WHS girls’ soccer earns first win over Gorham in three years

By Matt Pascarella

Windham varsity girls’ soccer traveled to Gorham on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to play the Rams, where Windham earned their first victory over Gorham since 2021. The Lady Eagles showed they were up to any challenge when they scored early and kept scoring. As the clock ran out, they emerged with a 4-3 win.

Windham High freshman Emily Wardwell looks to pass
during a girls' prep soccer match against Gorham.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“I think we all just came into this game knowing it was going to be a good one; knowing we were going to have to fight for the whole 80 minutes,” said Windham senior Emily Talbot. “The last time we beat them was our freshmen year and especially for us seniors, it was something we wanted to get done ... and think we did that really well. I really went into this game knowing I wanted ... to score; just having that mindset really helped me and it paid off. I think we did a good job adjusting to their fast forwards and taking advantage of their weak spots on their field.”

Windham aggressiveness was evident from the start. They fought for and stayed with the ball and took several shots at goal. Windham went hard after 50-50 balls and minimized Gorham’s scoring opportunities.

Midway through the first half Talbot fired a shot with a perfect arc – just above the goalie’s head to find the back of the net.

Gorham tied the game 1-1 going into halftime.

“This team is a big competition for us, and we know that it was going to be a tough day, and we just came into it super excited and pumped up,” said Windham senior Kyla Harvie, who scored on a direct kick early in the second half. “We knew we had a good chance, and we wanted to put our all into it and we did. Once we’re on the field we have to forget about everything that’s happened before and focus on what we have to know to get that win. Our passing and our movement up top to make those runs to get those goals, and just taking the chances up top definitely helped; on defense we fought super hard and didn’t let the ball hit the ground. I think we could always work on communication, but ... I think we played great overall.”

Junior Marley Jarvais scored shortly after Harvie.

Gorham scored again but trailed by one.

“I think it was a whole team effort,” said Jarvais. “We played the whole 80 minutes and that’s what was important; they pushed us to be the very best we could. Everyone showed up tonight to play, so that’s a big thing. Our communication was huge and our defense stepping up when they needed to was really big. I think our through balls really work on teams like this; we’re a really speedy team. Honestly, we just need to build off ... our corner kicks, we can improve on that a little bit.”

Windham pressured. Talbot broke away and scored again.

Windham sophomore goalie Libby Hartwell had a solid save with seven minutes left to play. Gorham scored, but it wasn’t enough.

“It’s a team win,” said Windham girls’ soccer assistant coach Jim Stewart. “We’ve been talking about playing ... all 80 minutes. The team has decided they are committed to that, and you can see we finished today – something I’m very proud of. When you look at how they’re working together, how they’re willing to sacrifice, how they’re willing to battle for each other, as a coach, this is awesome. It’s early, ... but it’s a good place for us to step up onto. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of the team; I loved the way we executed, I loved our class, I loved the way we went after them. We really worked on how we could defend Gorham’s counterattack a little bit better, get more shots from distance and that worked out great. Mental toughness is something we’ve worked hard on. That’s how you’re going to win in the playoffs and that’s how you’re not going to lose in the playoffs.” <

WMS field hockey delivers season-opening win over Gorham

By Matt Pascarella

Windham Middle School’s field hockey team started strong and showed they were an organized group right from its first game, walking off with an awesome 6-1 win over the Gorham Rams at Gorham on Sept. 20.

Windham eighth grader Hayley Johnsen heads toward the
goal while keeping her focus on the ball during the WMS
field hockey season-opening game at Gorham on Friday.
Sept. 20. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

From the moment the game started, Windham showed they had come to win. They moved the ball, had several shots at goal and Windham eighth grader Lucy Stretch scored twice in the first quarter.

“We were finally able to play as one, instead of playing against each other and trying to focus more on feelings than the actual play at hand and going for the gut of going for that goal,” said WMS field hockey coach Allie Belaire. “What I saw today was agility; their ability to stay in very, very, long; keep running as well as we passed the ball – there’s still much room for improvement. Another thing I thought we did very well was our stick skills and seeing the field, when a defender came to one of us, using a dodge and getting around those players. Our field positioning, our spacing and using the whole field (need work). If we pass the ball more, we’ll tire out the other team, instead of dribbling into them and letting them do the work. I think positioning and using the field is something we need to work on as well as attacking that ball right from the start. We have some experienced players and some brand-new players that you couldn’t even tell are brand new; but then we have some players who are all over the field. My expectation over the season is understanding your own role on the field and then being a leader for the younger players.”

