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 Gorlov
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 Gorlov 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 Gorlov. “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. <