Soccer
End of the line: Falmouth stops York 4-1
By Uwe Seeler
NO TREAT. The York Wildcats look on in disbelief as the ball ends up in the back of their net on a corner where every man seemed marked. The goal put the host Falmouth Yachtsmen up 1-0 and on their way to a 4-1 victory in the Western Maine final yesterday at Falmouth.
Photo by Kate Rasche
ROCK IN THE BACK. Senior center back and team leader, Matt Carey, shown here in yesterday's Western Maine final at Falmouth, finishes out a solid York High School career.
Photo by Kate Rasche
FALMOUTH - The York Wildcats season came to a cold, hard end last night, Oct. 31, at Falmouth, where the host Yachtsmen were all tricks and no treat in the Western Maine boys' soccer final.
In a game that looked promising at the outset, the Wildcats, playing in a flat four with playmaker Joe Corsello moved into the center back position, could not hold play at midfield and were eventually worn down by a talented Falmouth attack, including three goals by senior striker Jesse Hugo.
Play moved back and forth for the first 20 minutes, and the flat four formation appeared to be having success frustrating the Yachtsmen attack. With just under 10 minutes left in the half, senior center back Matt Carey served up a beautiful long-distance ball from midfield that the Falmouth keeper just managed to punch away.
Minutes later it was York keeper Dan Graziano with a diving highlight stop on a blast from 20 yards. But the ensuing corner from Falmouth proved to be the beginning of the end when the curling corner by Captain Jordan Hale somehow eluded a mass of Wildcat defenders and ended up in the back of the net, the goal being credited to Jesse Hugo for the 1-0 lead going into the half.
The York faithful who had made the trip up in numbers did their best to give the Wildcats a lift coming out for the start, but were no match for the big hometown crowd backed up by a rhythm section working on 50-gallon plastic drums and ringing cowbells non-stop.
With the hometown fans chanting encouragement at his back, Hale drilled in a free kick from deep in the left corner, forcing Graziano to a diving save, but Hugo was there again to slot in the rebound, and the Yachtsmen were up 2-0.
At the 30-minute mark the Wildcats were given a chance to get back into the game when Falmouth was called for a dangerous play inside their box, but the shot off the indirect by Corsello went low into the wall and was cleared away on the rebound.
Three minutes later, freshman Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, left unmarked at the top of the York box, took in the ball and ripped one past a helpless Graziano to put the lead at 3-0.
York, still fighting, finally got on the board when Ryan Clausen drilled in a shot from 18 yards, which hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced just inside the goal line, with linesman Pete LeVasseur signaling without hesitation for the goal.
But just four minutes later the Yachtsmen ended the game, and the Wildcats season, for good, when an unmarked Hugo completed the hat trick, redirecting the 40-yard feed from Hale on a free kick past a sprawling Graziano to make the score 4-1.
With nine minutes left, York Coach Jeff Smith emptied the bench as the time ran down.
York ends the season at 10-5-2. See the season in review in next week's edition of The Independent.