Windham saw several opportunities to take advantage of any Gorham errors and capitalized on them. Eighth grader Hayley Johnsen was quick to score early in the second quarter, but the entire team was hustling and working hard to go after the ball. When Gorham had a corner shot, Windham defense was right there to keep them scoreless. After another goal from Johnsen, Windham led 4-0 at the half.

“I think we had really good communication,” said Stretch. “We came in from the start saying, ‘we want to win and win as a team and not just individual (players).’ I also think we had good spreading out and passing and we tried really good team chemistry for our first game. I think we need to work on passing and talking a little bit more, but other than that I think we had a really good first game.”

Johnsen scored from the top of the shooting circle partway through the second half. Windham pressured and its defense remained intense.

“It was a good start,” said Johnsen. “I’m just hoping it can stay that way and stay undefeated and let everyone get a goal and contribute to the team. Definitely good talking and teamwork, passing – which is what matters most. Definitely not clumping (needs work) when we all come to the middle and staying spread out to the sides.”

The whole team worked hard from start to finish, Johnsen said. <

Windham varsity volleyball stays ahead of Noble

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham High varsity volleyball increased their record to 2-1 after a game against Noble at Windham on Friday, Sept. 13. The Lady Eagles came out strong and quickly won the first two sets. Although Noble won the third set, Windham finished the match by taking the fourth set to win, 3-1.

Windham junior captain and libero Lauren Neal, middle,
sets the ball up for a teammate during a prep volleyball
match against Noble on Sept. 13 at Windham High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“Once you get the two (wins) under your belt teams will sometimes take the foot off the gas a little bit,” said Windham varsity volleyball coach Chris Cloutier. “That caught us a little bit when we had people who don’t typically play together a whole lot. They ended up coming in the end of that third set and scoring a few points and led to them (realizing) they need to put their foot back on the gas to win that fourth set. I think there was more communication on the floor in the fourth set, they were aggressive but smart with the ball in the way that they played. They realized it’s the little stuff that matters and they had to really pay attention to what they were doing instead of going through the motions. They worked on being smart with the ball, finding the zones where people weren’t, but still trying to keep the ball in.”

Windham scored early in the first set. Junior Kendra Eubanks had a block and junior Oakley McLeod sent the ball over the net and Windham led 6-0.

Noble picked up a little steam but had a long way to go. A spike from Eubanks allowed Windham to keep its edge. Windham took the first set 25-16.

“We had to bring up the energy,” said Eubanks. “We’re good at hanging our heads when it’s hard; we pushed ourselves to the max that we could. Everybody is supportive; got really frustrated (in the third set) but picked it up in the fourth set. Our hitting went really well, we definitely got good at being simple, because it takes simple over power, especially when it comes to winning, and getting the points. We could definitely work on our talking.”

In the second set, Windham’s intensity did not dip. They were playing smart as a team. Junior Paige Atherton had a solid block. The game was tied at 13. The Lady Eagles stayed out in front; there were very strong volleys and serves. Junior captain and libero Lauren Neal had several good dives. Windham got by with a 25-22 win.

In set three, Noble took the lead early and stayed there until they won. Windham still gave 110 percent but was far behind and it lost 25-11.

The final set was a close one with each team going neck and neck. Junior Kiara Lee’s serving earned Windham a few points. Windham pulled ahead, but the game was tight. Windham then had a significant lead; they won the set 25-13.

“I think as a whole we’ve grown a lot as a team since last year,” said Neal. “We are able to trust each other and that really helps with the whole dynamic on the court. I think it’s really thanks to Coach Chris. I think what might need some work is communication and energy on the court. Something we really did well was trusting each other ... you need to work as a team. We were able to put aside everything that happened in the third set ... going into the fourth set we had a new mindset that we weren’t going to let any of those balls get past our defense and it was just amazing watching it play out.” <

WHS Cross Country gives strong performance at Southern Maine Classic

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High’s cross-country team showed it is capable of pushing themselves in any condition as they competed at the Narragansett School in Gorham on Saturday, Sept. 14 during the Southern Maine Classic Invitational, a 5K course which featured runners from schools all over southern Maine.

Windham freshman Liam Moxley crosses the finish line on
Friday, Sept. 14 at the Narragansett School in Gorham during
the 2024 Southern Maine Classic Cross Country Invitational.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Windham boys finished 16th overall with a score of 469 and the Windham girls finished 17th with a 410 score.

