero for over half of the second half. Then with roughly 13 minutes remaining, the Stags scored. As the clock ticked down, Windham worked extremely hard to tie the game, but despite their effort, fell short.

LeBel said they need to fine-tune staggering themselves in the midfield and when they need to go back and help defensively; also, they need to head more balls in the air, take possession and go. She said sometimes a loss going into playoffs is not a bad thing – it keeps them hungry. LeBel said she thinks they are in good shape, they have a lot of kids who have grown and continue to grow.

“Having energy from the start of the game and building off it as the game goes on and winning 50-50 balls (could have turned this game around),” said Windham junior Emily Wardwell. “Knowing we have to treat every team as a top team and there is no guaranteed win against any team. Not giving up was a positive when we were down a goal, late in the game. Finishing balls in the box and switching the fields when stuck on one side needs work.” <

Seventh and eighth grade youth football squad prepares for playoffs

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Youth Football’s seventh and eighth grade team fell to Saco 26-0 in the final game of the regular season but does remain optimistic about making a strong postseason playoff run.

William Youth Football's seventh and eighth grade team
gathers during a team dinner at Windham Middle School on
Tuesday, Oct. 20. After a loss to Saco on Saturday, Oct. 17,
the team's regular season record is a strong 7-1 as it
now looks to prepare for the playoffs.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
   

Playing in Saco on Saturday, Oct. 17, Windham’s defense held the Trojans back for the entire first half, but Saco ran up the scoreboard in the second half to win. Windham finished their regular season with a very impressive 7-1 record.

Eighth grader Lucien Kri said that while Windham had a really good run defense at the start, and they could have could have believed in themselves more to have a better outcome in the second half. Kri said they need to work on doing well the entire game, not just one half.

“This is a special group of kids,” said Windham Youth Football seventh and eighth grade coach Bryan Freese. “We have size, speed, and athleticism. I have coached these kids for years in football and other sports as well, and one thing that stands out, to me, is their strong work ethic. Each week we add a little more to our playbook, and the football IQ that the boys have makes it easy for us to change and add formations and plays either in practice or on the fly during games. We've been working countless hours since the beginning of August to reach our one goal, a league championship.”

As Windham prepared for this game, it knew Saco was going to be big and physical up front. The Eagles felt that if they could match their physicality on the line, control the line of scrimmage and time of possession, they would have a good chance of being successful.

After a 0-0 tie at the end of the first half, Windham made some adjustments offensively but mostly how to block the different looks Saco’s defensive front was showing them.

“I think the defensive side of the ball did great we had some big tackles from (Windham’s) Troy Prum and Avery Russell,” said Windham eighth grader and quarterback Kody Freese. “We just had a few mistakes in the passing game. I also think that we were getting good yardage up the middle with Cam Young, and Connor Wade in the first half.”

In the second half, Windham stayed in the game, but Saco found the end zone several times.

“As a team we have dealt with a fair amount of adversity this year,” said Bryan Freese. “Injuries, some disciplinary stuff, and low numbers have taught us firsthand that the ‘next man up’ mentality is something that needs to be taught, understood, and executed in order to sustain success throughout the long season.”

With playoffs on the horizon, Windham will continue to do the things that have gotten them this far; being physical, knowing responsibilities and limiting mental errors will dictate their success.

“We’re ... a really strong team,” said eighth grader Russell. “We’ve worked hard to get here and have been through good times and tough times together. We always help each other get better and support one another. The best part is that we’re really close almost like family. I’m proud of how our season is going, and I’m proud to be on this team.”

Windham will play its first-round playoff game against Bonny Eagle on Sunday, Oct. 25. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. at Windham Field 9. <