Soccer
York girls over Lakers, get stopped at Falmouth
By Uwe Seeler
THRILL OF VICTORY. The York girls' soccer team runs off the field in celebration after a wild 5-4 overtime win over Lake Region in playoff action last Saturday at York on their way to the Western Maine semi-finals.
Photo by Robert Charlton
YORK - The fourth ranked York girls' soccer team survived a heart stopper last Saturday, Oct. 21, at York when they outgunned number five Lake Region 5-4 in overtime to advance to the Western Maine Class B semifinals against top ranked and undefeated Falmouth yesterday. But at Falmouth, the run came to an end as York gave up a tough goal early and was unable to get it back as the Yachtswomen won 1-0.
After the game, York Coach Wally Caldwell admitted that his team was set back on their heels early, but had nothing but praise for his girls' effort in the second half when York played the hosts to a standoff in a rugged defensive battle for both sides.
York's best chance came with under five minutes left in the first half and freshman Ashley Taylor, seconds in off the bench, drilled a header in off the York corner and had the ball just stopped at the goal line by the Falmouth keeper.
The loss ended a season full of hard-fought games for the young squad, and the quarterfinal win over Lake Region was one more thriller for the books.
York 5, Lake Region 4
York looked set to roll over the Lakers early, coming out flying and scoring at just five minutes in when Emily Boone, seemingly always in the right place this year, knocked in the loose ball from in close for the 1-0 lead.
Boone made it 2-0 10 minutes later when she tapped the ball in off a great work and a nice cross by Kiah Voyer-Colbath.
With senior co-captain Stephanie Plaisted marking Laker star Z.Z. Leighton, and York striker Chelsey Tewell switched to attacking right-midfield, the Lakers seemed completely off balance and the game began to have the feeling of a rout.
But the Wildcats took their foot off the gas for a moment, and that was all it took. Leighton got the ball with a step against Plaisted and drilled a shot from 20 yards out to make it 2-1.
The Lakers got another one just minutes later when a windblown ball made it through the York defense and the Lakers' Kim Rivet shot in low past keeper Brooke Simpson from a steep angle.
With nine minutes left in the half, Natalie Kaknes got taken down hard in the box after nice work with the ball and Plaisted went to the line for the PK but the keeper guessed right and stopped the low shot, the half ending at 2-2.
With scoring chances going both ways for the first twenty minutes of the second half, York finally went up 3-2 when Tewell, scored after a run from the left and a low shot, which tipped off the keeper's hands and in for the lead.
But two minutes later, the Lakers' Abby Hancock launched a long range shot that held up in the wind and landed in the net just over the hands of a leaping Simpson to tie it up again at 3-3.
The crowd was still buzzing when Boone scored her third of the day off the one time from a cross by Tewell to make it 4-3 with 17 minutes left. But with just under five minutes to play, Simpson got caught out of the goal in a miscommunication with her backs, and Krysti Leach scooped up the ball and shot into the open net to knot things at 4-4 and send the game into OT.
The uneasy hometown fans had the sense that this was a game that York could not close, and that the Lakers would not lose, but junior midfielder Jessie Ehrenborg had other ideas and put the ball in after a scramble from out front. York 5, Lake Region 4, and on to Falmouth they would go.