Boys

Of the nine runners who competed in this race, five of them had run this course during the 2024 summer finale of the Windham cross-country camp. Of those five, they all shaved at least two minutes, and in most cases more, from their end-of-summer times.

Sophomore Mason Bragdon finished first for Windham with an 18:32.48-minute time. Bragdon knocked off 3:27 from his summer run time of the same course.

“As a team we all did great,” said Bragdon. “Our top runners, our top three are really good, we just need to help making sure everyone is up to the same level. We need to make sure we’re doing well in training, putting all our effort there, so that we can perform well here.”

Right behind Bragdon was junior Caleb Saucier who finished with a time of 18:32.80. Saucier was a full 2:08 faster than he had been in the summer; and took off almost six minutes from when he ran the same course during the 2022 Invitational.

Senior Andrew Young finished third for Windham with a time of 18:57.49.

Freshman Liam Moxcey erased over six minutes from summer compared with fall; he finished at 29:35.66.

Girls

The WHS girls’ team was challenged by illness as four of the seven who raced fought through it. While illness was a speed bump, the team safely preserved and tested themselves to be there, giving all the power and skill they could.

Of the seven who competed, four had lower times compared to when they ran the course during the summer.

During her first time on this course, junior Lila Stanley finished first for Windham with a time of 22:54.37.

“We all just wanted to do fast, faster, fastest and stick together,” said Stanley. “For me the heat made me feel really heavy; I couldn’t catch my breath. We all started off really strong and got a steady pace. We all tried to pick it up the second lap, count our split-steps and that really helped us get our breathing down, get the groove ... and get your rhythm down with the arms.”

Senior Abigail Dumont finished second with a 23.40.91 time, knocking 25 seconds off her summertime and over two minutes from when she ran the course in 2022.

Junior Demetria Nicholas took close to two minutes off from the summer, with a time of 23:44.57.

Senior Monica Farley kicked 6:25 from her summertime run to finish the Invitational with a 27:30.08 time.

“What stood out to me was the vital importance of cross-country racing on these big invitational stages to offer opportunity for both new and veteran runners alike to gain confidence to make future big championship stage races very exciting to race,” said Windham cross-country coach Jeff Riddle. “We took another small step-up in continuing to build our team's capacity through individual belief in what is possible. Holistically, we need to improve our communication skills to avoid surprises and to improve clarity, understanding and player safety. We have already started that initiative as effective communication skills will make or break a program's ability to offer its best to the student-athletes. The high heat in the later junior-senior races was a factor. The trick is to train to outwit it to make it a non-factor, and we always have work to reduce its effect on our results; but the weather is the same for all so should never be an excuse.” <

Windham football drops home opener to Noble

By Matt Pascarella

In their home opener on Friday, Sept. 6, Windham’s varsity football team left everything it had on the field in a game against Noble. The Knights pulled ahead early, but Windham wasn’t about to get shutout – and they didn’t. They fought hard but could not catch Noble and fell, 28-14.

Windham sophomore Parker Sperry tries to get past a Noble
High defender during a prep football game at Windham
High School on Friday, Sept. 6.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

“We had some injuries ... so it was on the fly, and we had a bunch of seniors who haven’t been starters before who had to play; they’re learning on the job,” said Windham varsity football coach Matt Perkins. “That’s the thing with us, stay positive, keep working, it’s a long season and you got to win to get in the postseason. You can’t pout and put your head down – it is what it is. Noble’s a good team and has all their guys back from last year. Windham’s hustle was great; near the end of the game, they didn’t pack it in, they continued to battle. With the injuries we’ve got to see who’s where, and what we’ve got to do to fix that situation. We got to clean that up and continue to execute from both sides of the ball.”

Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Noble made it to the 15-yard line, but Windham shut them down. Unfortunately, the Knights later scored and got the extra point. Before the end of the half, Noble scored again. Windham kept their heads up, and continued to work hard. At the half, Noble led 14-0.

“We put in work all week,” said Windham sophomore Parker Sperry, who had 66 rushing yards in the game. “We lost a few players to injury. We need to prepare more and have our heads in a better place to get ready to go battle. Noble is a good team with really good players, just came up short. All of the guys, we didn’t hang our heads ... we’re all trying our best, we played as hard as we could.”

The second half saw the Eagles taking the field fired up, if not more, than in the first half. Windham had possession at their 30-yard line. After a first down, they completed a pass to junior AJ Moody, and he hauled it into the end zone. Moody had 69 receiving yards in the game. The extra point was good, and Windham only trailed 14-7.

