WHS girls’ soccer drops regional final to Scarborough

By Matt Pascarella

After Windham varsity girls’ soccer held back Falmouth in the semifinal playoff game at Falmouth on Saturday, Nov. 1 with a 3-2 win, the third-placed Eagles returned to Falmouth and took on top-ranked Scarborough in the Class A South regional final on Tuesday, Nov. 4. This was an incredibly hard-fought game that lasted over 100 minutes of play and a penalty kick round.

Windham senior Marley Jarvais keeps the ball away from 
her Scarborough opponent during the Class A South girls'
soccer regional final game against Scarborough at
Falmouth High school on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA   

The Eagles truly left it all on the field and remained tough for over 110 minutes. Scarborough just slipped by when they scored one penalty kick more during the round and won 2-1.

“They being the No. 1 seed had everything to lose and we didn’t,” said Windham senior Marley Jarvais. “We came out and not only did we play with them, but we outplayed them most of the game and I think that’s something we should remember. I think Scarborough was overconfident coming into this game and thought they could easily get a win against us, but I think we just proved that we can outplay them – I think this team has grown so much since the summer.”

During the first half Windham had the upper hand with more offensive chances and very strong defense. The score was 0-0 at the half.

“Our energy ... this game, we all came ready to play,” said Windham sophomore Morgan Clark. “We all knew that we could play with Scarborough and would play however long it would take. How much we’ve grown as a team is a positive that stands out. Coming into this year a lot of us thought this would be a rebuilding year. A lot of us knew what we could be and we all put in the work to be (the team we’ve become).”

Windham sophomore goalie Jennifer Schwarz said she went into this game feeling like there was nothing to lose and she needed to go for every ball. She couldn’t be nervous; she knew her team had her back. Schwarz said once the game started, she was happy out there, doing what she loved. She was a solid barrier and had 10 saves during regulation and overtime play.

In the second half, the Eagles had no diminishment of their hustle. They had earned the right to be there, and every player gave it everything they had.

Roughly 65 minutes into the game Scarborough scored. Windham had a shot at the Red Riot’s goal that bounced off the crossbar. This game wasn’t over yet.

About 72 minutes into regulation play Clark scored. The game was tied 1-1 as the clock ran out.

“We brought it to them, we brought our ‘A’ game, we weren’t intimidated,” said Windham varsity girls’ soccer assistant coach Jim Stewart. “When Windham was down a goal they kept playing, got the goal back, they kept playing. They believed in themselves and they believed in each other. They should be proud of themselves; you play like that, and you lose, ... you hold your head high. You did everything you could do; you gave every bit of effort you could give and that’s all as a coach we could ask for.”

Both overtimes were no different for Windham. They remained aggressive, pressured and had offensive chances and shots on goal.

When it came down to penalty kicks, Scarborough got one more than Windham.

Both Jarvais and Clark agreed the team has grown and improved over the season. They worked hard all season, every game, every ball, every chance. The seniors were playing for the underclassmen, and the underclassmen were playing for the seniors.

“That’s really, really hard what they just did,” said Windham varsity girls’ soccer head coach Deb Lebel. “As much as our kids don’t like it and they all make fun of me for stressing the fitness, I don’t think we dipped too much out there. Windham got a lot better opportunities when we played to feet, they did great.”

When Lebel and Stewart look back on the season, growth and team camaraderie stand out. <

JSMS boys’ cross country ends season with championship win

By Matt Pascarella

The Jordan-Small Middle School boys’ cross country team won the Cumberland County League championship on Thursday, Oct. 23 at Twinbrook Recreation Area in Cumberland.

Jordan-Small Middle School's cross country team gathers
after the Gray Invitational Meet at Gray Middle School 
on Friday, Oct. 3. PHOTO BY JOHN POWERS

Competing against 15 other middle school teams, the JSMS boys’ team edged out Yarmouth Middle School by three points to win the Cumberland County League championship.

Hard work and grit paid off in a big way for these boys,” said JSMS cross country coach John Powers. “With a goal in mind and support from teammates, coaches, parents and their friends they were able to take on a league filled with much larger school populations to win it all.”