Noble scored another touchdown, but the game was not over, and Windham wasn’t finished. Cheers from the sidelines could be heard of Windham players telling other Windham players “you are still in this” and “keep your head up.”

On a first and 10, Windham sophomore Landon Wyman made it to Noble’s 30-yard line for a first down. Later during that series on a first and goal, Windham senior quarterback Karl Longstreth crossed the goal line. Windham nailed the extra point and trailed Noble, 28-14.

“Offensively, we did really good – we had guys on the line, on the tight end,” said Longstreth, who had 124 passing yards against Noble. “We had a guy that broke, and we had guys that came and stepped up and we need people like that. We have guys that are pushing 100 percent every day and guys that are looking forward to a new opportunity. Little mistakes, penalties, off-sides (got in the way). We came in the end zone four times; it was just little penalties that kept us from getting a touchdown and another. We need to stay consistent; we have great coaches, and we need to believe in them and trust what they give us.”

Despite their efforts, Windham couldn’t get ahead and the Eagles finished with 116 rushing yards and 124 passing yards.

“People might ... look at it as not a great way to start the season, but it’s just team building,” said Moody. “Our team chemistry is getting closer and closer by the second, everyone on this team is a family. We don’t care how the outcome is we care how we build off it. I saw how our defense really competed at the highest level they have this week. Our offensive line ... pushed and left nothing in the tank. We’re such a great team we’re going to get greater and greater as the season goes on. We have seniors that are getting into the mix now, we have some freshman and, man we’re going to go far.” <

WHS varsity golf falls to Greely but shows early season improvement

By Matt Pascarella

After Windham varsity golf opened its 2024 season with a big win over Westbrook, Windham traveled to take on Greely on Thursday, Sept. 5 at Val Halla in Cumberland. That’s a par 36 course and although WHS turned in a strong effort, it lost, 10-3, to the Rangers.

Windham senior Joe Donnelly watches his putt during a prep
golf match against Greely at Val Halla Golf and Recreation
Course in Cumberland on Thursday, Sept. 5.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

Windham senior Joe Donnelly shot a 43, while senior Fiona Harmon shot a 44 and junior Nolan McPhail shot a 48. Sophomore Wyatt Richards earned 2 points for the team going 3-and-2 and shot a 51. Junior Davis Jordan shot a 50 and earned 1 point for the team, going all-square, meaning he and his opponent had an equal number of points.

“I think we did good, obviously the plug greens were a little bit of a curve ball, but I think we did alright,” said Donnelly. “I personally played OK; the team played OK, but I think the plugged greens got us, but we’ll come back and beat them next time. For me, posted off the tee pretty good ... we just had a little bit of approach shot issues, putting was fine, but we played OK. Chipping needs work.”

Plugged greens create a bumpy surface on the course which often occurs through aeration during maintenance and helped WHS golfers during the Greely match.

“The course was in great shape,” said Harmon. “I was struggling off the tee a little bit, overall, I did well. My short game was pretty good, greens were aerated so it was kind of hard. Long irons and getting off the tee (still need work).”

In total strokes, Windham was less than 20 strokes behind Greely, 220-238.

“We have notoriously struggled when we play at Val Halla,” said Windham varsity golf coach Adam Manzo. “I think the match was closer than the score reflected. Many of the matches came down to the last few holes, half of the medal scores were all within three to five shots, and while I do not think we gave them our best shot, this was an improvement for us at their course.”

Both Davis Jordan and Wyatt Richards were able to come away with points in the five and six spot. Davis tied both match and medal and had an opportunity to win both on the last hole and Wyatt won both match and medal.

Manzo said each match in the top six matters, so he was happy that both Jordan and Richards were able to come away with some points for the team.

“Team score wise, our goal would be to be below 220,” he said. “I do believe as the season goes on, we will be able to move in that direction with the ultimate goal of saving our lowest round for the Southern Maine Activities Association Qualifier in early October.” <

 

Windham varsity boys’ soccer holds off Yarmouth

By Matt Pascarella

In a complete reversal from when the Windham High varsity boys’ soccer team lost to Yarmouth 1-0 during the summer season, the Eagles turned it around on Thursday, Aug. 29 at Yarmouth where they earned a 1-0 win and kept the Clippers’ offense at bay during this preseason matchup.

WHS senior Sam Rogers focuses on the ball as he heads
toward the goal during a preseason boys' prep soccer 
match at Yarmouth High School.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“Every year we go through growing pains,” said WHS senior Luke Cunniffe. “I feel like we’re still going through them right now; it seems this year we’re getting through them earlier and people are buying in earlier. Now we’re developing a style of play and a culture within our team. Today’s win was honestly just work rate, especially defensively, when kids lost the ball, they worked as hard as they could to win it back right away. I think that’s what helped us get through picking up marks and helped us play as a team and playing for each other. This game shows Yarmouth is no slouch, they are one of the best teams, but this just shows we can compete with the big dogs, and we’re one of them.”

The Eagles showed their adjustment and improvement from their previous summer season game with the Clippers when Windham senior Sam Rogers scored during the first half.

Windham defense was aggressive, and players went hard after the ball. Windham’s offense had several shots at goal, but Yarmouth defense was also strong.

“I think as a team we play better defensively than offensively,” said Rogers. “I think it all comes down to the formation with the players we have. Getting the ball out of the box went well. We did do good communication-wise. We didn’t do great connecting passes.”

According to Rogers, they are starting to click as a team and once the regular season starts, they’ll take it from there.

At the start of the second half, Windham senior goalie Lukas Hammond had a solid stop.

“We came in here and I feel like we matched their energy well,” said Windham junior Tyrie James. “We played our positions well; we played our formation well. We moved the ball well; and on defense everyone gave 110 percent the whole time – everyone was just going, going, going – marking their man, playing their position, playing their role. Yarmouth’s a great team and we beat them, so it shows that we can compete with some of the good teams.”

Windham offense fired multiple shots at goal and its defense kept Yarmouth from finding the back of the net. Windham sophomore goalie Jackson Goodwin recorded a great save to prevent a tie toward the end of the half.

“There’s still some pieces of the puzzle that are starting to lock in a little bit,” said Windham varsity boys’ soccer coach Jeff Neal. “This was about playing the toughest teams we can in the preseason in regard to technical ability and physical prowess too and see how we match up. Windham is more comfortable with the formation we played today. The formation we played today helped out in keeping players in-position and not having to run as much as the previous formation. The work rate was good, and communication was exceptional today. They played a solid match whistle to whistle.” <

WHS varsity field hockey overpowers Noble in preseason match

By Matt Pascarella

As the start of the fall season gets closer and closer, Windham’s varsity team hosted Noble High on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Windham High School. The Lady Eagles started strong and kept up their intensity to end the game with a 4-2 victory over the Knights.

Windham freshman Mia Kri keeps the ball away from a
Noble High opponent, moments before she scores a goal
in a preseason field hockey game on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

Based upon this early contest, Windham is gearing up to have an incredible field hockey season.

“They read the field better, they saw the passes, they made passes to someone, and they weren’t afraid to pass back to create more space,” said Windham varsity field hockey coach Cory DiDonato. “They communicated, figured out where they need to be to support each other to be an option, they just stayed spread out and were able to make some good passes today. I’m super excited; feel great about the team. All summer I said it to (Windham), we’re going to be a top five team. I think we’ll battle really tough teams and it’ll be a good game. If they come injury free and are ready to play, I think it’s going to be a great season – I feel good about it.”

Against Noble, the Lady Eagles stayed with the ball and had strong defense. They were aggressive and fought hard.

Shortly into the first quarter, Noble’s goalie laid on the ball for more than 5 seconds. This counts as a stroke and entitled Windham to a penalty shot, which senior Zoe Dries took and rocketed the ball into the goal.

“Today was a good representation of how our season’s going to go,” said Dries. “It’s going to be a good season for us; I thought our passing looked really good and our spacing looking really good and we got some goals in. We have a lot of new players, we’re still working with those new players, but I think it looked really good today.”

Dries scored again very early in the second quarter. Windham had solid communication and moved the ball well. Their defense kept the ball away from Windham’s goal and limited Noble’s chances to score.

Before the end of the half, Windham freshmen Mia Kri sent the ball past the goal to give the Lady Eagles a 3-1 lead at the half.

“I think our teamwork was really good,” said Kri. “The varsity team was really welcoming and ... they all connected together as a team – communication and passing was really good. Cheering each other on, even if it’s on the field or off the field was really good too. We’re still trying to get used to playing together because there are a lot of new people on varsity.”

Windham kept up their intensity in the second half. Their defense remained very strong. Offense made good contact with the ball. Before the final buzzer, Windham senior Grace Joly scored.

It’s clear Windham is beginning to gel as a team and could have a promising season ahead. <