Three weeks prior to the event, the JSMS boys’ finished second to Yarmouth during a regular season meet. The day after that second-place finish, Powers said the team got to work with their goal being to defeat Yarmouth in the championship meet and win it all.

He said that the entire team contributed to the improvement and everyone in their top five runners that figured into the score set a personal best during that race.

Eighth grader and team co-captain Miles Moreau finished first in the championship event for JSMS and fifth overall with a time of 11:40 minutes. Eighth grader and co-captain Franklin Murray finished 10th overall and second for JSMS with a 12:19 time.

Sixth grader Mason Hall finished third for the team and 13th overall with a time of 12:28. Sixth grader Brady Cirrinone was fourth with a 12:56 time; and seventh grader Will Carroll finished fifth with a time of 13:13.

"Winning the championship is a reflection on how hard our team works,” said Murray. “By putting their full effort in practices every time and having team spirit that pushes us to be the best we can be.”

Moreau said he knew the meet was going to be close and was relieved when he saw JSMS had won. Afterward, he said he felt proud of his team and its championship accomplishment. <

Windham boys’ soccer falls to Falmouth in quarterfinal playoff

By Matt Pascarella

Tenth-place Windham varsity boys’ soccer played second-place Falmouth at Falmouth on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Windham kept Falmouth scoreless for 60 minutes of an 80-minute game, but Falmouth scored halfway through the second half. The Navigators got two more goals before the end and won, 3-0.

Windham senior Camden Patin keeps his eyes on the ball
during the boys' soccer quarterfinal playoff game against
Falmouth at Falmouth High School on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

“For this contest, getting them on their heels early by coming out more aggressive and looking to push the scoring opportunities was the strategy,” said Windham varsity boys’ soccer coach Jeff Neal. “Windham faced adversity all season long on and off the pitch, but they all picked each other up day-after-day, working hard to find a pathway to get better. While we may not have met initial expectations, I can proudly say as a group they represented the community and program as well as a group of young men can.”

Neal said the team worked hard all season to develop a more aggressive and positive shooting posture while doubling down to improve striking technique to generate more consistent scoring. As the season progressed, WHS improved on this. Their defense really improved after losing a number of veteran players to graduation last year.

Windham’s defense was strong from the start and remained strong for a very large portion of the game. The Eagles moved the ball well and worked hard to be first to the ball. They made solid attempts to go after scoring opportunities, but Falmouth defense was also strong. It was 0-0 at halftime.

“Coming into this game, my teammates and I went with the mindset of having nothing to lose,” said Windham senior and goalie Tate Robinson who had nine saves during the game. “We knew that this wasn't going to be an easy game, however, we were still confident in our ability to compete against them. I was confident in our team's abilities and fully believed we could win. This was the best I've seen us play and really showed that we were able to compete with one of the best teams in Maine.”

In the second half, Windham maneuvered and remained aggressive with incredibly strong defense. After several blocks by Robinson, Falmouth was able to score, but only after almost 60 scoreless minutes.

Robinson did not let this get him down and said he knew there was plenty of game remaining to tie it up.

“As a team we held Falmouth up really well,” said Windham senior Camden Patin. “Everything we talked about executing we executed to our best. The first half was some of the best all-around soccer we had played all season. It was simple mistakes that led to the defeat. Looking back on the season what stands out is our ability to push through adversity ... this team came every day to work and grind to get better.”

The Navigators scored again with eight minutes left and once more on a penalty kick.

Captain and senior Daniel Hancock said leading up to Falmouth’s first goal, they had executed their game plan well but just had a small break in it. When Robinson made back-to-back saves, in the moments following Hancock said Windham did not have Robinson’s back to clear the ball. They ran out of gas, and some unfortunate bounces deflated them. He’s proud of the effort Windham gave against a strong team.

“We controlled the ball well and kept the score to a 0-0 game,” said Windham senior Dylan Crockett. “We are a very talented team with great players, but we did not fully adapt to Falmouth’s urgency and hunger in the second half. Due to our lack of endurance toward the last 15 minutes of the game we got put under pressure. (While) we possessed the ball a lot better, and we had a ton of attacking chances, we just couldn’t finish the chances. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities this team has given me; this brotherhood we all had will stay as a core memory for the rest of my life.” <